Our moving sale was great! Thanks to everyone who showed up and helped us rid ourselves of worldly possessions. Most of the folks I conversed with were curious as to where we were moving. About 90% were surprised when I told them we’re heading back to Brooklyn. I was informed that we’re heading in the opposite direction of everyone else.

It seems there’s a mass migration to the Hudson Valley again and Beacon is hot at the moment. Good for us, since we want to sell our house. I say, bring it on!

We chose to move back to Brooklyn after six years away for many reasons. The main one is that Hubby has been working in Greenpoint for the past year + and stays in Brooklyn most nights while I live upstate. Just doesn’t make sense.

But just in case you’re thinking of leaving the city for greener pastures, I’ve compiled a list of questions to ask yourself before making the big move. These factors bothered me, but everyone is different.

1. Food delivery! My husband jokes “What does my wife make for dinner? A phone call.” I don’t cook, I don’t cook, I don’t cook. My mother isn’t much of a cook. I come from a “Let’s order in” family. I think there’s ONE place in Beacon that delivers.

2.  Restaurants. Again with the food. I’m a Jew. We like to eat. The restaurants around here are meh. IMO, there are finer dining establishments further north in weekender territory, but they are too far from Beacon.

3. Sidewalks and bike lanes. Ok, so maybe it’s not such a big deal, but some streets lack sidewalks. I’m sorry, I don’t like walking in the road or on someone’s grass. Although I don’t cycle, there are no bike lanes. Not really a reason not to move up here, but it just bothers me.

4. Everyone all up in your business. Small town life. How quaint. You see the same people. Everyone knows one another. For me, it was charming for 5 minutes. There’s something to be said about anonymous city life and that is “I miss it”.

5. Shop hours. Oh, this is a killer coming from “The City That Never Sleeps”. The Main Street store owners seem to come to work whenever they feel like it. I gave up on many of the mom and pop shops because they were never open when I needed something. Special thanks to Beacon Natural and Artisan Wine who open 7 days per week, normal hours.

6. Strip malls. It’s an inevitable part of suburban life. Face it. If the Main Street shops ain’t helping ya, that’s what’s left. Which brings me to….

7. It’s a car culture. OMG, I used to make fun of people who drive a few blocks. Now I’m one of them! Something you would never do in the city because of traffic and parking. Something I do here because the Main Street shops are so unreliable that I may end up driving to the strip mall.

All of the above being said, there are many pluses to living in the Hudson Valley. How about clean air and fabulous mountain views? Being near the Hudson so you can kayak or sail (We said we would, but hardly ever got around to it). No crowds. Better quality of life. Larger living space and back yard.

It’s really about everyone’s own choice. I grew up with the rat race. As much as I wanted a quieter lifestyle, I feel like a fish out of water here. Do I regret leaving the city? No, it was a lovely vacation. But now it’s time to go home.

  posted @ 6:34 am Comments (8)

Hey, didjya hear we’re having a moving sale this Saturday? Ok, so here’s the latest:

Address: North Avenue in Beacon. This is Rt. 9-D South. Busy road. No street parking. You’ll have to park around the corner on a side street and walk (heaven forbid!) back to the house. It’s within walking distance to Metro North and we will consider delivering large (ticket) items to the 4 boros. Sorry, Staten Island doesn’t count. Hopefully we’ll remember to put signs up, but you’ll see the house by the 2×6′s holding it up. Big peeling gray Victorian, stone wall, turret. That’s us. The one in the logo.

Time: April 10. 10am-5pm. If you’re gonna try to be cheeky and come early, we will put you to work. Stuff needs to be hauled and priced. We’re soooo not prepared for the sale. Go on, make my day. Come early. Oh, it’s rain or shine. We’ll set up in the house if weather is nasty.

RSVP: There’s a Facebook page that looks pathetic because nobody is actually RSVPing. I feel kind of sad and lame.

What we have:

Small tschotskes are mainly around $3 to $5 apiece. I’ll have some stuff on hand that I sell for more money at markets, but that will be discounted. Like you can have a $15 piece for $10.

Furniture: This is the sale where we get rid of crap. The second sale will be once the house is in contract and we really need to move. That will be the better stuff. The good news is the crap is priced to sell! These are items I picked up and wanted to restore, but never got around to it. Chairs for $10 to $15. Dressers $50. Bed frames starting at $30.

Old hand tools

Complete Darkroom and some other photo stuff

Books

Clothes I’ll never fit into again but I hang onto

Bits and pieces for the crafty upcycler

Architectural salvage including a slate mantel, newel post, sink vanities, 50′s wood kitchen cabinets, antique cast iron wood burning stove, doors, molding, concrete sinks and tiles, antique double cast iron sink

Just…tons more. Tons. Hope to see you Saturday!

Antique Potty with porcelain knob and wheels. Come on, who doesn’t need one of these? Huh, huh? Yours for $40.

3 lovely Get Real Surfaces concrete sinks @ $ 65 apiece. Don’t need a sink? They make nice bird baths!

Completely scratched, but totally sturdy Pier 1 picnic table and benches. We paid $850 just so our dogs could tear into it. Make an offer (that’s around $225).

  posted @ 6:02 am Comments (0)

I shot two impressive homes on Monday. What are the chances of that? A Spanish villa inspired (realtor says English) stone house in Beacon and a sweet Victorian in Poughkeepsie.

The “Under the Beacon Sun” house needs some work, but it looks soooooo worth it! My jaw dropped when I walked in. But then I was like “No. More. Renovations!” It’s listed at $299k.

The Poughkeepsie house is on a lovely block within walking distance to Main Street. The people living here have good taste, which doesn’t hurt. Don’t know the price yet, but last I heard, Poughkeepsie was less expensive than Beacon.

  posted @ 7:11 am Comments (1)

Over the weekend I started pulling furniture out of my garage to get ready for the yard sale. I set up a little makeshift outdoor “studio” to shoot the merch.

It’s kind of cool how the chairs almost seem lifelike as they sit waiting for some tlc. All of them are old and raggedy and have seen better days. The chippy paint and cracks are like human wrinkles that tell the story of life’s experiences.

Yeah, I know it’s a load of crap. I’m just too tired to write anything else.

So….The Beacon 2 BK Moving Sale is this Saturday, April 10th. 10-5pm. Sure, come early, but that means we’re putting you to work hauling things. Don’t think you’re gonna come early to shop, bee-atches!

Address: 1189 North Avenue. That’s Rt. 9-D, south side. Park around the corner as there is no street parking and this is a driveway sale. The house is walking distance from Metro North and we may just be open to delivery.

  posted @ 7:41 am Comments (0)

We can’t finish a single project. Every room in our house is 90% done, but we get bored before finishing. Wanna see what I mean? Loads of before and during shots. No afters.

Fugly made-in-China chandelier. Hubby wanted to throw it in the trash. I said…..

“Paint it pink!” Inspired by the Jonathan Adler. It’s still sitting there with the tape though.

Exterior needs a ton of work. We’re doing the best we can with money and time constraints. Instead of stripping it down to bare wood, we’re scraping and patching. And when I say “we” I mean the contractor in this case.

Now that the wood is protected, it’s time to get back to building the porch. Doug Fir tongue and groove is nearly finished. It should be in by the end of the day. FYI, that’s plywood in the photo, case you didn’t know.

The wall in our driveway needs repointing. Grooves have been cleaned and it now awaits the cement. It’s in such bad condition that some stones came loose and fell on my husband. I LMAOROFL just as any good wife would do.

So, that’s where it’s at. Maybe I’ll get an after shot of something by the end of the week, but probably not. It’s mission: “Get rid of clutter” this week. Hence the tag sale.

  posted @ 5:48 am Comments (0)

Did you ever take a drive in The Catskills and spot a huge abandoned mansion and wonder what it once was? This video showcases some gorgeous hotels from the 1920′s-60′s. Recognize any of them?

* Check out the signs @ 37 seconds. There was a “Phyl-Bob”! That’s me!! WTF?

  posted @ 6:42 am Comments (1)

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