86. Route 9 - Albany Post Road

Mat  0:03  
So we were away for a while. Yes, Florida again, this time near the water in Delray Beach, so that was great. But also a lot of driving, including the drive itself down to Florida, a lot of driving 18 hours in a regular car over two days. But an electric car like ours, 24 hours over two days. Most of it for us was long I-95. Then more I-95.

We took shifts every two to three hours, though Brian did most of it. It's not that terrible. In fact, that drive can be quite beautiful, and an adventure, especially once you get past Washington, DC, Virginia as easygoing, but then in the Carolinas, it gets to be just two lanes each way, which is a bit intense, especially with the trucks. The billboards also get angrier the further you go south in Florida, I-95 becomes four than five lanes each way. It's nuts. You know, the road will eventually end before it does. It's big, wide, heavy cement. This down there is the world down for me thinking about the Hudson Valley with hills, curvy roads and stunning views. This just wasn't my world. Nine weeks later, we're driving back on I-95. North back past the angry billboards back through the Carolinas making good time even with all the electric charging stops which is mostly at Walmart's but unfortunately we can't exactly go home. We're renovating the kitchen. They started the work while we were away. And at the time we were driving back they are not done. We are prepared for this though. We get off the Thruway at exit 19 in Kingston. We take route 199 across the Rhinecliff Kingston bridge and drive up Route nine which really gets my heart moving with it's one lane each way. Smaller signs instead of billboards that say, Tree City USA. This is the main drag of our road. This is our thoroughfare. This, my friends is our world. We stop at the house to drop off our summer clothes and pick up winter clothes. There's still snow on the ground. So I find my boots and shovel a bit. I pick up the mail and check out the work underway. kitchen looks good. But yeah, we can't live here yet. Brian leaves before me with Nora and I get in my car my mini electric. Yes, a second electric car. We're insane. I pull out of the driveway and back onto Route nine to go further north will stay at my inlaws for a few weeks about 40 minutes away. So there I am driving along being away for so long and other people's roads. I miss home. What did I miss everything. The people, the sounds, the sights, the views, even just driving around.

Mat  3:43  
I'm Mat Zucker and this is Cidiot: Learning to live in love life in the Hudson Valley, Episode 86, Route Nine.

There are places I want you to see and there are roads to get us there. And sometimes just sometimes that road is that place. New York State Route Nine is very central to me. We live right off of it, like a quick turn over a tiny bridge built in the depression and you're at our house. This is very helpful in bad weather. First of all, it's a paved road. My in laws and my sister and brother in law don't believe in paved roads. But it's also convenient because you can live in a farming community. But you're just minutes from stuff because you're just off the main road. When we first moved in, we were born that you could hear a bit of the cars and the trucks from the house. Some people want to move to the country and hear nothing but birds, not us. I was terrified of being out in the middle of the field. I'd love that we were near the main road to the city folk. The background in of some cars going by was comforting. New York State Route nine is the Albany Post Road once the only major route for stagecoaches running from New York City to Albany. Route nine goes 347 miles from the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan to an interchange of I 87 just south of the Canadian border. It's also the longest north south US Highway in New York State. This episode, I will take you on a journey of my little part of it. I hope you'll explore it when you come to visit and hope you'll look twice at your own regular roads, and maybe even look up their history. Thank you to my mother's friend Gail, who encouraged this episode and a few others you might hear about the season. Let's get into Mini Electric—and drive.

Mat  5:29  
One of the coolest things you'll see along Route nine, but only if you look close are the mile markers. Originally mile markers were put there to determine postal rates. It was a system designed by Ben Franklin, the first postmaster general between Manhattan and Albany were 159 markers placed along Albany Post Road now route nine and 40 in my county of Dutchess alone, and 22 of these are still preserved. The road has gone through a lot of changes to straighten it. So some of the markers are way off the main route. Our tour starts north of Poughkeepsie. Maybe you're coming from walk over the Hudson or the Poughkeepsie train station, visiting your kid at Vassar College, or from beacon or Cold Spring. U.S. 9 here is busy even four lanes and parts. Nine is also closer to the river here. It's cousin 9G is east of it here, but later they will switch. driving north you'll pass Marist College home of the famous Maris Paul, and then the main campus of the CIA. No, not that CIA, the Culinary Institute of America. It's a beautiful campus along the river. There are a few students and restaurants you can make a reservation in or just stop into the cafe. years ago, Brian took a week long cooking class and lived in a nearby motel. A few miles north in Hyde Park is the presidential library of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And then just beyond, you'll pass the everyday diner, which is a classic. And then the beautiful Vanderbilt mansion, which is another historic site along the river that you can visit or just walk the grounds of Route nine definitely feels more local at this point, and starts to shift more inland. By now you're just south of Rhinebeck and on the edge of Staatsburg, where you'd have to turn left on Market Street to drive less than a mile into the hamlet, where a great restaurant River and Post is and you've got to go to Mills Mansion, which you've heard me rave about many times on many episode. Mills mansion is like a Downton Abbey style mansion set beautifully along the river. And you can walk the grounds and get access to the water which is unique since usually the railroad is in the way. But these people were so loaded they got the train to run behind the house to not ruin their view and access.

Back on Route nine going to pass the new hip hobby toss on Hudson hotel getaway, which recently opened. You'll also pass Patty's Pet Palace which Nora has not yet tried. And you'll finally finally come into the historic charming and oh so perfect village of Rhinebeck. At the light you'll see Beekman arms on your left named after the famous Beekman family the in claims to be America's oldest continuously operated Hotel. Its tavern dates back hundreds of years and they say that Alexander Hamilton and Aaron burrs famous quarrel that led to the duel began in this tavern. Across the street is Le Petit Bistro, a good French restaurant. Right and I will go there just to sit at the bar for oysters. The village is great to explore and everyone knows it. Celebrity owned Samuel's candy shop a great Sunday Farmer's Market oblong books, you might remember oblong books from the book recommendations in Episode 76. Now north of the village of Rhinebeck, he'll pass on the left Northern Dutchess hospital. And if you want to see my favorite mile marker, I finally found it, the famous 100 mile marker in Rhinebeck. It's a few minutes off monitoring route nine on the Old Post Road and Northern Dutchess hospital, you just turn left on Montgomery Street and up about a mile there's a fork of an intersection of Mount ruts and road and Old Post Road. And right there at the fork is a humble stone marker, the shape of a square with a triangle roof. And if you look close, you can see carved it and very much faded 100 miles to New York. There's a picture I took of it on the city at Instagram feed. After you find the marker you can turn around get back on Route nine at the hospital and just a little north is CO. a modern co working space that I go frequently with gluten free pizza available next door. And then on the right is the famous Dutchess County Fairgrounds where the big dutchess county fairs every August and sheep and wool Festival is in the fall. Brian also runs the fall foliage half marathon and 5k which ends here at the fairgrounds on the northern side of Rhinebeck before you get to Red Hook. Route nine will again intersect with route nine G there's a car dealership in a creepy old cemetery bear left on nine G and you'll head towards the Rhinecliff Kingston bridge to go to the other side of the river or further north to the village of Tripoli. Stay on route nine with me though And you'll pass the stone church route, which leads to the Rhinebeck aerodrome, which is a hoot on weekends with old airplanes flying around and there's also a dog run next to it. But then we'll together enter my town Red Hook. No, not the Brooklyn neighborhood. The Real Red Hook. This red hook split off from Ryan back in 1812. This is where Aaron Burr ran away after shooting Alexander Hamilton and that tool he supposedly hid out here in maze land, also known as the Van Ness house, which is offered at nine on route 199. Maybe another episode on that you'll pass a Hannaford, which is a great supermarket, and for some reason has a lot of Tesla chargers. If you are of that persuasion, pass the movie theater you'll come into the Village of Red Hook, which isn't as cute as Rhinebeck but as its own kind of simple basic flair. There are lots of little restaurants and shops including Taste budds, cafe, Annabelle's bake shop and Localvore you've heard me talk about and a prime corner opening up this spring is The Corner counter, a cheese shop, which you'll hear more about very soon on Cidiot. The Red Hook historic Diner is on your right and was once the halfway diner halfway to Albany. The Elmendorph Inn also on your right was a stagecoach stop at this halfway point. Starting after the American Revolution. north of town longtime city at listeners will recognize a few signs. First is Rose Hill Farm, but it's amazing Taproom and grounds where you can just kind of hang out over the weekend. They have all sorts of pop up events throughout the seasons. Further up knowing you'll see a sign telling you to turn left on pitcher lane to correct farm which you know tons about remember multiple episodes. At Greig Farm, you can stop into the market, you can get a sandwich or I recommend the chicken salad, you can charge your electric car, you can visit the baby goats. There's also a cidery and you can walk the many beautiful trails that they generously put in over the pandemic and that we all use all the time. You probably see me and Nora there. And then on the northern end of Red Hook is upper Red Hook and adorable Hamlet were several are friends left. Upper Red Hook became Tivoli in the 1790s. But now Tivoli is actually a village to miles to the west off the other route nine route nine J and as you leave Red Hook just off last year, there's another new brewery you need to know about lasting joy. It's a beautiful modern structure also with its own Taproom Be sure to look them up on the web and see if they've got any events the weekend you're visiting. going north on Route nine though, you'll be excited to enter the town of Clermont Governor Livingston's home and home of seven generations of the Livingston family. You'll pass on the right side to see winery, which is wine tasting, and the occasional bachelorette party. That along the west side, you'll get into their little historical district, you'll pass the site of New York's first public school. And then further north there's a town field where I walk Nora, after I go across the street to Hardy roots farm, which you've heard me talk about hardywood CSA Brian and I have been a part of several years and they have a terrific little market that you can pop into. Continue north, and you'll pass Suarez brewery which is very popular, and then the road opens up to the town of Livingston with a view of the Catskills to the west. If you're lucky, you'll pass some signs about a turkey shoot or a religious zealot doubting vaccines. Then you'll come to the interchange for nine H and 23. For Hudson to the west, or just stay north on nine H there's an old town fresh gas station which is surprisingly nice with a market and a place to stop for coffee. If you stay Northland nine H you'll see MX Morning Star farm where I pop in for milk brand gluten free shortbread. Eventually you'll come to the intersection of route 23. And you can take a left into Hudson or go east to Hillsdale and then to Massachusetts which is about 20 minutes by car. Back at that intersection though if you bear left to stay on Route nine proper you'll head northwest back towards the river and hit route 23 There you can go to a lot of historic site which is amazing for a walk a picnic, or a visit of the stunning house or to the Rip Van Winkle bridge which crosses over the Hudson to the town of Catskill and Athens. Staying on Route nine will bring you into the city of Hudson with its long main drag of Orange Street and antique shops, coffee spots, restaurants, semi bougie, hotels and other cute things. My eye doctor and dermatologist aren't here is that TMI. My favorite coffee spots, though, are wild on Third Street in modo alone Warren. Famous little Deb's Oasis is not sin, the river town lodge the maker bubble Louise pizza and Hudson wine merchants where you can say hello to Michael and Marianne for us. And if you need electric charging, there are a few in the municipal lot near North Sixth Street. I don't venture north of Hudson on Route nine much except if we need to rent a car since most of the rental places are there. But if you keep going, you'll head up to the town of Stuyvesant falls and then to Kinderhook the other hook, which is really adorable. And Nearby is the Presidential home of Martin Van Buren a nine H, you'll pass the SamaScott market and then come into Vallejo he, you are very north now very north. So north that soon you'll hit i 90, which going east becomes the Mass Pike and North is Albany. Route nine keeps going another 100 miles but I'm absolutely wiped at this point. Plus, if we're in one of our electric cars, we probably have to stop and find a charger anyway.

Mat  15:28  
Thanks for coming on this road trip with me to explore Route Nine, the Albany Post Road. I hope it's an inspiration for you to either come up here, or at least look at your own roads, the places you drive, find out their history, look for unusual markers along the road, and please take snapshots of any hilarious signs. Thanks for listening to Cidiot. And if you haven't already, please please vote for Cidiot in the 2023 Chronogrammies for regional podcast finalist voting for May 15 2023. link in the show notes and on the episode page. I'm Mat Zucker home in the Hudson Valley getting back in the car had taken some sites and yeah probably run a few errands. Come visit.