How to Visit Harmony On Hudson (Part One)
Harmony on Hudson is a real place, although its not truly located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River “just north of Beacon and south of Cold Spring” as I have written. A look at a map will confirm that there is no such location; the directions are nonsense. There is no Harmony River. Certainly no Valleysong Estate. Rather, Harmony On Hudson is a composite of my experiences in the Hudson Valley of New York State. In creating and designing this microcosm, I have drawn from places such as Kingston, New Paltz, Hudson, Rhinebeck, Redhook, Tarrytown, Irvington, Coldspring, Millbrook, Peekskill, Beacon, Saugerties, Nyack, Sugarloaf, and Warwick. While not in the Hudson Valley, obvious comparisons can be made to Corning as well. The name “Harmony On Hudson” follows the naming convention of Hastings On Hudson, Cornwall On Hudson, Annadale On Hudson, and Croton On Hudson (my home). My goal was to create a village in which a resident of these places would find familiarity, especially in street names which occur again and again from town to town.
The Hudson Valley is also a place where the fingerprints of the original Dutch settlers can still be seen. Old ways are hemmed in by new realities. Train lines and bus routes crisscross age-old footpaths. There is a subtle, or not so subtle, tension between urban transplants and families who have long-dwelled here. The spoils of what city-folk call the ‘country-side’ are up for grabs. But in the acquisition of these treasures, do home buyers change the very nature of what they admire? And yet, local economies need the influx of new buyers and new enthusiasm to stem the inevitable attrition of aging residents. Another trait I see these places having in common is a stubborn insistence on quality and excellence. There are many fine businesses in these towns and villages—whimsical shops, artisanal crafters, and blissfully good restaurants. These places exist in a state of flux where their proprietors struggle to meet, maintain and exceed the highest standards despite innumerable challenges.
In my writing about Harmony On Hudson, I plan to dot the village with businesses that pay tribute to my favorite places in the Hudson Valley. Where I can, I’ll make these connections transparent so that, if one were so inclined, one could seek these businesses out. Of course, some places will need to be pure whimsy (for example, Jimmy Lee’s restaurant named, The Peak and its attached bar, Under-the-Mountain, is, alas, fictional).
Green Flagon bar, while evoking the Green Dragon in Hobbiton, is also very similar to one of my favorite places to eat in Warwick, NY. Some of the Harmony On Hudson stories, written before the pandemic began, were crafted while I sipped lattes in my local coffee shop, The Black Cow in Croton-On-Hudson, which bears asimilarity to the Dark Horse Coffee Co.
Businesses and street names aside, the main connecting thread between Harmony On Hudson and the places that inspired it is the beauty of the landscape. The rolling hills of the river valley, carved out by primordial glacier, the wildflowers, and the wabi-sabi of the front yards, complement the majesty of the Hudson River itself. This beauty can be awe inspiring, tempting dreams to break free into our daytime wonderings. No wonder these landscapes gave rise to an entire art movement called the Hudson River school of painters. Is it any surprise that lore would have it that a nap under a tree here could last a hundred years? Or that on an evening stroll you might spy a spectral horseman haunting the night? The Hudson Valley is rife with countless stories, and in my humble way, I am excited to add my own.