Monday, June 20, 2011

Hudson NY

On Thursday, June 16, heading up to Albany we stopped in Hudson NY.  We collected about 30 specimens near an old abandoned mill.  Right on the river, this wonderful old mill is about to collapse. 



There was a lovely large patch of sedum (Sedum sarmentosum).  Common and exotic, I know, but what a feast for the eyes and feet.  And based on the preliminary identification, it's a new record for Columbia County.


And here is a sight from one of the small businesses in town.  An old burro's tail (Sedum morganianum) with quite a pedigree.



We visited the reclaimed waterfront.  We admired the view of the lighthouse and cursed the lack of vision that placed the power lines in the viewshed.


Then we visited the lovely downtown.  We had dinner at a place called the Wunderbar.  Not joking.  The menu was nearly all things pork.  And you know what?  Best pork schnitzel ever.  Wish I had the foresight to take a photo.  You would drool.  Settle for this of downtown Hudson instead.


And this.  My friend Rick almost bought this building before the RE crash.  Now it's a restaurant.  At the time, the interior renovation was a quick and dirty mess.




Did you know that Hudson was one vote short of being named capitol of NY?  We didn't either.  But boy did they dodge a bullet.  Nelson Rockefeller turned the center of Albany into an architectural homage to himself that showed he was a kindred spirit of Saddam Hussein and other tasteless ideologues who care more about self-aggrandizement than the needs of the people they serve.  We have no pictures of the Empire Plaza from our Albany visit.  Too horrible.  And Albany thanks us for our discretion.  To pass time as we drove home, and to learn about Albany and what has become of it, I read this web essay aloud to Daniel as he drove.  Long, but highly recommended.  Worth a click if just for the photos:

http://www.lofaber.com/albany/essaymaking.html

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