It is difficult when you have to drop out of a race. It is not fun. It sucks. If you want to see what it was like for me, you can see the video here. So, the race beat me. Maybe I beat myself. Mikey Neumann points out that some characters, and himself as well, will set themselves up for things or “You Did This To You.” So where do you go when you are suffering from “the agony of defeat”?

If you are in New Paltz, you go to Schatzi’s.

I have waxed poetic about my love of New Paltz before and I am not going to get into it again but my love is real. When I was in pain and needed a beer and a good amount of carbs while in New Paltz, we went to Schatzi’s. My partner thinks that is has a college bar vibe but I don’t think it is that. Aside from it being a minute since either of use was in college, I don’t think it is an accurate representation. It’s a climbers bar. It’s the bar and restaurant for the weirdos who like to spend time in and around the hills and mountains. Occasionally I am that type of person. I was going to call it a dirtbag bar but I wanted to be clear about the context of the word. I, in a couple of ways, aspire to be a dirtbag. The patio, at the time of our last visit, was filled with people with sunburns, scraped knees and knuckles, dogs, and smiles. It was lovely to see. It was exactly what this website is for.

We sat at a high table because it was easier for me to get into and down from. Service was quick and with a smile. There is a good selection of beer and there were a surprising number of other options. I had beer.

I also had the special, the decidedly non-German Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese, which tasted better than anything I had ever tasted. (As I am writing this I am trying to remember if this was the first real food that I had when I came off the escarpment. It was like five hours since I dropped out. I showered. We had done a tourist thing. Wait, I had some hotdogs at the race start/finish and a salad and a variety of other things. Never mind this digression.) They have pretzel poutine, people. They, of course, have pretzels. They have a burrata plate that you have to have. Trust us.

Dessert is what made my partner smile though. That is all that needs to be said.

Yes, I would feel comfortable being grungy there. The vibe is perfect for it. Yes, it is dog and child friendly. Parking is a YMMV issue. We purchased some items from Rock & Snow next door which allowed us to rent a parking spot in their lot. I could see parking being an issue. Those of your party who are wrecked after your day should be dropped off.

-EWA

Schatzi's - New Paltz