Trip Summary: Hudson, NY
For Ari’s 27th birthday, I decided to plan a trip to the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival in Watkins Glen. I booked a small cabin (no bathroom/bed small) in the woods and was planning on purchasing the tickets later. At the time of writing this, the festival tickets are still unavailable for purchase and the entire festival is in question after losing a major sponsor. Anyway, I knew this birthday gift was more for me than for Ari, considering he is not a festival person. I did it regardless, because who doesn’t want to be part of Woodstock’s revival? Ari. Ari doesn’t want to. Surely enough, he was not thrilled about this gift.
I canceled our small cabin stay and booked a place in Hudson, NY instead. It had been on my radar for some time, and Upstate NY holds a special place in our relationship, so I figured it would be the perfect weekend away. A cute and cozy tiny house appeared on Airbnb and I knew this was it. I’ve been tiny house curious for a while, and who knows, it might be in my future. Normally, I only use my miles for flights, but considering I have no big trips coming up, I decided to use the points now. - $243.86 or 24,386 Miles.
There were two ways we could travel to Hudson from NYC; train or car. The train would have cost us at least $39 each for a one-way ticket, plus our Airbnb was not walking distance from the Hudson train station or downtown, so we would need to factor ride-sharing into our plans. That alone was enough to convince us to go home to the suburbs and use Ari’s car. Because we were going to be in Jersey Thursday night, we decided to Lyft home, a costly $75.04 ride, which Ari covered. We filled up Ari’s tank before leaving for Hudson on Friday. - $25.41 (my half of the gas).
Our first dinner was at Mexican Radio, they had an entire vegetarian menu so you know I went all out. We shared the guac and chips, mac and cheese, and nachos. Ari had the fish tacos and I enjoyed the fajitas with seitan. I was full after the appetizers, so I saved most of my fajitas for lunch the next day. - $37.26 (my half of dinner).
Using our Hudson trip as a time to disconnect from technology, primarily from social media and email, Saturday was for hiking. We opted for the High Falls Conservation Area, because it was the closest trail, but Kaaterskill Falls was also highly recommended by our Airbnb host. I don’t know if what we did could even be considered hiking, it was more like walking in a wooded area. The trail was super easy, so we spent the majority of our time sitting on a bench at the bottom of the hill by the waterfall eating our delicious French baked goods from Patisserie Lenox on Warren Street. With the weather on our side —sunny but breezy— it was the perfect date. - $4.50 (for an almond croissant).
Saturday night’s dinner was a bit less enjoyable. I was intrigued to try American Glory’s vegetarian burger since it was labeled “award winning”, but it fell short. I’m a sucker for believing the hype and ordering veggie burgers from places that specialize in food for meat lovers. Eye roll. - $28.32 (for my half).
After our hike we enjoyed a lot of window shopping on Warren Street, the main drag of Hudson, where most of the antique shops, bookstores, and restaurants live. I did buy something at the Good Fight Herb, a herbal business that uses locally sourced plants for medicines. After asking Hannah, the sales associate and herbalist herself at Foliage Botanics, a million questions about the different herbal medicines, I opted for the Deep Breath De-Stress Blend. It’s for exactly what you would think, to help you through stressful moments. As someone who is constantly overthinking the smallest things, I needed this. Plus it’s a nice introduction to herbal medicine.
We also stopped by Basilica Hudson, where a wedding was taking place. Ari, being the nervous rule follower that he is, wanted us to stay a good distance from it. If we were dressed differently, maybe we could’ve blended with the guests. But who am I kidding, I’m not that much of a badass… if at all. I could see the allure of having a wedding there, the Basilica was a good mix of rustic farmhouse and Brooklyn warehouse party to attract young NYC couples.
Sunday came quick, we were only in Hudson for one full day. Yet we felt like we had explored and enjoyed the town fully. Of course, we would’ve loved to squeeze a hike on Kaaterskill Falls, but we had to do a few things back in Jersey before returning to Brooklyn. So we left early, but not before returning to Patisserie Lenox for breakfast; two eggs and au gratin potatoes with a croissant on the side! First time having au gratin potatoes and I really enjoyed them. - $13.56
Will we go back? Most likely. Next time, I’d like to enjoy the Soundscape or market at the Basilica Hudson. Will I stay at the same tiny house? No. I loved our tiny home and I’d definitely want to stay in one again. But, I’d like to have the studio or apartment on Warren Street next time.
Hudson was a charming little town away from the city noise, but like my towns outside or around NYC, it was clear to see that they were experiencing their share of gentrification. Warren Street held all of the attraction but you made one right turn and there was a different reality. Many of the homes and buildings were empty, and I saw signs that I thought could be foreclosure signs on many of the homes. I think it’s really important to be mindful of the places you visit and to consider how your presence impacts the local economy. I found this old blog post on gentrification in Hudson that I think deserves a read.
