Hudson Travel Guide

Situated on the Hudson River, the city has a "colorful" history (to put it politely), first as a whaling port, and later as a semi-official center for prostitution and gambling, which fluorished into the early 1950s. Though its population totals just 7,500 souls -- 500 of them in the almost invisible local prison -- Hudson still qualifies as a "small city" in New York State's eyes. And what a small city it is, with a revitalized main street that is the envy of down-on-their-luck towns throughout the Hudson River Valley. Hudson's biggest draw, initially, is its striking "built environment." Just 2.5 square miles in area, the city is a walkable catalogue of American vernacular architectural styles, from early Federal and Greek revial homes to Victorian manses. Many of these have been handsomely restored in recent years, but real estate bargain hunters are still snapping up properties at a fast pace -- many of them in neighborhoods redlined by local banks until just a few years ago. Almost exactly a mile long, Warren Street first became known for its dense cluster of antiques stores, which became a mecca for bargain-hunting decorators and country home owners in the 1990s. Since then, the shopping has significantly diversified. In 2003 alone, 30 new shops opened up in Hudson, only 6 of them hawking antiques. Restaurants, housewares and clothing stores are now the growth sector, joining the nucleus of decent art galleries and cultural centers. Time & Space Ltd. offers avant-garde performance, art and film entertainment, along with community-minded educational and recreation programs. The Hudson Opera House focuses more on readings, traditional cultural programs, as well as education. The center of nightlife is the bar at the Red Dot bistro, and Saturday night dancing at The Hudson River Theater, run by two transplants from Provincetown, Mass. The town is diverse in every sense of the word, with substantial African-American, Bangaladeshi, and Latino communities, and wide range of incomes (from severely impoverished to grotesquely wealthy). Though this diversity is at times a source of tension, Hudson is generally a tolerant place, which has attracted many gay and lesbian residents, among others. From 1999 until the present, controversy has swirled in Hudson and the surrounding area over a proposal by a Swiss-owned, Canadian-based company, St. Lawrence Cement, to build a sprawling, coal-fired cement plant locally. However, the company faced stiff opposition from the 4,000-member local group, Friends of Hudson, and has failed to secure any of the 17 permits and approvals it would need to begin construction. Residents are increasingly confident that the project will not be built, though efforts to stop it remain intense and a major focus of life in Hudson.