“Hudson Valley Ruins, Forgotten Landmarks of An American Landscape” is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The subjects, like Norma Desmond, are faded and forgotten, yet haunting all the same. Thomas E. Rinaldi and Robert J. Yasinac share their passion of these once grand structures. The book, originally released in September 2006, is now in second edition.

The Demolition Alert on their website points out all of the buildings already gone or in danger of being lost. Among them is the Red Apple Rest Stop on Route 17, where my family would stop on the way to the Catskills bungalow colony for the weekend (Yes, I am sooo stereotypical NY Jew.) and the Dennings Point Brick Works Factory in Beacon.

I’m ready for my close up.