Thursday, June 3, 2010

Dog Walk Reconnaisance

A Fence Without Offense The aesthetes of Hudson can breathe a sigh of relief. The crude wooden fence that suddenly appeared on Saturday morning around the outdoor tables at American Glory is gone--replaced by this tasteful metal railing.

It would seem that the owner of Hudson's newest restaurant didn't realize that New York State law requires outdoor cafes to be surrounded by some kind of barrier if alcohol is to be served. The wooden fence, which evolved by the selective removal of slats from a solid stockard fence to something resembling a picket fence, was apparently a hastily acquired makeshift measure to allow alcohol to consumed at the outdoor tables over the long Memorial Day weekend.

Foot Traffic Friday Just in time for tomorrow morning's ribbon cutting, the new crosswalk at Warren Street and City Hall Place (for one brief, shining moment known as "Thurston Place") has been repainted. The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. in front of the Hudson Opera House.

I've heard that the Healthcare Consortium is going to present the City with signs to alert drivers to the existence of the crosswalk and remind them to stop for pedestrians. That's good news. Drivers pay absolutely no attention to it now. Crossing Warren Street between the Opera House and the PARC Park is more dangerous now than it was before there was a crosswalk--especially for people who know that New York State law requires cars to stop if there's a pedestrian in the crosswalk and assume they will. But they don't. The man on the other side of the street when I took this picture stepped off the curb clearly expecting cars to stop, but three cars whizzed by--not even slowing down.

3 comments:

  1. Too bad that awning is still an eyesore beyond compare.

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  2. I'm a resident here on Warren Street and I'm outraged at the audacity and arrogance that has come along with this new place opening up. The local police, mayor, and code enforcement officers have already been involved and the place hasn't even been open for a month. The quality of life here has changed over night. Many of the residents and merchants are up in arms. The owner has done little to resolve the situation on his own. You have to literally be on their case everyday to lower the music. They just refuse to be considerate on their own and every week they try to push the envelope.
    I tried contacting the owner but he would not come to the phone. I tried posting on facebook and twitter, but they deleted my comments. I am not trying to be confrontational, I just want to be able to voice my concerns to them like adult, but I guess that's too much to ask. They seem to be bulldozing and bullying their way into our town. That's a shame. Decent people are going to move out and people like them are going to move in, then where will Hudson be?
    I hope enough people care enough to preserve decency.

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  3. Big BBQ fans, we ate at American Glory a few nights ago. I immediately understood and sympathized with Anonymous. The music was so loud we could not carry on a conversation-- and we were seated outside/in front. I wanted to say something to the waitress, but didn't want to appear "old" or "snobby" so I said nothing. And it was unlikely she could/would do anything about the volume anyway.

    I feel very sorry for the neighbors of American Glory, including the restaurant next door. While frankly I'm not a big fan of Swoon-- have only experienced mediocre food there and terrible service-- I wonder if the music from AG can be heard through the walls. Terrible, shameful, sad.

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