Doers and Dreamers

 
People who make Kingston special

Photo by Nancy Donskoj

Business:  Pirate Upholstery (custom motorcycle seats and leathercraft)

Occupation:

Hadas - shop manager

Age:  

Jay- 36

Hadas - 30

Where are you from originally?

 Ocean Township, NJ

Why are you here?    We were living in NYC, I was working as a social worker and Jay as a tattoo artist.  In 2005, we both quit our jobs and went to Southeast Asia where we bought a motorcycle and traveled around for half a year.  Upon returning, we didn't know where we wanted to live, but knew that it wasn't NYC.  We came up to visit a friend for a BBQ in Wallkill and knew that the Hudson Valley was our next destination.  We lived in Wallkill, New Paltz and Gardiner before discovering Kingston. 

What is your favorite hangout? Our deck!  Jay built it last year and it's been amazing to have an outdoor space, as we don't have a yard.  (We bought our building in 2010 and we live in the apartment above Pirate Upholstery.)

Tell us something we never would have guessed about you.        When we were in Asia, we volunteered at the Chua Duc Son Orphanage in Hue, Vietnam for two months.  The orphanage was run by female Buddhist monks and there were over 200 children.  We taught them songs in English, gave informal art classes, and even spent one day cleaning roof tiles with old toothbrushes.  We rented a small apartment nearby, shopped at the local markets, and visited all of the off-the-beaten-path temples on our motorcycle - it was an amazing time.

What keeps you here?    The eclectic Kingston community, historic buildings, Hudson river, Catskill mountains, fun events, etc.

What would you change?    Kingston is a pretty amazing place and even in the five years that we have lived here we have seen great changes - all but one of the storefronts in our neighborhood are occupied now and small business is alive and well in Kingston.  Some other great changes -  the Midtown farmer's market; San Severia Speigeltent with music every weekend; Movies Under the Stars in various Kingston parks; Kingston's Dog Park plans are moving along... can't complain!

Where would we find you on Sunday mornings?   In bed, begging our 1 year old son to just sleep in a little longer! just a little!  Then after dragging ourselves out of bed, we start off Sunday with a pancake breakfast and then if the day allows, we head over to one of the Scenic Hudson parks.

 When you're not in Kingston, what's your idea of a wonderful city to visit, and why?

Jay - I love visiting my extended family in Slovakia - some live in Bratislava which is a great city to visit and other family members live in the country with only a handful of neighbors. 

Hadas - I also love Bratislava, it's a hidden gem, but my favorite city we have visited thus far has to be Bangkok - it's so vibrant with grandiose temples, great street food, amazing food/clothes/art markets, thai boxing and much more. 

The events above are just a small sample of what's happening in the City of Kingston.  For the complete listings of events go to www.KingstonHappenings.org   

If you wish to have your event listed, click here. 

The Bardavon,  

the Waterfront Business Association,  

Ulster County Tourism and the City of Kingston are pleased to present a Kingston Independence Celebration on July 4, 5 and 6 in the city's Rondout and Uptown neighborhoods. The Independence Celebration is the second installment of the Bardavon's 4 Seasons of the Hudson Valley Festival, and will include a full schedule of free events for the whole family:

THURSDAY, JULY 4TH on the Rondout

5:00 to 9:00 pm:  Special children's activities, craft vendors, and The Cagneys and other musical guests plus discounts at local restaurants and shops

9:00 pm:  Patriotic Celebration & Fireworks. No coolers permitted, but food and beverages will be available on-site. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.

FRIDAY, JULY 5TH on the Rondout

Enter lawn seating area at Abeel Street right off Broadway, next to Mahoney's.

6:00 pm: Lawn Opens

7:30 to 9:30 pm:  Hudson Valley Philharmonic Pops and Classical Concert featuring conductor Randall Craig Fleischer, the 50-piece orchestra, plus Broadway & Pop Vocalist Rob Evan (Les Miserables, Jekyll & Hyde and lead singer for the platinum-selling TSO- Trans Siberian Orchestra). This will be the first-ever free outdoor performance of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in Kingston. No coolers permitted, but, food and beverages will be available on-site for purchase. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.

SATURDAY, JULY 6TH  on the Rondout and Uptown

1:00 to 4:00 pm: Rich Hines & the Hillbilly Drifters at the Senate House in Uptown and Dixieland at the Maritime Museum on the Rondout

5:00 to 9:00 pm: Raya Brass Band and other musicians will perform outside the participating Rondout restaurants as a well as galleries opening new shows for First Night.

A Kingston's Independence Celebration is the Summer installment of the Bardavon's 4 Seasons of the Hudson Valley Festival, a celebration of the arts and culture of the Mid-Hudson Valley, made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo's Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council and the New York State Legislature.

Additional support for this three day festival is provided by The Waterfront Business Association, The City of Kingston, Ulster County Tourism, Mainetti, Mainetti & O'Connor, P.C,Rondout Savings Bank, The Reis Group, Sav-On Party Central,The Daily Freeman, The Poughkeepsie Journal,WBPM, WPDH, MIX 97, WKNY, WRRV, WDST, WKZE, WRWD, ROCK 93.3, and WMHT.

If you wish to advertise on the Kingston Happenings website or in the newsletter call Nancy Donskoj at
845-338-8473.