Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Hudson, continued

A few of you mentioned the exteriors in the first picture of my last post. Here are a few more buildings in Hudson. They don't do it justice, but will give you an idea of the variety of architecture. The above is on Warren Street, the town's main drag. Orange!

The green building is a tea house. Settled by the Dutch in the 17th century, Hudson became home to New England whalers and sea-faring merchants in the 18th century--they brought their ships up the Hudson River to hide them from the British Navy.

 Many Quakers settled in Hudson. This white building is the Quaker Meeting house. The other is the guest house I wrote about in my last post. The houses in the following pictures are within a block of it.

In the 19th century knitting mills and other small industries flourished, but by the end of that century Hudson, like so many industrial towns, began a steep decline.

It's a pretty 2-hour train ride along the Hudson River from Manhattan to Hudson, and in the 80's gentrification began. Antique dealers started setting up shop in the 90's, and now there are an abundance of them, as well as plenty of eating establishments and two bookstores, but it's still a little funky and run down.


For me, it's at that perfect stage of gentrification--not too busy or upscale, but vital and interesting.


  I was delighted to discover a route from my home in Massachusetts to the Catskills that takes me right through Hudson. I'll be going back soon.

18 comments:

  1. What a charming town Hudson looks to be. It would be a fun town to live in simply because of its proximity to NYC and that train ride.

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  2. What a wonderful looking town. Love all the different coloured houses. Checked out the guest house in your previous post too - looks great! M x

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  3. Hudson is a wonderful town (I live in Catskill and work 10 minutes from the street you've photographed in Hudson), one that has so much to offer, from architecture to culinary excellence to wondrous window shopping (actual shopping if you have $$ to burn)!

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    1. Ashling--that is such a pretty drive. I want to visit the Thomas Cole House next.

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  4. lovely architecture. that orange is a punch huh? brave too against the other muted tones.
    how nice to find a route through.

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  5. What a delightful place! Do go there again and show us more.....

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  6. The HV is full of dainty buildings just like these. I'm so happy to see that the restoration movement is going in the right direction. That orange is going to have to be maintained though to keep it looking fresh. Lovely architecture and homes!

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  7. Oooh, now I'm itching to get up there again and go antiquing. Next time you drop by have lunch at The Red Dot and chat with Alana for a while, she owns the place and is usually tending bar. She's a trip. And check out The Inn at Hudson on Allen Street, just walk in they don't mind, the place is amazing!

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  8. The colours are beautifully and the buildings perfectly proportioned: what a fine balance between jolly and dignified.

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    1. "Jolly and dignified". Perfectly expressed. I might steal it.

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  9. Ooh this is lovely, when I envisage little towns in the states this is what I hope it looks like and love all the colours of the houses, my great ancestors settled in Poughkeepsie, I know that is on the Hudson River, they went there in 1847! Julie xxx

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    1. I haven't been to Poughkeepsie for years, but it has a lot of similarities. How interesting that your ancestors went there, and not long before the Civil War.

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  10. I like your housetour so much!

    ♥ Franka

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  11. Very interesting history and pictures! Then Hadson is a Dutch word? Mybe many Dutch words remaind there as remnant.

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  12. I was raised in NM where the architecture is vastly different. I traveled to the east coast with my family when I was five, and again when I was twelve. (Many times since too.) But the homes and buildings so impressed me. Love that yellow house!

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  13. Oh wow I wish I could visit Hudson
    it looks fantastic,
    maybe one day!

    Your photos are marvellous


    Have a happy weekend Jen

    x Fiona

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