I've traveled to New York City a few times over the years, but haven't really seen that much of the rest of the state. I was quite fortunate to have a few friends invite me to tag along when they took their excellent band Ttotals on the road from Nashville to a few East Coast spots over a long weekend last year.
Kingston, New York plays host to the O+ Festival, an incredibly worthwhile endeavor, and my friends were on the lineup card for the 2013 event. So into Kingston we rolled one day in October, and all of us were enchanted by what we saw.
Kingston has that look, the real Americana look you might think of when you conjure up images of traditional American towns and traditional American main streets. It's a lovely place. By American standards, Kingston is old, with Dutch settlements dating back to the mid 17th century.
With such a long history, a wide variety of architecture can be found along its charming streets, from the heavy, impressive stonework of the Old Dutch Church to symmetrical Georgian stylings to dainty Victorian gingerbread. The variety of architecture is a treat to those of us with an insatiable taste for old buildings, and I spent a lot of time just wandering around Kingston, taking it all in and getting my fill of fresh air and scenery.
As you might expect, a visit to this part of the country in October meant we were greeted with nature in full autumnal bloom, adding to the already rather beautiful surroundings. It can be hard to fathom that a place this pretty, and so unlike New York City, is to be found within two hours of that frantic, breakneck metropolis. Our next stop after Kingston was Manhattan, and the time in the Hudson Valley made the shock of the City that much more acute.
Musically, the O+ Festival was a simply delightful time. An event that works to bring together musicians, artists, and much needed health care is certainly what I would consider a good cause. It's also a well-run event, not to mention well-curated, and the Kingston community seems to really embrace and support the event.
Residents of Kingston run a wide spectrum, from transplanted NYC hipsters looking for a purer environment to wizened hippies living a happy, hippy life to regular old soccer moms, Kingston has it all.
Kingston also has great food and great bars, and some pretty good spots to take in live music. As it happens, I had quite possibly the best whiskey sour I've ever had at one of the festival's venues, the wonderful Stockade Tavern. The cozy confines and pressed tin ceiling make it a can't-miss spot in town. The fact that Kingston is nestled in incredibly lovely country certainly doesn't hurt its renown one bit.
Below you'll find more snaps of my time in Kingston. I hope to make my way back there one of these days.
Photos copyright Megan Petty
