“I moved to the Hudson Valley because my husband and I lost our affordable apartment in the East Village and real estate in the city had gotten too expensive for us. We had both loved visiting the area. We loved the hiking, biking, swimming and arts and culture.
For a long time, I still thought of it as a fallback to the city but I’ve come to see it differently. There’s a deeper sense of community here. With fewer people and fewer distractions, you connect at a deeper level. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty to do. There’s so much great art and music and activism.
When friends visit, we’ll take them to Kingston hotspots like Outdated Café, Boitson’s, Elephant, Savona’s, Pakt, Two Ravens, The Anchor, Keegan Ales or Stockade Tavern. We’ll cycle the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, see movies at the Rosendale Theatre, visit the Farmers’ Market and hidden swimming holes. We’ll hear music at BSP or UPAC or up at Helsinki Hudson. We’ll travel to Rhinebeck’s Poet’s Walk; Catskill’s bookstore Magpie; Jewett’s Colgate Lake; Maggie’s Krooked Café in Tannersville; Mama’s Boy Burgers in Phoenicia; Vietnamese food in Poughkeepsie; skiing at Hunter Mountain; or Dia Beacon. Usually, we can’t cram in everything we want to do, because there’s so much.”
Photo Courtesy of Sari Botton
