This Month’s Featured Articles…
Discover a deeper connection: The husband-wife team at Constellation in Catskill offers more than meets the eye
On the list of “firsts” that we can never forget – like a first kiss, a first car, or a first day of school – is another one that’s indelible: a first tarot card reading. It can be truly life-altering. How is it that cards with symbols and pictures on them can be translated to reveal things that are so personal and often profound? Derek James Smith remembers his first experience with the tarot. He was 28 years old, living in Northern California. A naturally [...]
Roasting it right: Ethically sourcing coffee + forging meaningful relationships at the origin with Ilse Coffee
Rebecca Grossman and Lucas Smith started Ilse Coffee in 2019 with the goal of showcasing the world’s best coffees and a “desire to open people’s eyes to what coffee can be.” The company is named after Lucas’ grandmother, Ilse, as a way of honoring the strong women who have shaped the lives of both Lucas and Rebecca. Rebecca and Lucas both have extensive experience working in the food and hospitality business. Lucas’ mother was a chef, so he recalls being in restaurants from a very [...]
Sustainable development efforts versus a push for conservation: Unpacking differing visions for land by Summit Lake in Philmont, NY
Photo above courtesy of This Old Hudson Team at Houlihan Lawrence. Click here for more info. For three years now, 22 acres of former farmland in Philmont, NY, have been considered for a conservation development project. Dubbed “The Woods” by Clover Reach, a multi-person LLC whose partners all live within 15 minutes of the project site, this property is located by Summit Lake; the development would build 16 energy efficient homes on the land. Amidst ongoing efforts for the development to be approved, there has [...]
Northside Renaissance: How Scenic Hudson’s sustainable and community-centric initiatives plan to reinvigorate a Poughkeepsie, NY, neighborhood
Photo above is an aerial view of Malcolm X Park taken on July 9, 2023, the day of a ribbon-cutting ceremony and family-friendly event celebrating recent park improvements. (Photo: Jeff Mertz / Courtesy ScenicHudson.org) Scenic Hudson, an organization that has safeguarded the region’s landscapes, promoted sustainable development, and protected the Hudson Valley from environmental threats since 1963, has recently been collaborating on multiple projects in the Northside neighborhood of Poughkeepsie, NY. In fact, its transformation of the 58 Parker Avenue property in Northside is [...]
An especially celebratory solstice
December can feel so dominated by the “big” holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa that the Winter Solstice, which occurs on the 21st or 22nd, depending on the year, is often overlooked. In its profoundly beautiful way, though, it’s a day worth celebrating. The folks at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, NY, have an especially celebratory and special event planned. How fortunate that this year the actual solstice falls on December 21, which is a Saturday. Put this event on your calendar. What is [...]
