Trader Joe’s, Union Square, Manhattan

For those of us who dwell either full time or part time in the northern Hudson River/Catskills region, a trip to our beloved Trader Joe’s usually meant a 90 minute-2 hour schlepp to Danbury, CT. Not anymore. Just a few weeks ago, a store opened at 79 Wolf Road in Albany, conveniently located off of the I-87 NYS Thuway, which means a shorter schlepp (it’s under an hour from Saugerties, 45 minutes from Hudson, and 50 minutes from Catskill). With the farmer’s market season soon to be winding down in the next month or so, we’re happy to have a closer, more convenient alternative to driving to another state.

Now, if we could only get one in Poughkeepsie or Kingston…

Trader Joe’s in the Capital Region

Maybe this sounds all too familiar: It’s Saturday. Money is tight. The kids are bored and desperate for something to do. And, to make matters worse, it’s raining. This type of scenario would often result in throwing in the towel and renting some movies from the local library, or organizing a family Scrabble tournament. But if that simply won’t cut it, and you’ve got a couple of gallons of gas left in the tank, head up north to the New York State Museum in Albany. Admission is free, but donations are accepted, so try to scrounge up a couple of bucks to throw into the collection plate.

There’s a lot do at the museum, including tons of exhibits on everything from archeology to natural history and wildlife displays to art and photography. One of the most impressive, extensive exhibits at the museum is the “World Trade Center – Rescue Recovery Response” exhibit, which includes Ground-Zero wreckage, pieces from the airplanes, and a time line of events. It might be difficult to experience, but it’s fascinating and eye-opening. You can watch a panorama of each section of the exhibit online under the headings Rescue, Recovery, and Response.

Fire hose connectors recovered from Ground Zero

Other ongoing exhibits include Adirondack Wilderness with a prehistoric landscape, Art For the People: Decorated Stoneware from the Weistman collection, and Seneca Ray Stoddard: Capturing the Adirondacks. There are exhibits on earthquakes, the history of NYC, indigenous minerals, and just about everything else you wanted to know about the state and more, plus a carousel and museum store.

For your visit: There are two parking lots adjacent to the museum, and parking is free after 2:30pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. Museum is closed Sundays.

Set aside a generous chunk of time to spend there.

The Cohoes Mastodon display

GMAP

Some New York State counties have higher cancer rates than others, according to a new report by the American Cancer Society, which has some rather surprising and unpleasant findings, like this: “Cancer rates in upstate New York are generally higher than those found downstate.”

And this:

“Men living in the counties of Cayuga, Chemung, Clinton, Cortland, Franklin, Greene, Jefferson, Niagara, Oswego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Schuyler, Steuben, and Washington experience the highest rates of lung cancer, exceeding the state average. Men in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Nassau, Queens, Rockland, and Westchester have the lowest incidence rates. Women living in Putnam have higher breast cancer incidence rates than women living in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Chenango, and Queens, who have the lowest rate.”

WGXC reported on rates for specific upstate counties:

• Greene 19.4 percent above state average
• Columbia .7 percent below state average
• Rensselear 16.6 percent above state average
• Albany 7.2 percent above state average
• Schoharie 1.4 percent below state average
• Delaware 1.8 percent below state average
• Ulster 5.3 percent above state average
• Dutchess .3 below state average

Folks, what’s going on in Greene County that’s making people sick? Or is it just that the population there skews older, with fewer younger, healthier folk moving in?

Westerlo is a little town in the southern portion of Albany County, which might be a tad north for our commuting and weekending friends, but it’s such a cool barn conversion at a great price, we couldn’t pass it up. According to the listing, the barn itself is circa-1790s and was brought to the 8+ acre property in the 1980s. It’s easy to see why we like it: Rustic in all the right places, cathedral ceilings, wood floors with radiant heat, not to mention all that pretty land. Westerlo is indeed remote, but some of us are into seclusion. The cute weathervane and additional small barn seal the deal. Taxes are decent at around $2700/year.

181 Johnny Cake Hill Road, Westerlo (Coldwell Banker) GMAP
Asking Price: $249,000
Beds: 2
Baths: 2
Square Feet: 1,191
Year Built: 1988
Land: 8.4 acres
Taxes: $2753
Features: Radiant heat floors, garden, extra small barn.

So many times I have found myself bound and determined to get to the farmers’ market on Saturday or Sunday, only to find Sunday evening rolls around and I never made it. Farmiemarket is a new service and website designed to allow small and mid-sized local farmers to also offer their goods online for you to order instead of only selling at the farmers markets. I know, some of you may be thinking that part of what you like about getting your food at the markets is the experience of going, and the ability to speak face to face with the people selling their food/goods. This isn’t to take the place of farmers markets. But if you just can’t or don’t find yourself going enough, you now have a service for those “in-between” times! Also there are plenty of people that I am sure would love some farmers’ market produce but live 45 minutes from a local farmers’ market. It’s much like FreshDirect (but WAY FRESHER!)

You punch in your zipcode and you get a lovely array of color photographs displaying local fresh sugarsnap peas, kale, chard and such, picked up or delivered between from 8am to 8pm, on a particular weekday depending on your area. (For my zipcode in Woodstock it was Thursdays, if you live in the Rhinebeck area it is Monday etc.) The categories to choose from include:

• Dairy
• Eggs
• Flowers
• Beef
• Chicken
• Maple
• Herbs and Spices
• Health and Body
• Condiments
• Sweets

The site also contains recipes, and features produce from farms such as: Acorn Hill Farm | Evolutionary Organics | Old Ford Farm | Oliverea Schoolhouse Maple | Partners Trace Farm | Tweefontein Herb Farm | Gordon Farms |Common Hands Farm | Fitzgerald Farms | Gordon Farms | Sepascot Home Farm | Tiny Hearts Farm |

It is difficult for local family farmers to stay afloat simply relying on the farmers markets, this allows these hardworking families to have another avenue for sharing their amazing product with an even more expanded customer base. In July 2011, FarmieMarket expanded to also serve Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties in Upstate New York to foster stronger rural and regional economies.

They are currently offering free delivery on your first order!

Good bye, Ravena! But no tears. We still get to look at one more Victorian. This one is the most expensive, and the most polished and updated. Swanky kitchen, intricate wood detailing, stained glass, and enclosed porch and an open one, located on corner lot. So close to the Hudson River in the town of Coeymans that it’s practically on the waterfront. The neighborhood is also a nice residential area directly across from the Coeymans fire house. Lot size is nothing special, basic residential neighborhood-size, but big enough for the in-ground pool. If you’re REALLY interested in this one, there’s an open house scheduled for Saturday (tomorrow!) from 12pm-3pm. Let us know if you go!

75 Westerlo Street, Ravena (Century 21) GMAP
Asking Price: $299,900
Beds: 4
Baths: 3
Square Feet: 2,990
Year Built: 1900
Land: .27 acres
Taxes: $6,097
Features: In-ground pool, new roof

We’ve all heard Mark Twain’s description of the game of golf as “a good walk spoiled.” Clearly, he wasn’t referring to disc golf, although one could argue that disc golf might spoil a walk even more so than regular golf, especially the day after when it’s nearly impossible to lift your arms.

Legend has it that the game of disc golf was invented by a camp counselor who thought it would be fun to teach kids how to play golf with Frisbees and baskets. From there, the game grew into what some consider a “frat-boy slacker” game, complete with special Frisbees for each hole (putters, drivers, etc., just like in regular golf). But here’s the thing: We’ve played disc golf, and we’re not slacker frat-boys, and we think it’s really fun. Some might even say it’s a bit addictive. Luckily, upstate New York is home to one of the best disc golf courses in the country: Joralemon Disc Golf Course in Ravena.

The object of the game is to try to get your disc in the basket, or “hole”, with as few throws as possible. Just like in regular golf. And, like golf, courses are set up with 9, 18, or 27 holes. The Joralemon course has 27 holes, all them with tee-off pads (usually a big concrete square upon which a disc golfer can stand and throw) and situated in various types of terrain. Techniques vary, based on the distance from the tee pad to the hole and the terrain, so it’s good to play your first game with someone who knows how to play and can walk you through the manoeuvrings and machinations. You might even get a hole-in-one (it actually happened to me the first time I played, at the very first hole. Beginners luck. It was all downhill from there).

If you’re interested in spoiling a good walk with a few rounds of disc golf, check out this nifty disc golf website, which breaks down the Joralemon course by photographs of each of the 27 holes. Here’s a sneak peak at a couple of the more picturesque holes:

Hole 27

Hole 4

Hole 14

Hole 23

GMAP

As we begin our departure from Ravena, our Town of the Week, we want to show you two more Victorians we found in the village. This is the most inexpensive one, and one might argue that it’s also the one with the most character. Sure, she has her flaws (the kitchen is kind of bland, we could do without the wallpaper borders, and we vigorously dislike the chain-link fence around the yard), but check out the ornate lattice-work detail in the living room doorway.

This one is an excellent bargain at $63/square foot. We don’t see any major catastrophes anywhere, aside from the aforementioned cosmetic fixes. Located on a corner lot and less than a mile from the Hudson River. Includes a detached garage.

12 Main Street, Ravena (Vittoria Real Estate) GMAP
Asking Price: $189,900
Beds: 5
Baths: 2.5
Square Feet: 3005
Year Built: 1898
Land: .26 acres
Taxes: $5969
Features: Jacuzzi tub in master bath, garden patio, wrap-around porch

It’s modest. The lot size is small. But it’s cute, and it’s extremely affordable for someone who’s looking to get their feet wet in upstate living (even though Ravena is pretty far upstate) but doesn’t want to invest in an expensive country manse. Nice built-ins, hardwood floors, and a recently-updated kitchen. It’s located right in the village of Ravena in a nice, seemingly quiet, tree-lined residential neighborhood with the village’s local recreational complex, Mosher Park. Check out the GMAP Streetview if you get a chance. It reveals that although the lot size is only a quarter of an acre, it still seems to have some space to call an actual yard, and it’s a corner lot, to boot.

65 Dempster Street, Ravena (Louise Warner Realty) GMAP
Asking Price: $147,900
Beds: 3
Baths: 1
Square Feet: 1456
Year Built: 1925
Land: .23 acres
Taxes: $2984
Features: Updated kitchen, new roof, corner lot

This little colonial out in the boondocks of Ravena is one of the pricier houses we found listed. Not that it’s expensive, per se, but the price per square foot is around $133, which is a bit more than the average. But it’s also on 4 acres in the absolute middle of Nowheresville, USA, about 8 miles from the village of Ravena, so privacy seems pretty much assured. The interior walls are cedar-sided, with hardwood floors and a living room wood stove. The wood trim and cabinetry throughout was left naked and unpainted, which we think was a good aesthetic choice. The listing states that there’s a waterfall on the lot. Always a bonus! Speaking of bonuses, both the public records and propertyshark.com hint that this property might include additional land. Worth investigating.

780 Blodgett Hill Road, Ravena (Vittoria Real Estate) GMAP
Asking Price: $260,000
Beds: 3
Baths: 1.5
Square Feet: 1952
Year Built: 1952
Land: 4 acres
Taxes: $7,889
Features: Wood stove, waterfall