Quote Of The Day

"The Hudson Valley has a way of making you feel that history is not behind you but all around you, alive in the stone walls and river mist."

— Pete Seeger

Joke Of The Day

I told my friend I was moving to Kingston, NY, and he said, "Isn't that just a smaller New York City?" I said, "No — it's got all the artists, half the rents, and none of the people who pretend they haven't heard of it yet."

He immediately started telling everyone he discovered Kingston.

Interesting Facts

Kingston, New York hides a surprisingly layered history beneath its Hudson Valley charm. Here are a few things most people never learn about it:

• First state capital, briefly: Kingston served as New York State's first capital in 1777, but its tenure lasted only a few months — the British burned the city to the ground that same year in retaliation for American resistance, leaving nearly every building in ashes.
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• Bluestone empire: In the 19th century, Kingston was the undisputed center of America's bluestone industry. The distinctive gray flagstone quarried from the surrounding Catskill region paved the sidewalks of New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia — the literal foundation underfoot for millions of urban walkers.
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• A canal city, not just a river city: The Delaware and Hudson Canal, completed in 1828, had its eastern terminus at Kingston's Rondout Creek. It was one of the longest canals in early America and carried Pennsylvania coal north, transforming Kingston into a major industrial shipping hub long before railroads dominated.
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• The Senate House survived the British torching: The 1676 stone Senate House where New York's first state senate met survived the 1777 burning because its thick limestone walls resisted the flames — making it one of the oldest surviving government buildings in the entire United States.
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• An unlikely counterculture magnet: In the late 1960s, Kingston and the surrounding area quietly became a refuge for musicians; it sits within a short drive of Woodstock and was home to members of The Band, who recorded the legendary Basement Tapes nearby, embedding the region permanently into rock history.

Kingston Farmers Market is back this Saturday from 9am to 1pm, and this week the spotlight falls on Little Rye Bakehouse. Owner Catarina started baking as a child and has since grown Little Rye from a pop-up into a Broadway storefront — and now a self-serve pie counter called the Little Rye Rec Room, open Tuesday through Friday on an honor-system basis.

Her tip for a better crust: keep varied butter chunk sizes in your dough for extra flakiness. Blueberry Buttermilk Pie is the current star of the case.

This weekend also features live jazz from Ama Sharpe from 11am–1pm, plus a free summer drink package giveaway — just stop by the staff tent to enter.

Hi, My Name is Tom

Tom is a male domestic short haired gray and white tabby kitten.

Tom is a snuggly, shy, sensitive kitten. He is food, treat and toy motivated, and would be very happy to get to know you at his own pace. Like all kittens, his personality will begin to show itself more as he grows up, hopefully in his new home with you!

Q/A Questions

Q: Why do so many artists and creative professionals seem to be moving to Kingston, NY?

A: Kingston offers a rare combination of affordable studio and living space, a walkable historic downtown, and proximity to New York City — close enough for weekend trips, far enough to actually focus on work. The city has cultivated a genuinely supportive arts community over the past decade, with residencies, galleries, and maker spaces filling buildings that once sat vacant, giving creatives room to experiment without the pressure of metro-area rents.

Q: What is the Rondout, and why does it feel so different from the rest of Kingston?

A: The Rondout is Kingston's historic waterfront district, originally a booming 19th-century port where the Delaware and Hudson Canal met the Hudson River. While Uptown Kingston developed around a colonial-era grid and Midtown grew into a commercial corridor, the Rondout retained a distinct maritime character with sloping streets, converted warehouses, and a working marina. Today it houses seafood restaurants, the Hudson River Maritime Museum, and a lively summer waterfront scene that feels decidedly different from the rest of the city.

Q: Was Kingston ever the capital of New York State?

A: Yes, briefly and under dramatic circumstances. In 1777, Kingston served as New York's first state capital after the Continental Congress declared independence. The distinction lasted only a matter of weeks before British forces under General John Vaughan burned much of the city in October of that year. The Senate House, one of the few stone structures to survive, still stands today and is open to visitors as a state historic site.

Secret Little Hack

Score Free Parking Downtown on the Sneakiest Block in Kingston

Most visitors circle Wall Street and Broadway cursing the meters, but locals know that the small municipal lot tucked just off Schwenk Drive near the Rondout Creek waterfront is almost always overlooked and free for the first two hours — with none of the posted signage that attracts enforcement attention. It sits between the tourist foot traffic and the marina, meaning you can walk the entire Strand, hit the galleries, and grab lunch at the creek without feeding a single meter.

The real insider move: arrive before 11am on a Saturday. The farmers market crowd floods the Broadway lots early, making the Rondout-side spots even more deserted than usual. You end up with the prettiest waterfront approach to the neighborhood while everyone else is stuck competing for the obvious spots uptown near the Stockade District.

RECLAIM YOUR OVERPAID TAXES. 🤑