West of Harriman State Park, the Appalachian Trail and US-6 cross the busy I-87 New York Thruway, then wind through the exurbs of the Big Apple, where town after town seems unsure whether this is country living or not. Outside Monroe, for example, a country store, a one-room schoolhouse, and a log cabin have been collected together in a roadside living-history “Museum Village” (daily in summer; $10). Right in Monroe, the very cool, very kitsch, green-glass Monroe Diner (845/783-8916), at 1797 US-6/Hwy-17, serves great burgers.
Further west, along I-84 on the tri-state (NY/NJ/PA) border, Port Jervis is a curious mixture of small-town dereliction and commercial bustle. Transportation has clearly been a major historical force here, with the influence of successive eras—the river, the railroad, and the highway—inscribed in the very layout of the town. For a glimpse of the long reign of the iron horse, check out the intriguing artifacts and photos in the restored waiting room of the old Erie Lackawanna Depot on Front Street, or stop inside the old Erie Hotel next door, which has an ornate bar, a lively restaurant and rooms upstairs ($60; 845/858-4100).
Port Jervis clearly still believes in the virtues of home cooking: Homer’s Coffee Shop (845/856-1712), unmissable at 2 E. Main Street, is a prime example, with its democratic social club of elderly regulars, young tie-wearing businessmen, and tradespeople with company names stitched on their shirt pockets, all drawn to the bargain meals. Despite the acoustic tile and too-new counter and seating, it’s a welcoming spot, with the added attraction of a soda fountain in case you need to wash down that turkey club or beef stroganoff with a Tin Roof Sundae.
