Properties with Hudson Views are rare. Properties with unimpeded Hudson Views, rarer still. Properties built to capture amazing views of the Hudson and a scenic bridge, with terraces that provide the perfect viewing point? The numbers dwindle still further. Properties like that that are currently on the market, in picture perfect condition, priced way under the 1 million mark, with motivated sellers? It's possible there's only one of those out there right now. 50 Turkey Point Road, in Saugerties, NY.   If you're on the fence about river views think on this. Simple mountain views are essentially static. Of course they change slightly with the seasons, but mountains never get up and move around! With this property you have distant mountain…

 

Imagine this. It’s a Saturday night in July. You’ve just spent the day playing host to friends and family; serving barbeque while they swim in the pool, dance in your front yard, and have a party just like the ones in the film, “The Ya-Ya Sisterhood”. Now, you’re relaxing on your gracious front porch. It’s not one of those narrow New England front porches with view-blocking railings. This is a Southern-style front porch with big pillars supporting its depth, and enough room for a dining area and several seating areas. Think “veranda”, not “porch”. You’ve got a book and some iced tea and you’re looking out over your gorgeously landscaped and manicured yard as the summer breeze cools you. Is this the Catskills? Couldn’t be. But it is.

 

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  Growing up in Ulster County has a lot of advantages. One is the opportunity to explore while carrying a fishing pole. Not all of my expeditions have been successful. I guess that's why they call it fishing and not catching fish. I got a request to write a blog about my 5 favorite fishing spots... (yeah, like that's going to happen...I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.) Okay, here are 5 great fishing spots that I can recommend without having to put a gag order on you!      

5. Wilson State Park

Okay, so you may say this is a State Park and must be over fished? Well, if you are willing to go in the winter time with tip up's and jigging rods, you will be pleasantly surprised. This small lake provides…

Now that the weather is starting to heat up, Ulster County residents are starting to feel that familiar itch springtime brings; the urge to wander through the multitudes of forest preserves. If your pleasure is hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, boating, swimming, riding, or even just good old-fashioned picnicking, there’s no better time to start. The parks are not very crowded in the spring (honestly, they're never over-run, but this time of year you can pretty much bank on solitude) and you can catch everything as it sprouts.   Many hikes and recreational areas in the Hudson Valley, Catskills and Rondout Valley have public parking and free admission. But, if you've exhausted those possibilities or just want full, no-holds barred access to…

  Ahhhh, performance camps! Something near and dear to my heart. I've attended them, I've taught at them, I've wriggled my way out of teaching at them once I decided I'd spent way too much time in summer performance camp. Anyway. I feel pretty well qualified to talk about performance camp.   As a working parent I know that choosing the summer camp(s) your kids will attend is a decision that ranks right up there with choosing the right school district to live in. It's not small. You want them to be safe. You probably want them to get some fresh air. Most of all you want them to be happy. As a theatre kid I did not give the teeniest hoot about fresh air. I spent my pre-teen and teen years roughly the color of Casper The Friendly Ghost because I…

Random Acts of Creativity

Every old day is an inspiration here in the Catskills. We're an interconnected web of artists, thinkers and doers.

Yesterday was just a regular old work day for me. I took a short break from putting together a real estate ad for a local magazine and popped over to Facebook. The six inches of Facebook feed I looked at was full of the same sort of things it's always full of. Posts from friends and acquaintances in the area about what they were up to today. It was just Friday. It was nothing short of amazing. AMAZING. I want to share with you what I saw because, if you don't live here already, a glimpse at my Facebook feed might just help you understand why this is such a special place.

 

 

Comfort: The

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As soon as I finished posting our list of Hudson Valley Writers I thought, jeez I should post about Hudson Valley musicians too. I needed some help with this one. I listen to showtunes. Period. So, I emailed a couple of friends who are very hooked into the music scene (read: hip, cool, and unique) so that I could get you a list of local artists who sing something other than "Oh What A Beautiful Morning!" from Oklahoma! 

 

 

Our first list comes from Mark Lerner who is both the bassist for Life In A Blender (that's him, first on the left), a NYC based band that the New Yorker once called "Rife with oddness." I love that. Mark lives in Phoenicia, NY, is a GREAT graphic designer (when he's not playing bass), and is very involved in the

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Who doesn't love fireworks (besides maybe the family dog). Here's a list of fireworks displays with the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River as a perfect backdrop. I like to get in as much firework viewing as humanly possible this week. They're just soooooo pretty. Luckily some of the displays in the area are staggered so I can get more than one firework fix. Below are the displays that I think are MOST scenic (the insiders guide), and the folks at Ulster Publishing have kindly put together a complete list!

As a fireworks officianado I like to pack the right gear. Scroll down for a list of essentials to pack in that LL Bean tote (I know you've got one, everyone does).

 

 

From The Walkway Over The Hudson

 Wowza! That's a

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Hudson Valley Real Estate

[photo via Almanac Weekly]

It's time to get out of the city. It happens to the best of us. The urge really seems to hit people this time of year when it gets, how shall we put it? SMELLY! But are you a village person or a "hickster"*? If you're new to country life this might help you get your bearings. Village life is probably best for you if: 

 

 

 

 

#1. You Consider A Walk Down The Street A Social Event 

If running into a friend or acquaintance on the street warms the cockles of your heart, you're a village person. When you live in a Hudson Valley village this happens constantly. As soon as you move into the village you will meet people. Within one month you'll have the same number of friends it

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I love buying Art by Hudson Valley Artists. Let's be honest, I love buying Art! Whenever I get into a discussion about what I spend my money on (which happens far more often than you'd think, and usually directly follows someone skeptically giving my outfit du jour an incredulous look) I answer, "Art, Theatre Tickets, and renovating my "ranchie-ranch". I like to feel connected to the artists I buy somehow. I really like buying art by people I have a shared experience with, sometimes it's just a shared geography (I feel the same about my literature). For the past ten years all the Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty offices have been a "Gallery at Work". We have invited local artists to hang their pieces in our offices, hosted openings for them,

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