Catskills Archives - Page 2 of 3

Country Homes Under $200k!

May 4, 2011 RH 2 Comments

Oh, this is bad. I just got agent’s access to Dutchess, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan County MLS. My renovations are nearly finished in Brooklyn, summer is near and I don’t have a weekend place. I shouldn’t look. I’m not in the market. But it’s so tempting. Must stop looking…. (But if you want to look at them, maybe I wouldn’t mind taking a drive up with you.)

The house above is a “handyman special”. Those words are music to my ears. For $159k, you can be located right in the Village of Rhinebeck on 2.8 acres. Hello! It’s not a small house either: 2575 total square feet. 1000 of that is unfinished, but the place needs a total rehab anyway.

Hyde Park short sale for $179,925. An 1850 Colonial on 3.46 acres. The house is 2300 square feet and has a barn! Doesn’t look to be in bad condition.

Village of Millbrook. A 1940 stucco 824 square foot home on hardly any property. Listing price is $180k and the agent says bring in all offers. Ooh, this looks like a nice fixture upper! What better way to spend your weekends in the country than working on your house. I kid, I kid.

This one actually brought tears to my eyes. This house wants some lovin’. Located in The Gunks near the town of Pine Bush, famous for it’s UFO Festival and my mom’s siting of the KKK way back in the early 70’s. (True story. They’re probably long gone by now.) This deliciously scary looking 1820 fixer upper is $198k and sits on 2 acres. Heeerrre’s Johnny!

Terror Trials. The Case for Newburgh

February 1, 2010 RH 3 Comments

So now that Bloomberg has decided he doesn’t want the 9/11 trials in NYC, Mayor Nicholas Valentine of Newburgh, NY is offering his hospitality.

As an NYC transplant in the Newburgh area, I’m putting in my two cents.

Personally, I thought it would’ve been a fine idea to hold the trials in NYC. It would have been cathartic for us to see these guys brought to justice right near the scene of the crime. Punishment if found guilty? Parade them through the streets of Bensonhurst or Maspeth. End of story.

NYC would’ve probably been a tad too busy to hold these huge trials. But Newburgh? There’s NOTHING going on there! Seriously, as long as it doesn’t cost the City of Newburgh anything, they should totally do it!

The Mayor knows that this would put Newburgh on the map. There’s a 20% unemployment rate, a ton of boarded up buildings and a handful of wonderful businesses struggling to survive. There are plenty of hotels in the area, an international airport, major roadways and oh, did I mention a military base? A friggin military base! Plus, West Point is just down the road a bit.

If commuters are inconvenienced by traffic on the bridge, they can hop a ferry across the river to Metro North. Problem solved.

So, who is against it? Orange County Executive Ed Diana says “Not in my backyard!” He wants it outside of the U.S. and says he will do everything in his power to stop it from happening in Orange County. “Forty-four Orange County residents lost their lives on that most horrific day, and to bring these monsters to Orange County is an insult to our residents,” Diana told the local Record newspaper.

Unemployment. High taxes. Struggling businesses. High crime rate. In a beautiful location on the river within an hour of NYC. With gorgeous architecture. Nah, better keep the status quo. Let’s keep Newburgh off the map.

Oh BTW, Mr. Diana, that was sarcasm.

Etsyan’s Retro Reno in Sullivan County

August 12, 2009 RH 4 Comments

Vanessa from Etsy Storque alerted me to this video by Etsy seller Luxton Lake. Read the informative and fascinating post @ Etsy, but I just want to ad my own comments here:

1. OMG, I’m soooo jealous!

2. Why can’t MY house be finished?

3. Why can’t MY house be cute and bright like that?

4. Honey, when can we buy a 1940’s bungalow to restore?

Another Borscht Belt Hotel Dies

July 21, 2009 RH 11 Comments

The Nevele was one of the last remaining Catskill resorts from a bygone era. Sadly, last month they closed their doors.

A NJ based investment group purchased the hotel in 1997 and turned it over 3 years later to another NJ company. $11 million was spent on improvements and it’s said that the place was hopping. The financial problems were likely from failed management and not lack of business.

Ellenville has lost some major employers in the past few years and this only adds to the economic woes of the downtrodden town.

By the way, Nevele is eleven backwards because it was originally owned by 11 brothers.

Please see: Borscht Belt. Then & Now.

Phyllis The Chicken Is A Tranny

June 2, 2008 RH 1 Comment

I recently received the following update on Phyllis the Bed Stuy Chicken. That was the chicken we rescued in our neighborhood. Catskill Animal Sanctuary was kind enough to take her under their wing and they even named her after me. Only SHE turned out to be a HE. And he’s gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

“Rocky and Phyllis, meanwhile, are two broiler roosters (yes, there IS a story behind the name!!) who are devoted to each other. Rocky is an elderly boy with probably no more than a few good months left. An affectionate boy, Rocky loves to be held and to have his neck and comb stroked. Phyllis, meanwhile, adores Rocky. As a young newcomer, he’s a little reserved but is coming around quickly. These boys are exceedingly gentle and would make easy, delightful friends for someone with a secure nighttime shelter.”

New on the Forum!

May 6, 2008 RH

Gorgeous Eastlake Parlor Set for $1100. Located in Ulster County. It’s been reupholstered. Seems like a good deal to me. That Eastlake stuff is pricey! I should know….I love it and but can’t afford it. Possible delivery available.

Anthony: 845-591-4974

Howard Hall Farm has their class schedule all worked out for the season. Among “must knows” for any period homeowner….paint stripping and reading your period home. Full schedule at Howard Hall Farm.

Located in Athens, NY. Make a weekend out of it!

Weekender:Country Condos?

April 17, 2008 RH

2BR in Tivoli: $200k

I never understood why someone would want to live in the country and not have land around them. I’d pass homes close to the road, townhouses and condos and say “WTF”? Well, I’m much older and wiser now and I kind of get it.

Weekend homes are a hassle. The cleaning each time you come and go, the heat and water during the winter. Plowing snow. Garbage removal. Maintenance. It’s a part time job and you don’t really get to relax and enjoy the house if you’re just going for a weekend. At least that was our scenario.

So how about those country condos? Some of them offer amenities that would be too pricey for a single homeowner. Pools, tennis, lakes. No guilt that the home is sitting empty if you don’t use it too often. And let someone else worry about the maintenance!

Are condos the way to go or are the fees too high for a part time place? Plus it’s nowhere near as romantic as a cabin the in the woods.

The Borscht Belt: Then & Now

April 2, 2008 RH 9 Comments

My family did the Catskills well into the 80’s. During the 70’s, they left me at a bungalow colony with my grandmother summer weekdays while all my Goyishe friends were at camp. We had family reunions at the big hotels until that whole generation moved down to Florida.The first year of my marriage (1988), the in-laws were invited to one of these reunions. They’re probably still haunted by the memory of it. Proper Dubliners integrating with a bunch of loud mouth New York Jews for the entire weekend. It wasn’t pretty. My immediate family alone is enough to scare anyone off, but the cousins make us look GOOD!

20 years later, we’re still married and you know what? At least my family realizes they’re nuts. I’d rather wear it on my sleeve than sweep it under a rug.

Anyway, The Borscht Belt….yeah, I’m getting to that! I was all set to do a post on the abandoned hotels, but now it looks as if some of them are reopening.Continue reading The Borscht Belt: Then & Now

Weekend Planning Resources

March 27, 2008 RH

Yeah, I like to travel BIG just as much as anyone. But sometimes an overseas vacation is more stressful than it’s worth. That’s why I’m a huge fan of local travel. Just go. Get out of the city for a few days. No better way to relax. Instead of my usual “Weekender” post, I’ll let you do your own research. Here are some planning resources for ya….

GORP covers the great outdoors. The site lists activities on Long Island, in NJ and Upstate. For those of you who can’t get away, there are resources for biking, kayaking and horseback riding right in the city.

EscapeMaker isn’t greatly informative, but it does cover lots of ground. A nice place to start before narrowing down where it is you want to go.

I Love NY. Who doesn’t?

Discover Long Island here.

And New Jersey here.

Retreats for the highly stressed.

Or follow the culture.

Parent Zone has a nice guide for child friendly weekend trips.

And Blue Sky Dogs is a travel agent. For dogs.

Cyberrentals and VRBO are THE two vacation rental sites. Filter by price, kids, pets, area, etc.

Have fun!

Weekender: Catskill, NY

March 20, 2008 RH 3 Comments

The Village of Catskill has a lot going for it these days. Main Street is looking good with it’s restored historic buildings and revamped storefronts.

As with any upstate town that welcomes weekenders, there’s a great choice of restaurants, cafes, antiques shops and galleries. Catskill also has a movie theater, which is a unique benefit among small towns. The town is totally walkable from one end to the other.

Catskill sits right on the Hudson. In fact, it’s just across from the City of Hudson, that once forgotten/now popular haven for weekenders and antique hunters. Catskill prices reflect the fact that it is less “discovered” and on the wrong side of the Amtrak tracks. The town is near the ski areas and the massive Catskill Park. It’s close to Saugerties, another hopping town of late, which, as reader Priscilla informs me, will be home to the 10th Muddy Cup. See, I told you they are taking over!

Apart from Main Street antiques shops, it’s worth the extra few miles to Coxsackie and Ravena for some bargains. Right along route 9W in Coxsackie is the Lincoln Auction building. There are two inexpensive antiques shops in the front of the building. No phone, no name. Just keep in mind they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Farther up the road is the Coxsackie Antique Center. It is a huge, multi dealer place. But their prices weren’t good enough for this cheap bitch. The Ravena Flea Market is another huge place filled with mainly junky stuff, but it’s cool junky stuff. Thanks to Jean for tipping me off to these places.

Welcome to Catskill
Greene Tourism
Catskill. org

Catskill Listings

March 20, 2008 RH

Under $100k

Right near Main Street. Agent doesn’t list condition of property but says owner is anxious. Even if it’s a gut job, it may be worth a look for that price.

$112,900: Victorian with details

1800 sf, 4 Br. Looks like a pretty sweet house for the price.

$159,900: Hall

I can’t make out what kind of hall this was. All I know is that it would make a cool loft space. At 3000 sq ft with R2 zoning, it can be a residence, gallery space, B&B or just about anything your little heart desires.

$ 285k: Freestanding Brick

I love this restoration! Check out the painted floors and antique fixtures. Nicely done.

$ 595K: Here’s Johnny!

Is it possible to be in love with a house? This is my dream home. It’s run down and haunted looking, but it’s friggen gorgeous! Unfortunately, it’s been broken up into apartments. There aren’t any interior shots, so who knows if there’s any detail left? It sits on over 2 acres and has other buildings on the property. Taxes are pretty high. This would make an AWE-HAW-SOME B&B! Any readers out there with tons of $ to throw away wanna buy me this house? Just checking.

Upstate Under $100k

March 14, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Who says you can’t afford a second home? Or a first one outside of the city for that matter? Maybe it’s because I want to see you kids realize the dream of home ownership. Or maybe it’s because I want you to suffer old home renovations along with me. Either way, here are some examples of the American Dream for under $100k. Um, TLC needed.

$64,900 in Newburgh

2 Family in need of total rehab. Although this is a shady block, it’s located right off of Broadway. If Newburgh ever does take off, this will be a nice location. There are better Newburgh options out there, but $64,900 for a house located within an hour’s drive of NYC? I couldn’t resist!

$ 84,900 in Ellenville

3 BR single family with tenant. Crappy renovation. Within walking distance to town. Ellenville is a beautiful area, but the village has a ways to go.

$ 85k in Poughkeepise

Now we’re getting somewhere! A home in need of some good lovin’. Looks like it hasn’t been updated in years. Yum, come to mama, baby. 2 Family with freeze damage due to burst pipes. This is in a decent part of town. Poughkeepsie is actually a commuter location as it’s on the Metro North line. It’s over 90 minutes from NYC though.

$ 94,900 in Liberty

4BR, 2230 sq ft on 2.5 acres. Separate cottage on site. Needs work. This is a foreclosure and only cash offers will do. I haven’t been to Liberty in years, but I hear that Sullivan County is becoming quite popular with 2nd home buyers with little money.

$105k in Coxsackie

Ok, so it’s $5000 over budget. But I had to include it because it’s really the best deal of them all. Coxsackie is a lovely weekend area and this home is located right near the Hudson River. It’s ready to move into and isn’t lacking in charm. At the end of the day, who really wants to work on a second home anyway? Other than fools like me and my husband.

Stan The Junk Man

February 14, 2008 RH 1 Comment

Zaborski Emporium in Kingston is the megastore of salvage. 25,000 square feet of old house parts. You could get lost in that place! No seriously, I get lost in there.

Although Stan has been in the salvage business since 1976, the building on Hoffman Street was completely empty when he purchased it 10 years ago. He managed to fill it up quite nicely in that time. He used to know every piece of inventory, but jokes that he can’t remember now because of his drinking. Yeah, you’d have to be friggen Rain Man to know every artifact in that place!

Stan’s father, Stan, a Brooklyn native, owned a bakery until the early 60’s when supermarkets started to sell baked goods. His business began to suffer. To add insult to injury, the bakery was next door to an auction house. At the end of the day, Stan Sr. would be walking out with $48 compared to the auctioneer’s $15k.

The salvage business actually started with toys. Little Stanley Jr. (That’s present day Stan. Are you still with me?) would bring home toy trains and small objects that they would display for sale at the bakery. Eventually, the toys sold better than the pastries and so a new family business was born.

These days Stan has to be more selective with what he takes in, because apparently, that 25,000 square feet of space is not enough. They get their pieces from other dealers, house clean-outs and people phoning in. Customers include renovators from NYC, CT and MA. They do a decent business with the movie industry. They will only sell outright, no prop rentals. Zaborski furnishings and fixtures have been featured in films such as “American Gangster”, “The Manchurian Candidate”, “Charlotte’s Web” and “Revolutionary Road”.

When I asked if he has seen more business since the whole green building movement took off, he informed me that building salvage was the original green. I agree.

Business had slowed down for Stan during the holiday season this year. But they’re having a good February even with the tanking economy and housing market.

Zaborski Emporium is a family run business. If you’ve ever been, that’s wife Sandy sitting behind the desk in the warm office. And sons Steve and Devlin, who work there, will take over the business when Stan has had enough.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering….that’s brother Gary at the Stan’z on Ulster Avenue.

If you’re planning a visit, call first and dress warm!

Weekender: Saugerties, NY

February 14, 2008 RH 1 Comment

Used to be you went to Saugerties for the antiques. Now it looks like there’s much more happening in that little town east of Woodstock.

I visited Saugerties for the first time in a few years when I met up with Jean for lunch at Miss Lucy’s Kitchen. I had been boycotting Saugerties prior to that. Let’s just say: F*ed up stone countertop from Nelsen’s Supply, small claims court and small town justice. 5 years later, maybe I can even the score now that I have a blogging voice. Don’t use Nelsens! Ah, that feels good.

Anyway, Saugerties. The Hudson River village is just off the NYS Thruway about 2.5 hours north of NYC. I couldn’t find a bus service directly into town so I’m thinking you would have to make your way over from Kingston or Woodstock if you were using public transit.

Saugerties has a great choice of restaurants for both veg and non veg. New World Home Cooking, outside of town, is one of the better restaurants in the entire Hudson Valley. Eclectic fare, casual setting.

You can spend a full day, maybe two exploring the shops in town. The Saugerties Antiques Center is a multi dealer shop with decent prices.

It’s no secret that this area of the Catskills offers great hiking trails and kayaking. FYI, there’s white water in them Saugerties waters as well! And for more tame outdoor adventures, check out Seamon Park, Esopus Creek swimming, the local farmer’s market and pick your own.

While in Saugerties, DO NOT MISS Opus 40. Six acres of natural stone sculpture created by one man. The other major Saugerties landmark is the lighthouse which is also serves as a B&B. Give me one reason anyone would choose to stay somewhere other than the lighthouse? Ok, maybe if it was booked. Seriously, there are some lovely B&B’s in town, but….a lighthouse! Too cool to pass up!

Some of these things are seasonal and may be closed for the winter. In fact, I might give the weekender posts a break until Spring. Any objections? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Discover Saugerties
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
Lighthouse Keeper’s Logbook

Howard Hall’s Shop Green Fundraiser

February 6, 2008 RH

I received an email from my buddies at Howard Hall Farm stating that they have joined forces with Let’s Go Green for a fund raising extravaganza. Let’s Go Green will donate 25% of every online purchase to the restoration project. Just don’t forget to specify Howard Hall at check out!

Howard Hall Farm is a 1780’s stone structure in Athens, NY which acts as a vehicle for educating people in historic preservation and green restoration techniques.

Let’s Go Green sells everything from cleaners to lightbulbs to water conservation products. All at pretty good prices!

Past Post on Howard Hall Farm

reclaimedhome.com

Posts categoriezed as Catskills