Kate’s Lazy Meadow, Mt. Tremper, NY, and Kate’s Lazy Desert, Landers, CA
Kate Pierson and Monica Coleman
“We’re a ‘gay preferred,’ not ‘gay-friendly,’ type of place,” says Monica Coleman, co-owner of Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel with her wife, B-52s vocalist Kate Pierson. During almost three decades of touring with her band, Pierson had crashed in countless hotels and motels ranging from ritzy to rustic. The experience planted the seed for a country hideaway modeled on her personal style, with mid-century modern furnishings, kitschy collectibles she picked up over the years and a private, woodsy setting complete with trout stream and mountain trails.
In 2012, that dream became reality when Pierson and Coleman opened the Lazy Meadow in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. The renovated 1950s-style compound—comprising a lodge, suite, cabin and, dare we say it, a love shack—is situated on nine forested acres and its namesake meadow in a secluded area off Esopus Creek, a rippling stream known for its great tubing. Guests can indulge their inner Girl Scout with outdoorsy activities like hiking and fly-fishing, and the surrounding towns support an eclectic creative scene. “Woodstock has all sorts of artists and musicians,” Coleman says. “It’s a haven for all things artistic.”
Shortly after their success with the Lazy Meadow, Coleman and Pierson shipped a passel of vintage Airstream trailers to cactus country and opened Kate’s Lazy Desert outside Joshua Tree, California. The six aluminum trailers, each with its own mod decor and personality, feature a cozy boudoir, kitchenette, air conditioning/heating and endless vistas outside the curved windows. Catch a tan in a hammock by the pool or nosh on local BBQ to glamp in style. It’s not far from the gay scene in Palm Springs or outdoor adventures in Joshua Tree National Park. Or, Coleman says, you could simply stay and invite family and friends: “We just hosted our first gay wedding!”
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