The Relocators: Live Music in the Hudson Valley

  |  January 8, 2013

When I was younger, I loved going out and listening to live music. Over the years I got busy. Other things started getting in the way and eventually I stopped altogether. Since we moved to Beacon, Mark and I have gone out twice to listen to some really good live music.

For New Year’s Eve, we went to The Towne Crier Cafe in Pawling and got to experience some really good live Blues music from The Debbie Davies Blues Band and The Chris O’Leary Band. Sorry, I forgot my good camera that can take pictures in low light without a flash, so was only able to take a few sucky ones with my iPhone.

But aside from the lack of photos, the bands were awesome. Mark and I really enjoyed ringing in New Years in such a laid back and fun way. There are few things we noticed that I’d like to share.

Being “out on the town” in the Hudson Valley is pretty laid back and relaxed. Neither of us felt like going out that much in NYC. Everything seemed so stressful, pushed and like we could NEVER be one of the beautiful people. This experience showed us that going out in the Hudson Valley is fun and easy. No one cares who you are or what you look like. No one is “trying too hard.” We saw and talked to everyday normal people of all ages. People of all walks of life, wearing all kinds of clothing and attire were sitting in the audience. We fit in and felt good.

Getting to where you want to go is a lot easier.  I’ll be the first to admit I hate driving. We were both thrilled to be rid of our car when we moved from Houston to Brooklyn a few years ago. And neither of us were smitten with the idea of having to buy another one when we moved to Beacon.

But there’s something to be said about being able to walk to your car, get in it and drive to wherever you want to go when you’re ready. No waiting for subways or trains. No walking 3-10 blocks in the cold/snow/rain/heat or whatever to get to your final destination. No pushing through crowded sidewalks trying to make your way down a busy Manhattan street.

When I first moved to NYC in the ’90s, if I saw myself now I would have called myself a fuddy-duddy. But now that I’m old (ha!), I’m tired of trying to push my way through crowds, and I don’t care if I’m wearing the latest and greatest whatever. I just want to relax and enjoy myself.

Drinks are a LOT cheaper in the Hudson Valley! So is almost everything else in regards to “going out” for that matter. We went out a few weeks ago to listen to some live music at the Beacon Elks Club and noticed that two gin & tonics cost less than ONE would have in Manhattan. But referring back to the fact that now we have a car and must drive to and ‘fro…obviously we have to watch that one and not get too excited.

There is one last thing I’d like to share that Mark and I are really excited about. It seems that The Towne Crier Cafe is moving to Beacon some time in early 2013. Apparently the place lost their lease about a year ago and have stayed at their current location on a month-to-month basis until they could find another place they liked. Very few details were provided, but when we were there for New Year’s Eve, an announcement was made that they WOULD be moving to Beacon very soon. Since we currently live in Beacon, we are very excited about THAT!

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