Friendly people and always helpful. They also host events fairly often, which are always wonderful.read more

My boyfriend and I are huge book nerds (he's a horror author, what do you expect?), so every road…read moretrip usually includes a visit to the local library of whatever city or town we stumble upon. I have to say that the Elting Memorial Library, New Paltz's town library, is perhaps the best library we've visited in New York to date! The building looks unassuming from the outside, with the dainty white exterior blending perfectly into the quaint downtown setting that would fit seamlessly into a set for a community theatre production of "The Music Man". But step inside, and you'll find shelves upon shelves of a vast selection of fiction and nonfiction, plus ample seating on cozy chairs and couches to curl up and read the day away! The folks that work at this library are some of the friendliest we've met in all our journeys, and be sure to snap a picture with the moose mascot before you leave! If you're anything like us and love the experience of visiting a great library, no trip to New Paltz is complete without a trip to the Elting!

6/26/26: Staatsburgh can give many of the Newport mansions a run for their money…read more On the drive up to the mansion, you'll see a beautiful sculpture of Diana the huntress. We made reservations online. Upon entry, you'll check in and pay at the gift shop in the rear of the estate. Lindsay was very helpful. Inside the gift shop, there's wonderful items for serving tea and historical books on area mansions. Our wonderful docent was Faith. She was so passionate and highly knowledgeable of all the estate decor and family history. Think Faith is one of the best docents ever! The tour group starts out in a very low-keyed way. During that time, you're learning about the history of the estate in a fun way. Out of nowhere, the Gilded Age Opulence appears. YOU'RE WOWED! Unfortunately, Staatsburgh doesn't receive the accolades like the other well known area mansions. If you're going to see one estate in the area, make it Staatsburgh!

The Staastsburgh Estate grounds are simply beautiful, expansive and extremely well maintained. The…read morelong canopied tree-lined paved driveway winds its way up to the mansion and down to and along the Hudson River. There is a smaller unpaved road that leads to the carriage house and around to several gardens and eventually up to the front entry way of the mansion. We didn't go inside as we had spent 40 minutes walking the grounds but plan to do so on a future visit.

One of the best libraries I have ever been to on either the East Coast or West! Gorgeous, modern,…read moreprofessional and the kindest people I have ever met! They have such an amazing collection, fantastic free programs each month, clubs to join, and beyond talented artists, exhibiting and showing on their gallery wall-every three months! One of the Directors, Yvonne Laube, is an absolute treasure...and my life is better for having met her! One of the best neighborhoods a library could be in, and just driving down Boardman Road to visit is a treat in itself! Run, don't walk to this wonderful neighborhood library. Everyone is welcome and you will be so happy you did! Happy reading!

ARRIVED EARLY for early-voting. Three people were here already. They should have anticipated people…read morewould arrive early, but library staff jumped in to help 8 people at a time. 10:55 and we are wide up in the hallway leading to the voting room. As anticipated, lots of voting-process discussions are already underway with one hour to go. I hope the discussion remains civil. Wish I brought my charger in. :() MORE UPDATES LATER. GET OUT SND VOTE AMERICA!!

The PV Fire District holds a fundraiser event on Sundays, which has been going on for many years,…read moreand has them a couple of times a year. I was happy to attend it for the first time, with a small fee upon entering which all depends on the age, etc. The offerings include Pancakes (plain & blueberry), French Toast, Sausage, Bacon, Coffee, Tea, Chocolate Milk, and Orange Juice. I opted for the plain pancake, which sure was tasty, and sausage and bacon for the sides. Should have gone for the French Toast, which sadly didn't catch my eyes - oh well... always next time. Several volunteers are serving, and providing food, and drinks, including refills, and more food for request. Simply raising your hand will get their attention. The event runs from 7 - 10:30 am, and there is no limit on how much food you want and the amount of time spent. Plenty of tables are provided. Eat, and make connections here. Also, most importantly, I thank the PV Fire Department for all they do.

I love this place. Great events for kids of all ages, friendly staff who work hard to make the…read morelimited resources stretch, and while the physical stacks are small due to it being a smaller location, you have the ability to request items to be sent from ALL OVER THE HUDSON VALLEY to this location for your convenience. If it wasn't available anywhere, I could suggest they purchase it - and while it doesn't happen overnight, those requests eventually are filled, and I can read to my hearts content. Did I mention the ebook & audiobook selections are quite comprehensive? Additionally, there is a great selection of books for purchase in the basement, well kept and neat. When my kid was younger, I could pick up copies of the popular books she wanted to read over & over for a fraction of the cost of new. A community garden, free wifi, loaner fishing rod kits, free passes for local attractions, it just keeps going on. Seriously, some of these negative reviews are a decade old. A lot has changed, and the staff are very dedicated to making our tax dollars stretch.

This is seriously the loudest library I've ever been to. No one that works here cares about the…read morelevel of talking noise by patrons OR themselves. They seriously sit there and talk all day in the office or at the front desk. It's disruptive and VERY annoying.

Knights clocks and…read morequilts The first library in Rhinebeck started back in 1862 and as the town grew, so did the library. The finally renovation was in 2005 when the existing structure was nearly doubled in size and thoroughly modernized. The library is interesting because of the art that decorates the walls and shelves. Some very cool sculptures of Viking type guys, complete with the traditional two handed axes, are hard to miss. They was also a display of strange masks while we were there and two lovely and old grandfather clocks and the ubiquitous library quilt. The library also has a nice local history and genealogy room and lots of programs and events for both adults and kids. Starr is a unique library that is not only functional but great fun to look at even without the books.

I think it's great when a library can grow with the community it supports. If you are familiar with…read more(or have read about, on their website) the history of this Rhinebeck library, you'll see they've had the opportunity to do that. I normally visit my library in Hyde Park, but they did not have 2 books I wanted to read. Thanks to the Mid-Hudson Library System (Love the Mid-Hudson Library System!), I found both were available at Starr, which was not inconvenient for me as I was going to be in the area that day anyway. The library has a great layout, a nice selection, and it was quite busy even on what you might consider a slow day. They were setting up for an evening community activity too, which shows more community involvement. Besides finding the books, I also browsed their magazine selection. It was smaller than the one for Hyde Park, but it was a nice complement, as it carried a number of magazines not in Hyde Park but which also interested me. I will probably have to visit both now regularly to get my magazine fill. The one very minor qualm I had was that for one of the books I wanted, the Mid-Hudson Library System database listed a Dewey Decimal value for a book with numbers to the right of the decimal point, and the actual book in this library did not include the numbers to the right of the decimal on its label and was sorted thus. That required maybe an extra minute to find the book. That's hardly an issue, though it may mean a little bit extra work for you or a library staff to find a book occasionally.

Woodstock is an eclectic town in the Adirondacks. It's about 2 - 3 hours northeast of NYC…read moredepending, in my opinion, on the amount of time you have to sit in traffic on the George Washington Bridge. The drive itself (except for traffic on the GW) is very pleasant. Many people believe it was the site of the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. That was actually held in a field outside Bethel, NY, about an hour away. Despite my pleas my family wouldn't take me to the field because we would get back to the city too late. I've wanted for years to lay in the field with my eyes closed & feel the presence of the event that was a highlight of my generation. Of course at my age, I would need a strong hand to help me get back up again. Our visit was because my Grandson loved to swim in a stream that ran through a part of town. After seeing the incline down I chose to roam the town during his swim. The town, for someone of my generation, was not just charming. It appeared to be a place where old hippies went to live the remainder of their life around like minded people, Of course there were souvenirs stores that capitalized on its famous name. But there was so much more. Sitting on a bench watching a band playing in the town square, I chatted with people of my generation. It was pleasant and calming, a place where "Peace will guide the planets.....And love will steer the stars." When my family returned from their swim we ate at a cafe with 60's decor then headed back to the city without a detour to the field. Sigh.....

Mostly everyone, associate the 1969 concert that originally took place in Bethel, NY, with…read moreWoodstock, NY (the concert's namesake). But the "Free Loving", energy and music that occurred then- just extended here. Most people ask me, "what do you do up in Woodstock? Do you wear hippie clothes? Do you just roam around mindlessly? Do you sing in the Town's Square ?" No. No. And. No. Please fast forward to the newly rich Woodstock. It's more than Janis Joplin and tie-dyed t-shirts- please; (though I love every Janis song). I've seen the changes in the last 16 years; and the presence of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (pre wedding) while Mr. Man and I had lunch at Landau Grill, just bumped Woodstock to a modern destination spot; attracting folks from the city- by the bus loads! Locally-owned shops, rightfully remain, with a more refined appearance. But it also holds that country vibe also. That's perfectly fine. Creativity in the form of paintings, sculptures, Art Galleries and film, flows everywhere you go. I've driven in for the day, spent a long weekend and have spent a week. Either or, you will not be at a loss- there's something for everyone up here. People are genuinely approachable. And that aura of Peace and Love that initially took place more than 40 decades ago- will never go away.

This amazing venue is not to be missed! It is the birthplace of the cement industry for the Hudson…read moreValley and features the original mines which can be toured. These are called The Widow Jane Mines. It is a lush expansive property with so much to explore. There is also a museum and super cute shop with everything you can imagine and all proceeds go to maintaining this non-profit landmark. And if thats not enough, there are live events such as musical performances, theater.... The town of Rosendale is a very special place already, but this is certainly the highlight!