Set back from a well-traveled road on a gentle rise, this pretty Queen Anne house is in Spencertown, New York, one of Columbia County’s best-preserved villages. A weekend in the country? Most guests do come for a few days, but if you wish to book for longer, we will try to accommodate you. The home is 5 minutes from the market town of Chatham, New York, 20 from bustling Hudson, New York, and the cultural Berkshires — and roughly two hours from Boston or New York City. This warm and welcoming house features a first-floor living room that is flooded with light and furnished with an eclectic array of comfortable upholstered furniture. The generous dining room seats six to eight people, with a lovely vista, visible through an end wall picture window. Guests have raved about the cook’s kitchen: It is fully equipped and well-stocked for serious cooking, baking, as well as the preparation of simpler fare. The dishwasher, 5-burner cooktop, refrigerator, and granite counters are new. Outside an expansive stone terrace features an arrangement of cushioned chairs around a coffee table, along with a separate table and chairs for dining, effectively adding two “rooms” to the house's entertainment spaces on pleasant days. The kitchen also features a convenient desk space and accompanying chair for lap top, charging station, and office or housekeeping uses. The home is furnished with a mix of antiques and oriental rugs. Period architectural details include original floors, moldings, and pocket doors. There are two full baths, one on the first floor with a shower stall and washer and dryer, the other on the second floor with a tub/shower. Two spacious bedrooms are located on the second floor. The third bedroom, on the top level, is a charming garret room with vaulted ceiling. Watch the world go by from the tall, south-facing porch on the front façade, where a screen of evergreens, bushes, and river birches muffles the occasional whoosh of passing cars. Or enjoy the calm and private views to the rear of adjacent hay fields and orchard. I live nearby and am always available if need. Chatham has a main drag with a pub, brewery, and several restaurants. The vicinity is rich in cultural attractions, from outdoor sculpture park Art Omi and the homes of painters Frederic Church and Thomas Cole (on the New York side) to the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Clark Art Institute, and MassMoCA in Massachusetts. Theatre and music and dance abound in the vicinity. An old-fashioned movie house, the Crandell Theatre, is just a few minutes way in Chatham. Travel time from the George Washington bridge is two hours; Boston is just a few minutes further. Both routes are uncomplicated, whether driving along New York's Taconic State Parkway or Interstate 90 through the Berkshires. The Amtrak station in Hudson is thirty minutes away; MetroNorth's Wassaic station is a fifty-five minute drive south.