Hudson, NY Part 1

our anniversary trip

car selfie, my outfit for Hudson, my overstuffed bag

Lou and I decided to spend a couple of nights away to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Our schedules in the last year have felt particularly squeezed between the usual touring and now my monthly trips back to Wisconsin. In the past we have gone to Boston for special nights but this time we decided to head in the opposite direction and leave the state. Hello New York! Driving from Greenfield thru the Berkshires in Massachusetts we landed in the Hudson River Valley. I really like this drive.

Lou had a backpack for our two nights. He is a super minimal packer. You could say years of being on tour helped him whittle down to just essentials, but I believe this is more of a personality thing. (We know many seasoned touring musicians that do not, ahem, pack light.) I like to imagine myself as some sort of expert efficient packer as well, but I continue to learn (time and time again) that that is merely fantasy. I had a full size suitcase, a tote bag stuffed and my purse (also stuffed). I literally brought every unfinished craft project you can think of, “just in case”.

We arrived around noon on Monday, our hotel room wasn’t ready yet, so we parked our car for the night in front of the hotel, and decided to get started right away on our sight seeing.

Desperately needed a pee break after our drive and I took this pic in the bathroom of the hotel’s restaurant. Look at me getting all artsy fartsy with my toilet paper roll pic.

We stayed at Wm. Farmer & Sons. It’s described as “boarding” and that’s more accurate than calling it a hotel. It’s like staying in a mini apartment. Lou and I really liked this set up.

Our room for the night.

Pros We liked having multiple rooms. There was a bedroom, a little sitting area, an entry type space that also had kitchenette things, and a full bathroom. We had a king size bed that was really comfortable and the bedding was great. It felt clean and fresh. The bedroom also had a desk. We like a desk. Separate sink from the bathroom sink, coffee maker, refrigerator are all big yes’s for us. Free water in the fridge! Pencils, notepad and lots of local books and suggestions for the area. I love taking home pencils and pens from hotels. Abundant full size body products that smell nice in the bathroom. Bathrobes and slippers from Restoration Hardware (major bonus points there). They also had cute little bags of earplugs and individual make-up remover wipes. A good amount of bathroom towels (we love towel generosity). All the lamps and light switches were easy to use, nothing was overly high tech or confusing. This was more analog leaning and that’s our vibe too. Simple lock on the door. Our bathroom had a nice clawfoot tub. The staff was very kind and helpful. I really like when the folks are warm and welcoming, this was definitely the case here.

When we booked the room, the woman on the phone was very thoughtful and explained the different options available. She asked if we were celebrating anything special, we told her it was for our wedding anniversary. We were not expecting it, but it was a very sweet surprise to have chilled bubbly greeting us in our room. They also had a crate of records, a nice mix of genres. We found a signed Pete Yorn album in the selection. Adorable! Parking on the street was easy breezy. Perfect walking distance to the main attraction, the shops on Warren St.

Cons The record player in our room needed a new needle, we think. Or maybe the vinyl has all been handled rougher than should be, or both. Folks could be kinder to the vinyl and to the needle. So playing records was out. And this could be a CON about us as guests, but we are generally very non-confrontational. We will just live with the thing as is and do not go “speak to someone”. Lou and I tend to have “freeze” in situations where even a simple fix is possible/likely. Ok, back to the room. Our bathroom was nice and big but it didn’t have a place to put your toiletries. No place for me to put my toothbrush, makeup bag etc. I like to lay out my cosmetics when I’m getting ready. I had to balance my hair straightener on the edge of the sink, which then stresses me out, because then you have electrical right next to water. The hooks for towels were just hanging by a screw. They could upgrade the towels hooks. Put in a bathroom sink with a counter. Those two things would really make that room A+. If noise is an issue for you, then you may want to consider a different place to stay (or room). Our room was above-ish to the restaurant and bar. So it was quite loud at night. But for us, it’s not a deal breaker. We would stay in that room again! Like I said, they did have earplugs in the bathroom. And it’s just the nature of how this particular place is set up. If you are a person who likes it on the quieter side at night, this might not be your jam.

Overall, we were very happy customers and would definitely book it again and again. This was just written with transparency in mind. And to be honest, I am person who obsesses over little details. That’s just me.

That’s it, the Hudson River!

Statue by the river!

I’ve become interested in “getting my steps” this last year, so I really appreciated that this town is for walkers. Warren Street is fairly long and is filled up and down, and both sides with shops and restaurants. My understanding is that this town is known for high quality antiques. We went into one shop that had stunning mid-century modern furniture. The owner wanted to sell us a kitchen set for around 4 or 5 grand and we appreciated that he thought that was possible for us.

stopping at John Doe records

Highlights

Lou and Dan Seward (proprietor) of John Doe Records go way back. I honestly don’t know all the history, just that it’s long and deep! Lou should actually do a post about it..yes, I shall mention that to him. This is more than a record store, it’s an experience. Atmospheric. Old. New. Cluttered. Cool. Friendly. I recommend! I don’t think a walk down Warren St would be complete without wandering into John Doe and wandering out with something totally unexpected but just what you needed. I left with this cd. (I collect xmas music compilations)

We were too busy walking and shopping to stop for lunch, but I really needed a snack. My compromise was a delicious iced chai and chocolate chunk cookie from The Maker Cafe. I’d go back there for a sit down meal sometime, was very cute! I really lucked out with clothes shopping in Hudson. I wanted to devour every piece of clothing at Jamestown. I found a store that truly appreciates and honors clothing that’s unique, handcrafted, slow fashion goodness. I bought some tops there that I will cherish. When I came out of the dressing room to show Lou one of the shirts he declared “that looks like you already own it!”. Literally made for me vibes. I bought a vintage dress that was made in Sweden from Proprietors Vintage and Handmade . RAD shop. Could have spent more time there but the clock was ticking and so much more to see! We stumbled into Nikki Chasin and again, I wanted to lay down and take a nap in the yummy cute clothes. Sadly I didn’t purchase anything at her store but hope to, some day! I did buy my older brother Dylan a hat from this butcher shop, The Meat Hook. (Dylan works at a butcher shop in Wisconsin-Louie’s Finer Meats).

Every store we went into, I was completely taken aback by how friendly the employees were. There’s a lovely and kind vibe in that town. People seemed sincerely nice. Being from Minnesota I feel more at ease when people are open and generous. Cold and cool attitudes hit my insecurity button.

After a long afternoon of walking up and down Warren St, we realized that we still had to check in to Wm Farmer and Sons and try to freshen up before our 5:45 dinner reservations! Dining where you are staying is so nice. We were able to check in super quick, unpack/change clothes (me) in our adorable room and head right back downstairs for dinner. The person who checked us in also carried our suitcase up the stairs to our room. That was nice as I realized there was no elevator. He also suggested moving our 6pm dinner reservation to 5:45 to take advantage of the happy hour and fresh oysters. We did just that!

You guys, we had a wonderful dinner. Again, the customer service was fucking great. The host, our server. All of it, good. We ate fresh oysters, Lou had a pork chop he loved and my burger was delicious! I drank a beer which I don’t typically do, but it was a happy hour deal with the burger, and it went down just fine.

Looking at these pics again is getting me so hungry for those french fries. I’m a sucker for perfectly crispy fries.

Oh my goodness! Did I make it to the end of our day in Hudson? Is anyone still reading? Did ya make it to the end? Good job. I knew I would need to break this trip up into two posts, so much to say! Stay tuned for Rhinebeck!

Thanks for coming along…

Adelle