From early memories of piling into my parents’ Chevy for our summer trip to the Catskills’ bungalow colony, then to the grand hotels, to sleepaway camp and even my prom at Grossinger’s….to a weekend home with our kids in Columbia County, this unique part of the world has shaped me and my family. But after decades of living in and visiting upstate, I always felt something was missing: a media source that truly reflected the region as a whole—from the Catskills to the Berkshires, and everything in between. It struck me at random times: when my son broke his arm…
My first experience with something being très “meta” happened in the summer of 1978 when I wasn’t quite 14 years old yet, as my parents, my three siblings and I…
Just north of our ’hoods, in Saratoga Springs, where horses regularly sell for more than homes and my hometown, we don’t really like to think about what happens to Thoroughbreds…
Late spring in New York City my friend Ports and I discussed the outdoors and the flow state one enters when fly fishing. Ports is an avid fly fisherman and…
Lion In Wait Stockbridge’s Red Lion Inn gussied up its mane for the busy summer season. The venerable Lion’s Den reopened its doors recently, offering speakeasy worthy cocktails and live…
I’ve known Dan Tawczynski—Farmer Dan as he’s universally known around here—for years, ever since I spent summers volunteering at the animal rescue shelter attached to his farm. Farmer Dan, longtime…
As everyone knows upstate, Agway, the locally-owned stores carrying pet, home, garden and farm supplies, is an indispensable go-to destination for all area denizens. Ag = agriculture, and if you’ve…
Some people brake for animals. I brake for tag sales, yard sales, garage sales. I mean, seriously. Having been on both the buy and sell sides, here are a few…
Personally, I’ve always had a passion for roller skating. My uncle, a former roller derby skater for the famed San Francisco Bay Area Bombers, was a huge inspiration to me…











