Ditch the West for Hudson Valley dude ranches and fly fishing
You don t have to be a dude to appreciate these great guy getaways
Kara Zuaro
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No need to hop on a plane for a serious adventure: Livingston Manor is home to a legendary trout stream that s considered the birthplace of American fly fishing and there are more dude ranches than you d expect in the region.Courtesy Beaverkill Valley Inn
“The key to survival in really any corporate, Monday-to-Friday, 9-5 job is to get away from that grind. For me, the primary experience is being outdoors with friends,” said Rob Ceccarini, an avid angler who worked as Fishing Manager at Orvis NYC for 10 years and has experience guiding fly-fishing groups in the Hudson Valley.
One farmer s barter for Hudson Valley farmland
The creative lengths TransGenerational Farm has gone to fight rural gentrification
Lacey Seidman
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“We’re seeing this almost rural gentrification happening,” says Jayne Henson, who has used creative means to find affordable land for her farm, TransGenenerational Farm, like bartering for acreage to grow upon. “The issue of development in the Hudson Valley has always been a problem for farmers, but it’s becoming more and more exacerbated with property values and everything just skyrocketing to where rural folks who live in the area can’t really afford it.” Steph Mossey
Farmers in New York are getting older, fast. And despite increasing demand for locally grown food, attracting new and younger farmers to take up the mantle from the state’s aging farmer population has proven difficult.
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Coppersea Distilling’s wide-open outdoor farm space in New Paltz is a pandemic-perfect craft beverage hangout. Abundant in natural resources, once a vital thoroughfare of trade and travel, the Hudson Valley has long been a tourism destination, though the nature of its draw has evolved over time. In the 19th and early 20th century, it was a pastoral refuge for the wealthy and powerful, who built their estates along the river. In the early 1900s, creatives flocked to arts colonies to be kissed by the muse of nature. The Borscht Belt resorts fostered a culture of luxurious summer recreation and a safe haven from anti-Semitism. In the second half of the 20th century, the rocky crags, thick forests, and winding waterways sang out to hikers, bikers, and rock climbers, who travelled from all along the East Coast to summit the peaks, swing from the ledges, and swim in the lakes.
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A few years back, Rosendale was bookended both geographically and ideologically by 32 Lunch, no-nonsense blue-collar diner, on one end, and Rosendale Cafe, vegan, hippie cafe with brown rice and a weekly salsa night, on the other. Now, 32 Lunch’s successor is trying to span the gap with fresh-made American diner classics that appeal to everyone. Local stone mason Gerard Swarthout spent countless lunches sitting at the counter at 32 Lunch, watching the steady trickle of customers, the town drama, the political debates, and anecdote-swapping. “It was 20 years of market research,” he says. “This place was not so fancy, but you could still get a good egg sandwich. I knew what a gold mine it could be.”