Wynkoop House, via Wikipedia

We are quite familiar with this circa-1740 property in the town of Saugerties. It’s a landmark, and yet it has languished on an unattractive corner of Route 32 next door to a gas station for far too long.

Now, it’s on the market, which we think is great. For ages, we’ve been hoping someone would come along and wake up this amazing slice of history. Even better, according to a recent Saugerties Times article, the town and the Saugerties Historical Society are working on a set of plans to transform the dilapidated property into a restaurant and add an similiary-styled motel onto the property’s 2.5 acres, as well.

But for now, it’s listed with Win Morrison Reality at $750,000. Here’s a link to a little of the Wynkoop house’s history here.

Just in case you’ve driven past the property and were curious about what it looks like inside (as we have wondered many times ourselves), here’s a little peek:

2769 Route 32, Saugerties (Win Morrison) GMAP

“Late Night” host and former SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon grew up in Saugerties, and just recently, he tweeted that his childhood house on Overbaugh Street is up for sale. And it’s pretty cute. Property is in the village and includes a guest/rental cottage.

Fallon said that Saugerties was a great place to grow up and hopes the buyer will be “cool”. We’re looking at you, Upstater readership.

102 Overbaugh Street, Saugerties (Westwood Metes & Bounds) GMAP
Asking Price: $210,000
Beds: 3
Baths: 1.5
Square Feet: 1780
Year Built: 1915
Land: .5 acres
Taxes: $6400
Features: Guest cottage, fenced-in yard

Lest you think the only Flatbush neighborhood is in Brooklyn, check out the Historic House Tour in Saugerties on May 12. The neighborhood “offers views of the Catskills, old farms, an historic church, and access to the Hudson River all within easy driving distance.” You’ll see a number of 18th and 19th century homes, including some stone houses like the one above. The full roster will be revealed the day of the tour.

Tickets are $15 if purchased before May 5th, or $25 the day of the tour (buy them that day at the QuickChek gas station, 3048 Rt. 9W near the intersection of Rt. 9W and Rt. 32). You can buy them at Smith’s Hardware or the Hudson Valley Dessert Company, in downtown Saugerties, or by mail:

Stone House Tour,
Saugerties Town Hall
4 High Street, Saugerties, NY 12477
(Check payable to Town of Saugerties HPC)

For more info, call (845) 246-2800 ext. 470 or email: historichousetour@gmail.com

via Watershed Post

Yep, we know — Serpico is not associated with heirloom tomatoes. But in fact the former NYPD whistleblower has been leading a quiet upstate New York life for many years, and is participating this weekend in an event at the relatively new Saugerties Performing Arts Factory.

Reports the Watershed Post: “‘Against the Grain,’ will showcase the foodie side of some of the area’s most noteworthy nonconformists. For the premiere, she’s picked a winner: Frank Serpico, the onetime undercover officer for the NYPD whose uncompromising honesty got him into such a dramatic peck of trouble back in the 1970s that his story was made into a movie starring Al Pacino.”

They’ll be taping a segment, viewable at greenpeastv.com, in front of a live audience, while Serpico and his cohort prepare gnocchi and stracciatella soup.

Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance. Call 845.246.SPAF (7723).

I love New World Home Cooking and Ric Orlando. Even before we bought a weekend home nearby, and then finally became full-time Upstaters, we would always go to New World in Sauger-stock when we would visit the area. The atmosphere and the food are always consistently and casually amazing. We also have tried a few of their events. In 2011 we did “Hell Night,” which was a wine and dinner menu featuring some seriously hot and spicy food paired with wines to taper the flame on your tongue and bring out the flavors of the ingredients. It was a terrific experience with Ric leading the night, unique and delicious dishes, and a Sommelier that taught us a thing or two about some fantastic wines.

This Friday, vegans rejoice! Ric is putting together a six-course meal with a vegan wine pairing that sounds so good, I bet I could get my red meat-loving husband to go. Make your reservations today to assure a seat and a desert of German Chocolate sauerkraut cake with candied kumquats. There were still seats left as of last night.

The event is $60/per person and begins at 6:30pm. So tell your boss you may need to leave early to get to New World  make it to your doctor’s appointment in time!

Event: 6-course Vegan Dinner and Wine Pairing

Time: 6:30pm

Location: New World Home Cooking
1411 New York 212  Saugerties, NY 12477

Reservations: (845) 246-4822

This is a question that drives Upstater, so hopefully we’ll still ask it even after reading through Hudson Valley magazine’s list of the seven best places to live in the Hudson Valley. Five of the towns we’ve covered pretty extensively (Saugerties, Chatham, Beacon, Rhinebeck and Athens) and the remaining two, Goshen and Putnam, are at the top of our to-do list.

They chose Saugerties as the number one spot for “its quirky downtown crammed with tiny shops, galleries, and restaurants; one-of-a-kind festivals (Garlic, Sept. 29-30; Mum, Oct. 7); and a ridiculously romantic lighthouse-turned-B&B.” They detail its combination of luxury living (the Diamond Mills hotel and HITS show, both mentioned here many times) and down home appeal, as well as some affordable housing. “The varied housing stock in the village includes Victorians for between $225,000 and $250,000, and attracts an eclectic mix of locals and transplants from both New York and Albany — all of whom treasure the strong sense of community the town generates.”

It’s almost spring! Or summer? We’re not sure what’s going on out there, weather-wise. But we do know that when spring rolls around, a lot of couples are thinking about nuptials. And where to have them. Here’s a place in the Saugerties/Woodstock area (known by some locals as “Saugerstock”) that is both a vacation rental and an event space.

Located on 4 private acres, Barn on the Pond offers a swimming pond, flowery fields, a fire pit, and an expansive wrap-around deck. On the inside, the two-bedroom Barn is has a wide open floor plan on the first floor and second floor loft.

The website states the barn sleeps eleven guests (two bedrooms and a loft space), but if more beds are needed for additional family, friends, or event guests, the Barn offers an Airstream RV for additional (albeit seasonal) accommodations. Pretty cute!

Barn on the Pond is an all-season rental, and events (weddings, reunions, retreats, parties, etc.) can be planned on the inside of the Barn or the outside on the grounds, depending on the weather. Their website doesn’t specify if they provide catering services (we’re betting they don’t), but details such as what they do provide, availability, and rates can be discussed by emailing events@barnonthepond.com.

We found this rental in our Upstater Classifieds section, but the listing expires today (3/20), so here’s a link to the Barn on the Pond website. Lots more pictures are there, plus their blog.

Flickr/Dougtone

That’s what one ex-resident looking to return feels after perusing the area for affordable houses. Or, rather, what he wrote about in the Saugerties Times after perusing the area for reasonably priced houses with affordable taxes. “We have been looking at properties from one end of town to the other, being consistently shocked at the tax rates,” he writes. “As example, one typical raised ranch in Barclay Heights is assessed for $212,500, (real value about $195,000) 2012 taxes: $7,400! On the other end of the scale, though not in our category, is a home currently listed for $3.9 million. Set on 50 acres, the 2010 taxes were $12,056. In 2011; they were reduced to $8,622. To my mind, a sale price difference of $3.7M, vs. a tax differential of $1,200 seems, shall we say, unusual?”

He notes that Horses in the Sun, one of the biggest tourist events of the year (which also inspired the construction of the city’s first luxury boutique hotel), is registered to an out-of-town nonprofit, so while it might be bringing in some revenue to local businesses, it ain’t doing nothin’ for the local tax base.

Saugerties is not alone in suffering, tax-wise, in Ulster County. As we wrote about earlier this year, Ulster County property taxes are on the rise, and even though there’s a tax-cap in place, state-wide, municipalities can vote to opt out of it, as Saugerties has.

One of the things people like about Saugerties is that it doesn’t feel like the Hamptons of upstate. Yes, lots of vintage stores, and a couple of mid-century antique shops, but it caters to locals and folks of average income, as opposed to the fancy shops of Hudson or the moneyed residents of Rhinebeck.

But that didn’t stop Thomas Struzzieri from opening Ulster County’s first luxury boutique hotel (not that you can’t drop $500 a night elsewhere in the county; there’s always Mohonk). Diamond Mills, which had its grand opening in December, has 30 rooms next to a waterfall on the Esopus Creek, and serves up luxury like any Manhattan hotel (a sure sign: the $15 cheeseburger).

Struzzieri is also behind the annual Horses in the Sun equestrian event, so the hotel caters to that set. As he told the luxury magazine Robb Report, “‘They end up staying as far away as New Paltz. Luxury lodging around here was in short supply.’ Basically, he built Diamond Mills as a place for his horse-show colleagues and friends to stay in, but now it’s poised to become a hot spot for city folks looking for weekend getaways. Phones have been buzzing for the upcoming wedding season.”

There’s currently a ski-season package on offer, at the discounted rate of $225/night.

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.