Posts categoriezed as Weekender
Weekender: Narrowsburg
Narrowsburg is quaint. That’s an understatement. I just want to put it in my pocket and take it home with me, it so cute.
Apart from being adorable, the town has alot going for it. Two and a half hours from the city, it sits on the Delaware River between the Catskills and the Poconos. This area has a different feel from the rest of Upstate. For one, the Upper Delaware is a narrow, windy river, unlike the Hudson. The town is surrounded by hills, forests and lakes, which makes it more cozy than the vast upper Catskills.
It has already been discovered by weekenders, but the party ain’t over yet. Home prices are still very much affordable. What could be better? Weekender amenities at affordable prices?
In the town, you have the obligatory fine wine shop, coffee house, art galleries and antiques shops to keep the city folk happy. Outdoor activities: canoeing and kayaking (of course), hiking (of course) and eagle watching.
The bad news:
You need a car. Trains go as far as Port Jervis and buses to Monticello, both a half hour away.
Taxes are high, but then again, no more shocking than other parts of upstate. They are lower in neighboring Pennsylvania, and you can just hop over the puddle to get there.
If you decide to take a drive this weekend, check out the Valley Artists Holiday Sale.
Need a vacation rental in the area? Check out my friend’s farmhouse!
Narrowsburg Realtors
$175k: 6BR, 1/2 acre
Instead of doing individual listings this week, I want to point you to few real estate sites. The reason being, all of the listings I came up with belonged to one agent and they don’t even have alot of info on their site!
I was really impressed Catskill 4 Sale which features a handy MLS and real estate blog by a gay friendly buyer’s agent.
Eagle Valley Realty seems to have the corner on the market. You can search by price, which starts at under $100k.
Catskills 4 Sale is an informative site from a broker who apparently enjoys fishing. Most of his listings are already sold.
Hudson Historic Preservation
Copied and pasted this from my inbox. How lazy am I?
The Hudson River Heritage has been asked by the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to help bring people out for a very important meeting that will ask residents to provide input for the State’s 2007-2011
Historic Preservation Plan.
The goal is to identify how to incorporate historic preservation into cost-effective environmentally-friendly community improvement and economic development activities, such as the redevelopment of existing resources, energy,conservation and smart growth initiatives.
A Mid-Hudson Valley meeting will be held in Kingston on November 15, 2007, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 2nd Floor
Common Council Chamber, 420 Broadway.
OPRHP is planning a second set of meetings to be held in New York City, Cold Spring Harbor, Ithaca, Waterford, and Yonkers, to be announced soon.
Weekender: Athens, NY
In my humble opinion, in New York State, the farther north you go, the more breathtakingly beautiful it gets. The mountains are bigger, the leaves are more colorful, the towns are more quaint. Obviously, it’s a longer drive from the city, but then again, the homes are less expensive!
Athens is one of those very quaint towns located in Greene County. If you’re unfamiliar with Greene County, surely you’ve heard of Hunter Mountain Ski Area. Athens sits between the Hudson River and the foothills of the Catskills. It just just a swim across the water to the overpriced Village of Hudson.
The architecture is varied and droolworthy. Here you’ll find examples of Victorian, Georgian and Federal styles at affordable prices.
The village, like much of upstate New York, is slowly seeing a resurgence. You can see it in a cultural center here and a yoga center there. The Stewart House, a fully restored 1883 landmark, is open for dinners and Sunday brunch. The B&B period rooms are tastefully decorated…even the Meryl Streep, where she “died” in Iron Weed.
It’s worth checking out the nearby towns of Coxackie and Catskill . Between the river and the mountains, you won’t have any trouble finding outdoor activities.
Fun Halloween Trivia fact: Part of the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds was filmed in Athens.
Greene County Tourism
Greene County Chamber of Commerce
Greene County Historical Society
Athens Listings
Country Homes = Fear
The NY Times featured an article on Friday titled “Home, Sweet…Yikes!“. Apparently, I’m not the only one suffering from nyctohylophobia. That’s right, there’s a word for it. It’s a fear of dark, wooded areas. The article didn’t say if the phobia only effects neurotic New Yorkers or if people are inflicted in other parts of the country as well.
If you’ve read our about page, you’ll know that we tried to live in the country and failed miserably. Like the folks in the Times article, I ran from my car to the house at night, kept my shades drawn and woke up to eerie sounds in the middle of the night.Continue reading Country Homes = Fear
Weekender: Hyde Park
For me, there are two reasons to visit Hyde Park: the restaurants and the antiques.
The restaurants are CIA, the Culinary Institute of America. There are 5 restaurants on the campus and reservations are suggested for all but the Apple Pie Cafe. These places are worth the trip, even just for the day. I only like to eat, not cook, but CIA offers one day programs such as “An Indian Feast” and “Gluten Free Holiday Baking”.Continue reading Weekender: Hyde Park
Buying A Second Home Before Your First
Since this site is dedicated to “affordable” real estate, you may be wondering “WTF? We can’t afford a first home. Why are they showing this weekend crap?” Well, that’s just it. If you’re stuck renting in the boroughs because the real estate train passed you by, at least you may be able to own something.
This advice is not for those of you paying $5000 for 1 BR apartments. It’s for those of you lucky enough to have a rent stabilized apartment or adventurous enough to be paying low rents in fringe neighborhoods.
Second homes are best for people who don’t get to travel anymore. Having less vacation time, kids and various responsibilities puts a damper on that 3 week trip to India. So, it’s good to have a place to go at the drop of a hat.Continue reading Buying A Second Home Before Your First
Weekender: Ellenville, NY
We spent weekends near Ellenville when I was young. My childhood memories of the area are pretty crummy. It’s been run down for so many years, it’s depressing. But then again, I kind of like that. Because when you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s no where to go but up. So, I find Ellenville fascinating and inspiring. And it certainly seems as if it’s on the upswing!Continue reading Weekender: Ellenville, NY
Ellenville Listings
$65k: Gutted Handyman/Woman (ask for Tom)
$124k: 3BR + barn
$179k: 4BR + Carriage House (ask for Tom)
$199k: 2BR near creek
$ 229k: 4BR, ready to go
Weekender: Woodstock, NY
Woodstock is a pretty happening place. There are many restaurants, galleries and shops to choose from along the main drag. When you tire of that, there’s hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking, tubing, hang gliding or skydiving nearby.
Although Woodstock didn’t really happen in Woodstock, the hippies planted themselves there long ago and they’re not going anywhere. Jerry Garcia is alive and well and living in Woodstock. Hippies are a wonderful thing if you’re a tree hugging, left leaning, vegetarian like myself. I just want to shave my armpits. And not have to listen to folk music. That’s all I ask.
But I digress. Woodstock doesn’t really have too many negatives. Housing prices are a bit steep if it’s a second home. And perhaps the area may be too trendy and overrated compared to neighboring towns such as Saugerties.
If it’s legendary Woodstock you’re looking for, Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel is up for sale for a cool $ 8 mil.
Check out the Woodstock Film Festival this weekend! Get up there soon…leaf peeping season is almost over.
Chamber of Commerce
Town of Woodstock
Byrdcliffe Guild
Woodstock Times
Woodstock Listings
$ 165k: 2 BR Cottage
$199,900: 2BR w/studio
$ 359k: 3 BR 1825 Farmhouse
$424,900: 3BR Artist’s Home
Weekender: Red Hook,NY
Bard College
You can say that Red Hook is the poor sister of Rhinebeck, which is exactly what I like about it. It’s laid back, down to earth,vibrant and interesting. And less expensive! There are some great antique shops and restaurants, most of which don’t have websites that I can link to.
Red Hook is located just on the northern tip of Dutchess County, almost in Columbia County. The country side is beautiful and it’s within 15-30 minutes of Rhinebeck, Tivoli, Germantown, and Hyde Park for further exploration.
Amtrak services nearby Rhinecliff. Many people actually commute to the city, although it seems nuts to me. Homes range from under $200k to over $2mil.
I’ll cover Tivoli another day, but I just have to say, it’s worth the drive for lunch or dinner. Like High Falls, it’s a teeny, tiny town bursting with awesome restaurants, including my favorite vegetarian, Luna 61, formerly located in the village of Red Hook.
Red Hook
Red Hook Chamber of Commerce
JFive Homes
Rhinebeck Farmers Market
Red Hook Concerns
Dutchess Salvage and Antiques
Hoffmans
Hoffman’s Antique Barn, located behind a movie theater at 19 Old Farm Road in Red Hook, is my upstate Eddie. They have windows for $9, wooden mantles for $195 and tables of small items listed from $2-5. There are plenty of doors, sinks and tubs as well. 845-758-5668
The Stormville Antiques Market is this weekend! Another favorite of mine for bargain hunting. The show opens at dawn and that’s when you should try to get there. Although some vendors are still setting up, others sell out of their best stuff by 8am. And traffic is killer by 9am! Good to go up Friday night and get an early start.
A shout out to Junk To Jems, from Long Island. He’ll be at Stormville this weekend in booth #265. I was going to do a write up about him this week, but it’s going to be next week instead. People line up at his booth before he even arrives.