January 2, 2009

Winter Weekends: Hudson’s Art and Antiques
By KATHRYN MATTHEWS

Throughout its colorful history, Hudson has reinvented itself: as a once-bustling late-18th-century whaling town, a bawdy 19th-century industrial city and now the place to go for a rustic French country table, a pair of Swedish Sirocco chairs or a quirky objet d’art. Along with over 50 antiques shops, this small Hudson River city also offers galleries, restaurants and lively performance arts.

Get a sense of place with a walk through one of “the richest dictionaries of architectural history in the state,” according to Patricia Fenoff, a Hudson historian. From the riverside promenade, stroll up Warren Street past Federal, Italianate and Queen Anne buildings. The Hudson Opera House (327 Warren Street; 518-822-1438; www.hudsonoperahouse.org) is a restoration-in-progress, with exhibition space and a center for concerts, readings, lectures and workshops.

A Warren Street gallery crawl offers provocative exhibits at Limner Gallery (No. 123), contemporary art at Nicole Fiacco Gallery (No. 336) and the work of Hudson Valley artists at Carrie Haddad Gallery (No. 622).

Browse the shelves at Spotty Dog Books & Ale (440 Warren Street; 518-671-6006), a converted 19th-century firehouse where you’ll find 10,000 titles and eight artisanal beers on tap. Get a a make-up lesson ($90) at Face Stockholm (401 Warren Street; 518-822-9474). Or book a massage at Bodhi Holistic Spa (323 Warren Street; 518-828-2233).

Dine casual (burgers and soup) or fancy (foie gras panna cotta and dill-baked artic char) at the Scandinavian-inspired DA/BA (225 Warren Street; 518-249-4631). Sample flights of Iberian wine at p.m. (119 Warren Street; 518-828-2833), a new tapas and wine bar. Or tuck into a crepe at Le Gamin (609 Warren Street; 518-828-2885), where you can shop for tableware between courses.

Hudson is rich in charming bed-and-breakfasts. The Inn at Hudson (317 Allen Street; 518-822-9322; www.theinnathudson.com; from $200) occupies a Dutch-Jacobean mansion designed for a soapmaking heir. The Country Squire B & B (251 Allen Street; 518-822-9229; www.countrysquireny.com; from $115) is in a former convent. And Mount Merino Manor (4317 Route 23; 518-828-5583; www.mountmerinomanor.com; from $175) sits on 100 wooded acres near the Olana State Historic Site, the stunning Persian-style home of Frederic Church (5720 State Route 9G; 518-828-0135; www.olana.org).

NY Times Escapes - Hudson