Hudson Valley Archives - Page 2 of 5

Makes Me Want A Country Home

April 30, 2009 RH 5 Comments

I should be displaying more real estate porn on this site as I’ve recently hooked up with a local Beacon broker to photograph a some of his listings. I shot the first home on Tuesday in East Fishkill and didn’t expect much. “East Fishkill?” thought I.

But when we drove up to the house on 2+ acres with a some woods and a stream out back it made me pine for a country house. This place is near 84 and The Taconic and less than 90 minutes from the city. It’s so serene and peaceful. Some wild turkeys were strolling around the property like they owned the joint. Pretty cool. Priced at $475k.

The house has wide plank floors, a wood stove and antique plumbing fixtures, but it’s totally restored. See the dark paint in the living room? Chalk board. The garage currently acts as an impressive light filled artist studio.

Check out the Flickr shots. I don’t know if they’ve officially put it on the market yet, but if your interested in seeing it, contact Peggy at JonCar Realty. 845-546-2614

Big Gay Hudson Valley

March 16, 2009 RH

Sometimes it pays to stick around Beacon on weekends. We did very well at the tag sale, thanks for asking. On top of that, I met a few cool people that I didn’t know existed.

Two of those people were Stephen and Patrick, the guys behind Big Gay Hudson Valley. If you haven’t heard of them yet, that’s because the site is brand spankin’ new. And they seem to have quite the following already!

BGHV blogs about local events and resources including my favorite….food and drink. You don’t gotta be gay to enjoy a good meal!

I found out from reading their blog that it’s been five years since the gay New Paltz marriages. I lived near Kingston at the time and sneaked in to the roped off family section to photograph the event. Had it up on my photography website all these years. (Mainly because I haven’t updated that website.) It turns out one of the couples married that day were good friends of Stephen and Patrick.

Small gay world, huh?

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

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.

Local Glass Tile

March 13, 2008 RH

FYI: There’s a glass tile manufacturer right here in Beacon. The Architectural Glass tiles are constructed of new material but the company does their best to reduce waste during processing.

The 4″x4″ Lume Series is a machine made tile that comes in 20 vibrant colors. These 3/8″ thick tiles are comparable to today’s ceramic tiles except they are much more beautiful. And more expensive. If a whole wall is not an option, they would work nicely as accent pieces.

The Studio Series is hand made. Each 4″x4″ tile is 5/8 thick and comes in a variety of colors. There is a rope accent piece that is to die for. I’ve seen them in person. Trust me, the website doesn’t do them justice. Obviously pricier than the Lume Series.

Architectural Glass also offers custom tiles. These are the same folks behind some of the work at Hudson Beach Glass, one of the most inviting galleries on Main Street, Beacon.

2006 Interview

Is Muddy Cup The New Starbucks?

March 11, 2008 RH 9 Comments

A sure sign of a gentrified neighborhood is a Starbucks on the corner (every corner). But they are about to overthrown in New York State. You’ve heard it here first. Muddy Cup is breeding faster than Starbucks.

I see from the stats (Certainly not from comments. You’re a bunch of friggen mutes!) that most of our readers are in NYC. If you haven’t ventured north (or to Staten Island) you may never have heard of Muddy Cup.

The first Muddy Cup opened it’s doors in Staten Island in 2001. Partners Jim Svetz and Brian Woodward simply intended to open a neighborhood coffeehouse. Or so they say. They opened the second store in Hudson, NY. The first time I heard of them was when they popped up in Beacon, a couple of blocks from my house. Now, every time I visit an upstate town, there they are! There are 9 Muddy Cups in the towns of New Paltz, Kingston, Albany, Poughkeepsie, Catskill and Schenectady.

Unlike Starbucks, The Muddy Cup chooses areas that are merely on the verge of gentrification. As you can see from the list above, it’s mainly college or “artsy” towns.

The Beaconites I know aren’t crazy about the cafe. They say they don’t like the coffee or decor. Personally, I love the eclectic decor and I think the coffee is fine. Between you and I, I think it’s cool to badmouth Muddy Cup just as you wouldn’t want to admit that you go to Starbucks. Most of the customers at Muddy Cup, Beacon seem to be tourists.

Some of the Muddy Cup cafes are large enough to have live music and performances. Kudos to them for breathing some life into downtrodden parts of town. The Kingston branch is located on Broadway, in the seedy Midtown section.

I’ll take a small mom and pop business over a franchise any day of the week. But why should we start hating when a company becomes successful enough to expand? I’ll partake in the above mediocre coffee when there’s nothing better around, as I do with Starbucks. There’s no use in boycotting when they’ve already put the smaller coffee houses out of business. (That’s a joke. Or is it?)

Chronogram Article

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

Victorian Mansion Now a B&B

February 7, 2008 RH 2 Comments

The first time we looked at our turreted Queen Anne Victorian in Beacon we asked “Where are they moving TO?”. I mean, this was our dream home. What could be better than this?

And then we saw it. The sellers moved to a mansion across the river in Newburgh. After visiting them we returned to our dream house, which seemed so….so….rinky dink.

When Karen and Jose first purchased the 1860 Andrew Jackson Downing home it was in bad disrepair. The previous owners had been drug addicts and trashed the place looking for hidden treasure in the walls. They had ripped out mantles, light fixtures and other detail to sell. There was water damage from a leaky roof which had been ignored for years. You get the picture.

The home is still a work in progress, but Karen’s goal is to get it going as a B&B. She started taking in guests and is now working on finishing the “Pickerel Rush” website, which has been under construction along with the house. I was asked to go over and photograph the home for the site last week.

This is a big house for just two people (and 4 dogs and tenants and B&B guests). Karen and Jose both drive gas guzzlers. I don’t even think they recycle. But here’s what makes this a green renovation even if it was not their intention: They are in the salvage business. People PAY THEM to haul materials away, which they use in the restoration of Pickerel Rush.

I’ll be focusing on some of the details Karen has restored in the upcoming weeks.

But for now: Enjoy the house porn.

They Paved Paradise & They’re Putting Up A Green Hotel

January 31, 2008 RH

Longdock Beacon, on the Hudson, has been our own little dogwalking paradise since we moved here. There has been talk of developing a green dock, hotel and conference center for years, but the area remained untouched.

That is, until a few months ago. The bulldozers and cranes showed up seemingly overnight. It’s a construction zone now. How many mornings we had that pier all to ourselves! Alas, those days are gone. The dogs will have to stay on leash, if they will even be allowed down to the “new” pier at all.

Even though I’d rather see NO development to green development, I’ve gotta admit that the plans look pretty exciting. Most importantly, if it brings more restaurants to Beacon, I’m in.

The developers are aiming for LEED Gold for the 166 room hotel and conference center. Not only will the building be green, but the plan is to operate the hotel in a sustainable manner. This will include the use of bulk dispensers in rooms instead of cute little bottles, cleaning with chemical free products and furniture that is constructed from low VOC materials.

The hotel will occupy 8.5 of the 25 acre peninsula. Scenic Hudson, which owns the site, is building a 13-acre nature preserve on the land to the south of Long Dock. The area will include meadows, a boardwalk, wetlands and a boat launch for non motorized boats.

There will be a farmer’s market and performance space at the site.

All sounds fabulous, but guess who is going to be bitching about the crowds once it’s finished?

Long Dock, Beacon

Better take advantage of this while we can.

Weekender: New Paltz, NY

January 17, 2008 RH 6 Comments

Photo of Mohonk Mountain House: C Purrin

New Paltz is pretty perfect. Seriously, you can’t get much better than this. Located within 90 minutes of NYC and accessible by public transit, the town is completely walker friendly.

And this is no podunk town. It’s a full service village. There are plenty of restaurants, including the eclectic Main Street Bistro (complete with a punk era Beastie Boys/Murphy’s Law poster on the wall), The Guilded Otter brewery and the local/organic/slow food Village Tea Room. There’s also a Lemon Grass Grill, Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants.

When you tire of eating and shopping, there’s always The Gunks. If you’re not fond of rock climbing, there are plenty of hikes. Or it’s cool to just sit on your ass and look at the mountains. For a great adventure, check out The Ranch in nearby Gardiner. Deniro jumped there. And so did I.

New Paltz is a college town, so there’s no lack of hip factor or nightlife. In my day, SUNY New Paltz was known as the “party school”. I don’t know if that still holds true. It’s quite a veggie friendly, yoga momma, liberal town. In 2004, New Paltz was the site of New York’s first same sex marriages.

Oh please, if New Paltz was commutable I would so live there.

Chamber of Commerce
Unofficial Site

Weekender: Wurtsboro, NY

January 10, 2008 RH

Little known fact: Ms. Reclaimed Home from straight outta Brooklyn spent a few years of her childhood in Wurtsboro, NY. My parents did the country/city thing for awhile. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Early 70’s Wurtsboro had all of the small town ingredients that scares the bejesus out of me today…hunter’s driving around with rifles and dead deer attached to their hoods, pregnant teens, drunk drivers and nutty conservatives. My mother’s BFF (no longer on this plane), an antiques dealer and psychic, moved up from Brooklyn first. By the time we arrived she had managed to befriend the one black family and one gay couple in town, so my informative years weren’t too parochial.Continue reading Weekender: Wurtsboro, NY

Suburban Pioneers?

January 7, 2008 RH

Our $385k house

Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t say it. The NY Post did. As if this is news all of the sudden that starving artists are leaving NYC for more affordable digs upstate.

“Meet the suburban pioneers – folks who’ve migrated to edgy, diverse towns in the Hudson Valley where you can nab a house for less than $350,000.” Pioneers? People lived here before we did. I hate that word “pioneer”! Edgy? Who wrote this? Someone living in the mid west? I’ll give you this….Beacon is edgier than…umm…..Marine Park.Continue reading Suburban Pioneers?

reclaimedhome.com

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