hitting close to home
It was a lazy, hazy weekend, so on Saturday I decided to crack open the August issue of W magazine that's been sitting on my desk since…well, early July when it came in the mail.
And I was mildly amused to say the least when I found an article in its Eye section about Richard Gere and wife Carey Lowell's latest venture: hospitality.
The Bedford Post is an 18th century house and barn that the couple has turned into a small luxury hotel, restaurant, bistro and yoga loft. Now here's the part that mildly amused me – it's located in Bedford, N.Y., a very short ride from my apartment, which is also in Westchester County, N.Y.
I decided to leave the drive-bys and celebrity stalking sessions for another weekend though and stuck to my living room couch for the time being. Anyway it seems that the atmosphere they've created will, and has been so far, fitting in perfectly in the upper-crust, recession-be-damned neighborhoods of the second wealthiest county in the state. It even got Martha Stewart's stamp of approval – who was apparently the Farmhouse restaurant's first customer as well as the first diner to just happen to drop by on horseback.
"It's just what Bedford needed," she says in the article. "We were all desperate for a good restaurant. Our nearest great one – Blue Hill at Stone Barns – is quite a distance away, and Brian is really one of the better chefs in the United States. I just love his delicate, delicate pasta."
PS, quotes such as these also added to said "mild amusement." Oh, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns is even closer to my apartment! I was loving all the shout-outs!
Stewart is talking about chef Brian Lewis, who Gere and Lowell recruited to man their restaurant, using a "farm-to-table" philosophy I would imagine by utilizing any number of farmers' markets that you can virtually trip over in the area.
As far as the hotel's design goes – or the "inn" as they continually refer to it in the article – apparently that was all Lowell. "Lowell took the reins in designing the eco-friendly buildings. Touring the eight guest rooms, she cheerfully points out the post beams, wainscoting, fireplaces and limed-oak doors. 'It should be like you're in your own home,' she says. 'But better.'"
No further explanation in the article as to what they deem "eco-friendly," by the way.
All joking aside, if the pictures are any indication it does seem lovely. Rates are not listed on the website but there is contact information. Keep in mind, July 20 was only the soft opening for the inn .
To read the full article, click here.
