Kingston, New York

Kingston is Blowing Up.

The secret seems to be out about Kingston, which sits on the Hudson’s western bank, just off the New York State Thruway, about 100 miles north of Manhattan. That’s due partly to the pandemic, which spurred lots of Brooklynites to ditch the city for upstate outposts. But they’d already been coming for years, Kingston is hipper than it once was (it used to be very sleepy), but its history predates the United States (with plenty of surviving architecture), which still gives Kingston, on its river perch, a bit of a Williamsburg North flavor. 

Kingston was thought of as a good spot for Canadians to stop on their way to the Jersey Shore.“I’ve seen quite a dramatic turnaround,” Mr. Nutley, 56, said of the wave of new residents he has seen arrive in recent years.

Kingston has three distinct districts:
-Uptown, which includes the historic Stockade area
-Midtown, which is bisected by Broadway, the city’s main drag
-Rondout, near the creek and river, to the south.

The Stockade, which covers about eight blocks, is walkable, with preserved Dutch and Colonial architecture. Wall Street and North Front Street offer shops and eateries. Two-story wood-frame houses with porches that reach the sidewalk are common in the residential blocks of Midtown. 

Rondout, next to the creek of the same name, is home to the Hudson River Maritime Museum, Rip Van Winkle II excursions, and the T.R. Gallo Park with live banjo music.

Near the Wurts Street suspension bridge is a loop called Presidents Place. This name refers to the fact that there are houses that were built for the shipyard titans, steamboat company presidents and brickyard owners.

-The Trolley Museum of New York, which has displays of American trolley, subway, and rapid-transit cars, offers 1.5-mile trolley rides on weekends and holidays along the Rondout Creek waterfront to Kingston Point Park
-Vinyl and bookshops – Rhino Records describes itself as a lovingly curated collection of used LPs, CDs, and books amid Kingston’s uptown
-The Ulster Performing Arts Center, on Broadway, is in a restored 1926 classical revival theater and plays host to a variety of concerts and live events
-Many two-story wood-frame houses dating to the 19th century and larger homes on the outskirts of the shopping areas
-The neighborhood off of Albany Avenue, which intersects with I-587 leading to the nearest exit on the New York State Thruway, has many older houses with large yards
-Wall Street, in the Stockade District, is lined with shops and haunts featuring organic fare, baked goods and quirky digs
-Residents believe the city benefits from its diversity: African Americans and Latinos make up 30 percent of the population, according to census data.

HVCanuck
10mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Kingston is a great place if you love the outdoors but also want the amenities of an increasingly happening city. Hiking trails, winter skiing, boating of all varieties, excellent restaurant scene, lots of creative folks. And easy to get to NYC. My friends who visit me here from San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Vancouver, Mexico City have all been impressed by both the scenery and the culture.