Home to a diverse group of artists, chefs, and outdoor lovers, the Hudson Valley – located about two hours north of New York City – provides the ideal backdrop for a quick weekend away. And unlike farther-flung destinations, a recharging trip here (even with a few indulgences) can come with a low carbon footprint. The Hudson Valley train line from Manhattan’s Grand Central is a great, sustainable option for non-drivers, though I had access to Volvo’s new XC40 electric car, making the trip upstate even easier. I simply jumped in, told Google “to take me to the Hudson Valley.” and voila, I was on my way. In addition to feeling like you’re doing something good for the planet (you are), charging stations are becoming more readily available – keep scrolling for more on where I charged in my destination, the town of Hudson – making driving electric a convenient way to plan a road trip sans gas. However you choose to travel to this pastoral paradise, here’s what to do once you arrive.
Hudson
Why a Visit to Hudson, New York Is Better Than Ever
As New Yorkers and Bostonians try to remain close to home, New York’s Hudson Valley is as popular as ever. Thankfully, the town of Hudson hasn’t rested on its laurels one bit. The past few months have brought a gorgeously designed boutique hotel, a stellar bakery that excels in sourdough, and a slew of new shops to browse. Hudson is often referred to as the Brooklyn of the Hudson Valley, but it has so much more to offer (although if you’re looking for that Brooklyn vibe, you can definitely find it here). Fall is the ideal time to plan a weekend (or longer) getaway to Hudson—here are some exciting new spots to add to your list.
How Upstate New York Became The Coolest Fall Destination
Just a couple of hours upstate in the Hudson Valley, stylish expats in search of a romantic alternative to urban life are invigorating rural towns from Ghent to Germantown – and, along the way, providing compelling new reasons to visit.
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28 Best Romantic Inns in New York State
Names “Inn at Green River” and “Mount Merino Manor” as a “Best Romantic Inns in NYS.
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Best 15 Engaging Things to Do in the Mid-Hudson River Valley
HUDSON NY
Go uphill for the riveting views, and stay for the house tour at Frederick Church’s home, Olana. Church, a significant artist in the Hudson River School of Art movement, built his Persian-influenced style home overlooking his beloved river. Posthumously, Church became an important player in the Hudson River conservation movement, when one of his paintings was employed in the effort to ban a nuclear power plant within view of here. Protesters in the 1970’s used one of Church’s winter landscapes to show exactly how an industrial facility would mar the perfect scene. The ploy worked and the plant was put elsewhere. You’ll see this landscape and a number of Old Masters on a fascinating tour of Church’s home and studio.
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Five Arty Upstate New York Towns To Check Out
If you’ve hopped around all the galleries the city has to offer, you can head out of the five boroughs and see what the more bucolic upstate towns have to offer in the way of art. From touring a former school that’s now a gallery in Columbia County to a day trip to Peekskill, there are many ways to sneak in some culture during a weekend escape.
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A Hotel with a Sense of Place: Rivertown Lodge in Hudson, NY
On a quick trip upstate a couple of weeks ago, we dropped in on the newly opened Rivertown Lodge on Warren Street in Hudson, NY. Located in a 1920s movie house, the hotel (and soon to be dining spot) is the first venture of Ray Pirkle and Kim Bucci, two friends and hospitality veterans who work under the name Ramshackle Properties. Rivertown Lodge solves the vexing neighborhood problem of where to stay on a visit upstate, beyond the usual hotels and Airbnb offerings, according to Ray, who relocated to Hudson a couple of years ago as a “full-time guy,” as he says, drawn to the sense of community: “It’s a different mentality.”
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Eye On Hudson: Five New Hotspots You Should Know About
You hear it all the time: those who occasionally visit Hudson will remark on the many changes they’ve encountered since their last swing through town. New businesses are always opening and the end of summer 2015 was an especially active time for the little city’s business district, with establishments of all kinds opening their doors. But it’s not just quantity. The quality of Hudson’s new businesses continue to elevate the Hudson experience for both residents and visitors alike. Here are five new hotspots to check out next time you’re there.
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A Hudson Valley Hotel – With a Brooklyn Twist
In the last few years, Hudson has undergone a swift transformation from a charmingly sleepy river town — popular mainly for its antiques shopping — into the creative HQ of upstate New York. The growth is fueled by a stream of former city-dwellers who are opening expertly curated design shops, galleries, high-end restaurants and gourmet markets along Warren Street (Hudson’s main drag) seemingly every month. So it comes as no surprise that an equally stylish new hotel would follow, keeping up with the flow of weekenders looking for a brief respite from Manhattan and Brooklyn, just a two-hour drive (or Amtrak ride) north. Enter Rivertown Lodge, which opens this month at the top of Warren Street in a retro-cool, two-story 1920s building originally conceived as a movie theater.
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City Guide: A Weekend in Upstate New York
Earlier this month I traveled upstate to celebrate one of my friend’s (and one of our very own interviewees) Alisa Richter’s wedding in Hudson, New York. Having lived in the big apple for more than half my life I was hit with a realization that until this year, I had actually never been beyond the confines of the city – my first taste of life upstate was visiting Dia:Beacon this summer. Since, I’ve been itching to experience the beauty the rest of the state has to offer. With an opportunity to celebrate one of life’s most cherished events and the chance to explore more about local life in towns including Hudson, Phoenicia and Germantown I was able to truly discover some amazing destinations that are well worth checking out for a weekend getaway no matter the occasion.
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Basilica Soundscape’s Mad, Siren Squall
The upstate New York festival continues to provide a haven for the sound-obsessed.
Whenever someone tells you something is revelatory, take a teaspoon of salt. Basilica Soundscape has been wreathed in clover and sheathed with hosannas since debuting four years ago, most reports citing the beautiful setting and pedigree of its curation, focused on music and peppered with the visual and written arts. The event is named conjointly, for the fest’s dark brick home—a beautifully converted pencil shaving distillery and maple leaf sorting facility that now looks like a place Matthew Barney wouldn’t mind visiting (he did, actually, and has collaborated with fest curator Brandon Stosuy)—and, presumably, for the martian contours of its sonic output. Its list of performers have almost nothing in common sonically, but all live on the outskirts of town.
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