Flickr/Steve (huz001)

Yes, you’ve probably seen plenty of robins bopping along, but spring in the Catskills promises a few more exotic species, too: warblers, golden-crowned kinglets, maybe some brown creepers. Tomorrow marks the start of birdwatching season, with a walk through the Ramshorn-Livingston Marsh Sanctuary, lead by Audubon New York Education Coordinator Larry Federman. The walk starts at 7:30AM, lasting as long as four hours, depending on how many birdies make an appearance.

For the next six weeks, Federman will conduct these walks every Wednesday at 7:30AM, teaching bird ID-ing skills along the way. For more info, call Federman at 518-678-3248 or shoot him an email. A $5 donation is suggested.

We’re leaving Hurley behind for Five-Figure Friday, mainly because there’s not much going on there for five figures outside of land, and not much of that. But we’re also leaving it behind because of this sweet Victoria in Catskill (Greene County). Catskill was Town of the Week once upon a time, and it’s a great place to bargain hunt.

The downside: It needs work. The lot size is wee. But the taxes are low, and it’s certainly easy on the eyes. It’s also right over the bridge from the village of Catskill and close to everything. Just went on the market four days ago, and already the price has dropped by nearly $5,000.

14 Dumond Street, Catskill (Win Morrison) GMAP
Asking Price: $90,250
Beds: 3
Baths: 1.5
Square Feet: 1,776
Year Built: 1889
Land: .15 acres
Taxes: $2,804
Features: French doors, wood floors

Mexican Radio.  One of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the Upstater.net area. Although Mexican Radio is not strictly vegetarian or vegan, it caters to a crowd who want a variety of food, much of it grown locally.  The entrees are pricey, so expect to shell out. But there are tons of vegan options, and they offer vegan fillings like tofu, seitan, soy cheese and vegan crema on their Tortilla Heaven menu.  Their black beans are vegetarian, and they’ve just recently added vegan pinto beans.  537 Warren Street, Hudson. 518-828-7770

Wasana’s Thai Restaurant. This is one the area’s best kept secrets. Nestled on Main Street in Catskill between two storefronts, this place could be easily missed.  Don’t, though, because it’s amazing.  The food here is fresh and comforting. Their spring rolls are simple, elegant and absolutely addictive. The interior is a little strange and modest, but don’t let that discourage you.  Prices are reasonable and wait-staff is friendly and attentive. As with many Thai restaurants, vegan options abound.  Just make sure you ask if they use fish sauce in their dishes before ordering.  336 Main Street, Catskill. 518-943-9134

New World Home Cooking. Chef/owner Ric Orlando is kind of a celebrity around these parts, especially since kicking some serious culinary behind on the Food Network series, Chopped. But ultimately, Ric just loves to make people happy by making amazing food. Even vegan people. New World has an extensive vegan menu, which includes dishes like Seitan hot wings, Thai curry with fat noodles, Vietnamese salad, and an eggplant “melt” with vegan bleu cheese. Menu changes based on the season. New World in Saugerties also offers a Thanksgiving buffet with a vegan spread! Check online for special events and menus. Location in Albany, too. 1411 New York 212, Saugerties. 845-246-4822

Garden Cafe on the Green.  This place is strictly vegan and completely organic. Every menu item is animal-product free, so you can safely order anything and not have to worry. They serve breakfast (tofu scrambles, oatmeal, pancakes, etc), lunch (vegan Caesar salads, Portabello paninis, wraps and burgers) and dinner (make your own vegan bowl, pan-seared tofu, Indian veggie and chick pea enchiladas), and they have a big selection of organic beers and wines. If you find the voluptuous selection a little overwhelming, go to the Monday buffet and try everything. Call ahead for reservations, though, since the Cafe is small and fills up fast. 6 Old Forge Road, Woodstock. 845-679-3600

Luna 61: Not strictly vegan, but entirely vegetarian, which means you can get real cheese on your nachos, if you’re so inclined, but they won’t give you the side-eye if you order their Cuban press sandwich with tofu instead of goat cheese. Luna61 is a tiny, cozy cafe right in the center of Tivoli that frequently features works by local artists on their walls. They also offer an extensive Sunday brunch menu. 55 Broadway, Tivoli. 845-758-0061

Soul Dog: This hot dog joint is a while lot more than a hot dog joint. Located just steps from the Metro North train station in Poughkeepsie, Soul Dog offers a ton of vegan food on a bun, and a gluten-free chick pea flour bun, at that. You can get a veggie dog with vegan quinoa chili and guacamole, or you can get it with spicy peanut sauce and onions. They also offer a variety of gluten-free specials every day (they’ve been voted Best of the Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley magazine for best gluten-free baked goods), and they’re home-made French fries are some of the best we’ve ever had. Bring an appetite, though. It’s really hard to eat just one of these dogs. 107 Main Street, Poughkeepsie. 845-454-3254.

Um, is this the coolest place we’ve ever featured on Upstater? I’m pretty sure it is (and my thanks to Peter Aaron for pointing it out!).  You hardly need me to explain its coolness to you, although I will point out that even though it’s on two “park-like acres” it’s between two pretty busy roads, and on the other side of the creek from the increasingly charming part of Catskill. Still, where else but Catskill can you pick up a renovated architectural, octagonal masterpiece from 1860, one that has a media room, for $459,000? Taxes are reasonable-ish, at $6,282. It has four beds, 1.75 baths, 3,700 square feet, and a spiral staircase that leads to what they call the sky lantern. Absolute and total heaven, if you’ll pardon my effusiveness.

I love brick homes like this Catskill village arts & crafts number because they just look so solid. In these  Snowtober, vaguely apocalyptic times, I feel a house that the big bad wolf couldn’t blow down would be a good investment.

The glassed-in front porch and green trim gives this house such curb-side appeal. The interior is roomy with some nice original woodwork though the overall look keeps things pretty simple. (The bathroom and kitchen could probably use some updating.) There’s an insulated studio space in the attic floor as well as a three-season screened porch. The house has been on and off the market at this price since July—and was acquired in 2006 for $189,000. It’s a true village home, which means you’re right off the Thruway,  and a very short walk to the Catskills Marina and the Hudson. You’d have both water sports and village life within easy reach, though this isn’t for country gentlemen wannabes. More stats plus map on the jump. (more…)

Ah, good bones, great potential. We know what that’s code for, but even so, this downtown Catskill Victorian seems like a good buy. Close to the river, close to “Always Improving” Main Street, in that sweet neighborhood of neat (and always improving) vintage homes. It’s got five beds, one-and-a-half baths, a nice porch (a must if you’re going to live in the village, says me). The place was sold in 2007, during the real estate frenzy, for $135,000, so the owner must be resigned to taking a loss. (Back in 2002, the place was sold for one dollar, according to Property Shark!) It can’t be in too bad shape, since the last assessor gave it a grade of B. Has but a teeny tiny yard, but there’s some nice greenery nearby. This is the kind of price that fuels my dreams. Stats on the jump. (more…)

I don’t quite agree with the realtor’s description of this post and beam  Catskill Creek cottage as a “jewel box,” but I do think it has a lot of appealing features. I love hand-hewn beams and stonework, and the pitched ceiling gives this little house (625 sq. feet) an airier feel. The real selling point, though, is the Catskill Creek location. The cabin’s deck overlooks the creek as well as historic Black Bridge, making this one a good fit for kayaking and swimming hole enthusiasts who want to spend more time outside than in.The house is winterized, with both a natural gas furnace and a stone fireplace to keep you toasty when you’re Upstate snow-shoeing.

The cabin is on the outskirts of Catskill village, so you’d have convenience—and neighbors, though this one does feel private. Interesting back story, too: according to property records, this house was bought in 2002 for $1000. I wonder what it looked like then.

Stats and map on the jump. (more…)

This little cottage in the town of Catskill is a good example of how a thoughtful renovation can make an unremarkable property into something much more appealing. Thanks to a lot of windows and a judicious use of white on white, this standard issue and rather small ’70s ranch looks bright and airy. As an Italophile, I like the terracotta floors—so underused in these parts, though maybe a bit chilly for Upstate winters. (Perhaps the next owners can invest in a bear rug? White, of course.)

“Catskill” here denotes both the region and the town, but note that this isn’t in the village nor within walking distance of it. The house is, however, on desirable Five Miles Road, one of prettiest country roads in Catskill, and the property comes with an acre of land. It’s also close-ish the Exit 21 on the NYS-thruway, making this relatively convenient for a Greene County property.

Stats and map on the jump. (more…)

For this week’s TOTW, we’re taking a look at the Greene County Seat, Catskill. Catskill, like other places we’ve covered, names both a town and a village and in this case, a region and a mountain range. Also, the village of Catskill is not really in the Catskills. Confusing? We’ll break it down for you.

The village of Catskill (population 4081) sits on west side the Hudson River, across from the town of Hudson, about two hours north of NYC via car (exit 21 on the Thruway) and train (Hudson Amtrak stop), at foot of the Catskill mountains. It’s a West Side town, so the train doesn’t cut through these frontier parts, but the Hudson train station and its lovely little town are just across the river via the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. This means two things: Catskill’s main street isn’t as developed or touristed as Hudson’s, and the real estate here is cheaper. The village’s main drag is Main Street, and it has a some local antique shops and art galleries (including frequent open studio nights), a Saturday farmer’s market, and an obsession with fiberglass cat figurines.

Like a lot of Upstate towns, Catskill was hit hard by suburban sprawl and de-industrialization, but there has been a concerted and noticeable effort to bring Catskill back and revitalize its Main Street.  Because of its positioning, the village of Catskill has a lot in its favor, making it ripe for a bigger boom: access to Hudson River and Catskill Creek water sports as well as to Catskill mountain activities, a historic downtown with lots of small business space yet easy drives to big box retailers like Loews and Home Depot, accessibility and high name recognition.  Note, though, that some Greene County locals view downtown Catskill as crime-plagued. Violent crime in Catskill is uncommon, but there is a relatively high rate of theft. Click here for crime stats.

Note too that the village of Catskill is part of the larger town of Catskill (population approx 11,000), which also includes the more rural hamlets of Leeds, Cairo, and High Falls. We’ll be showing houses in both the village proper and its surrounding hamlets this week, which represent a real range of country village and rural Upstate living.