HUDSON, NY

As I've mentioned previously, it's sort of becoming an annual tradition now to head somewhere for New Year's.  We aren't big New Year's people (especially now with two kids under three), but Rich has off for the holiday, and so it's an excuse for us to jet set smart (usually good deals this time of year depending on where you want to go)!  This year we decided to head up to The Sagamore Resort in the Adirondacks in Lake George, New York (I'll have more on the resort and that part of the trip in upcoming posts).  It was going to be about a 4+ hour drive for us (including rest stops to feed the little ones and change diapers), so we thought a good way to break up the drive would be to stop in Hudson, New York.

Billed as "Upstate's Downtown", Hudson, New York is booming for a small upstate town, and so to us this place was well worth a visit.  The main heart of the town is located along a seven block stretch or so of Warren Street.  This street is lined with historic buildings, antique shops, restaurants, specialty food stores, coffee shops, clothing, home, and jewelry stores.  My first impressions of Hudson and the vibe here reminds me of Toronto in that it's sort of "hipster," but in a cool, not annoying way; it's very artsy and casual.  At one end of Warren Street is the Amtrak station (yes, you can get here by train- 2 hours from NYC at $31 one way) and stunning views of the Hudson River.  We started out at the other end and strolled along stopping for lunch at Baba Louie's.  We got to Hudson in the afternoon, and so the first thing we wanted to do was eat.  Baba Louie's is casual, known for its gourmet sourdough pizzas and salads, and gosh is everything good!

We had their Phoebe's Greek Salad which has romaine lettuce, mixed greens, feta, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, roasted pumpkin seeds and comes with their lemon herb dressing.  This was the BEST salad I have ever had...seriously!

We also tried a couple of pies, but the one that stood out to me was the Abbondante BBQ Chicken Pizza bbq chicken, red onions, fresh mozzarella, smoked gouda, oregano and parmesan.  I think I ate four slices! 

After our late lunch it was already dark outside, and many things were starting to close (heads up that things close early here), so we quickly strolled Warren Street, stopping into Olde Hudson- a gourmet specialty food shop to pick up some local coffee and some amazing salted oatmeal and cranberry cookies.

 We also stopped at Swallow (clever name) for a quick coffee before getting back on the road.

We definitely plan to visit Hudson again- possibly next time as an overnight destination.  We've heard good things about DABA for dinner and Le Gamin for brunch- so we have our food places picked out already, and the Union Street Guest House is supposed to be quite charming to stay.  Hudson impressed us and we can't wait to go back!