Saugerties and Hudson Valley

Emily getting driving lessons from Adelaide
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Went to visit my sister last July. Nice to be back in the lush, green, warmly humid summer of upstate New York! I actually have missed the humidity. And the warm nights. And my sisters, of course. So it's always good to visit one of them.

I was pretty impressed with this small little town.  Its close proximity to New York City is a big plus--- I took the train down to visit my friends in the City after Saugerties and it was an easy and pretty hour and a half train ride along the Hudson River straight into the majestic Grand Central Station.  For those that do this commute every day, at least they have the nice scenery to watch. The river side is obviously the more desireable view as that side of the train filled up first.

Emily going into her cute apartment
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Saugerties has a cute little Main Street area that looks like it could be from another decade, save for the types of stores and eateries found there.  There are three wonderful bookstores in just two blocks: Hope Farm Press (which has used books in all genres, but specializes in new and used New York history and guidebooks), Our Bookshop which is also used but a little more upscale, less dusty, more plastic covers and nice art books, and Inquiring Mind, which is also general but specializes in psychology books as well, with an art gallery attached.  The owners of the two used bookstores are always there, and appreciate fellow booklovers (like myself and my sister).

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Seamon Park is a nice place for an afternoon picnic-- it looks like somebody's beautifully landscaped sprawling backyard, but is actually open to the public. It is always quiet and has a nice view of the Catskills. There is an annual mum festival there, my sister told me, though I don't know anything about it. But mums are nice.

Emily told me about the little farmers market that occurs in the center of town during summer and fall with really great fruit, flowers, ice cream, wine, baked goods, etc.-- a place to shop local farmers but also just to hang out, they set up tables in the center and sometimes there is music, kids events, and other events. I wasn't in town long enough to see it, but if my sister has to live across the country from me, at least she's living somewhere quaint, right?

a sign we saw on an evening walk around town
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For the Fourth of July we walked a few miles up the road (holy mosquito-ville! I forgot about that little drawback of the warm East Coast summers). There was a big gathering, a town fair-type thing, replete with snow cone machines and cotton candy stands and such. People must come from all over the Hudson Valley area for this, because I know they all don't live in Saugerties! Could be fun for people who want to escape the City crowds and experience an old-fashioned, small-town Independence Day.

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For a day trip, we drove only ten minutes away to Woodstock and Overlook Mountain-- it is a straight large path to the top (uphill almost all the way), but at the top are the remains of Overlook Mountain Hotel (check the name of this) that you can walk around and into which is fascinating.  Further up is the Firetower, which you can climb up and see a beautiful Catskill view if you aren't afraid of heights. There are tons of hiking, outdoor trails and boating opportunities very close to Saugerties, and there's even a little beach at the bottom of the hill near Krause's Candy Shop which has huge chocolate covered waffles ice cream cones.

the beautiful Hudson River
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So, all in all, I'd recommend Hudson Valley and Saugerties for anyone who's looking to explore the 'other' New York, the one I grew up in that's not New York City, but still has a lot to offer.