Jun 16 2008

Woodstock, NY

Published by thebeecee at 9:57 am under 1 Edit This

Wandering the streets

a photographers view of the city and beyond

Woodstock, NY

A town where the “Hippies” run free…

…and there’s not a traffic light in sight.

Last Friday, in a fit of wanderlust, I decided to hang the cost of gas and get out of town. I needed to see some farms and cows or at the very least someplace without a traffic light. My personal opinion regarding traffic lights in an age where waisting gas is downright unpatriotic is to do away with all of them. Just think how much gas we would save if we didn’t have to sit idling waiting for the light to change. “But there would be utter chaos with no lights” ,you say. For a while maybe, but soon you would just get used to it and settle down and become courteous well mannered drivers willing to let the other guy cross the road while you wait for a second or two. O.K., maybe not. So before they come to take me to the home, let me tell you about a place that does not have a traffic light or traffic jams for that matter. That place is the magical upstate New York town of Woodstock New York. Woodstock was a sleepy obscure little village tucked up there in the beautiful Catskill hills until that one summer when the famous or infamous music festival named after the town, took place a few miles away in a farmers field in Bethel. They were originally supposed to hold the festival near Woodstock but the venue fell through at the last minute. By the time they finally secured the Bethel location the tickets and posters and advertising had already been printed and distributed and it was too late to change them. As it turned out this was the best thing that could have happened to Woodstock. The town received all the fame without the hassle.
Today, Woodstock is pretty much as it has always been, a quiet immaculate little village that takes up only about a half mile of route 212. The town thrives off of its namesake notoriety and has done its best to perpetuate the image of peace and love.
The town is just chock full of galleries, antique shops and artist studios and best of all genuine circa 1969 tye died in the wool hippies. Oh yes. There’s not a traffic light to be seen.

The closest thing to an intersection in Woodstock is this one
at the town square.

Not far from the free municipal parking lot (there are no parking
meters here) is the tourist info office. Just in case you can’t afford
a frame to place your memories in, Woodstock has provided one for
you.

The 18th century Dutch Reformed Church dominates (in a
quiet way) the town square.

Scattered around town you’ll notice a slight Buddhist influence.

The natives never let you forget who really runs this town.

There are no real “stores” in this town. They all seem to be a
combination of houses with store fronts. Many of the stores
are not restricted to one kind of merchandise. This place sells
antiques and chocolates. I guarantee Grandmere is an old hippie.

No hippie would be complete without his hippie bus.Notice the
speakers on top. Did someone say Jimi Hendrix.

The Landau Grill, one of the eateries along route 212. The guy
in the hat kind of looked at me funny like he was still hiding from
hs draft board.

Take a break. Buy a rug. I love that giant tree and the barn.
I’ll bet the owner lives upstairs.

Yearning to find your inner hippie? Got the urge for something
tye dyed? You might just find it at this store. Notice the
Woodstock poster on the sign out front.

Does your public library have a white picket fence around it?

It’s a house. It’s a store. It’s another hippie shop. Browse
the Legends of Woodstock store to get a feel for the history
of the area.

This historical marker has words we should remember today.
If this town had a motto, this should be it.

True to the hippie tradition. Why have a bunch of little
ornaments when you can have one big one.

It’s a little Pennsylvania Dutch’y but somehow in this town,
it works.

IF YOU GO: From NYC. The round trip will cost you a tank of gas plus tolls. The fast way to get there is via the N.Y. State Thruway. It’s not far from the Kingston Exit. I took the slow way. I traveled across the G.W. Bridge to New Jersey. Filled up with that nice cheap NJ gas on route 9 near the bridge. I then took the Palisades Pkwy. to the Thruway. I got off the thruway in Suffern before the toll booth and continued on route 17 to Wurtsboro NY, then Route 109 north to 28 to 212 and on to Woodstock. It’s slow but very relaxing. You might even get to see a cow or two.