Episodes

It's holiday time and this episode is coming to you live from Hudson Winter Walk and a live performance. Mat closes out this amazing season of Cidiot® by sharing what he got from Spotify Unwrapped about the show as well as his own lessons and moments of which he’s proud. So lucky to have you all season. Episode 100 is coming up so be sure to send in ideas or a voicemail message wishing the show something good! Links: Episodes for Season 6 on Cidiot.com Cidiot Bookstore on Bookshop dot org Join C...

“Pick one exercise in every plane of motion” — Jakob Roze Jakob is this episode’s special guest. Originally from the Catskills, schooled in Saratoga, started a business in New York, and now back upstate, we talk about moving his work here, the relationships between newcomers and locals, and play a round of the Cidiot geography game. And with winter coming on, in part three, Jakob also gives me a recommended plan, there’s mention of bone mineral density, I clarify I am not 80 but I think I have t...

Where should we grow old? Is the Hudson Valley a good place for aging? More and more people think so. And when you find your place, how should we plan for it? How can we stay in our home? How can we get around? What kind of resources are available? Choosing to move from the city to upstate and now past 50, yeah, Cidiot® wants to know all this and more. So Mat talks to Brian Jones of the Dutchess County Office for the Aging who debunks myths about the department (no, they don’t just send people ...

In a special spontaneous episode, Cidiot® takes you live to the New York Sheep & Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds (October 21-22, 2023). Mat has no idea what he's looking at but luckily Rachel Zive and her partner Sam Barnett are there to guide us all through the fabric and the animals. We learn so much including advice for beginners, celebrity knitwear designers, and terms from the fiber folk community. Links mentioned in the episode: New York State Sheep & Wool Festival Andrea ...

What makes the Hudson Valley special for creative people? This episode, Cidiot talks to Jordan Koschei about building ConnectHV , a creative “network of networks” for creative people in the Hudson Valley and Jordan’s idea of “digital terroir.” It’s about having a sense of place even for a digital network. And just as we’re building on the soil of Hudson Valley’s past, maybe the future will build on this. I think it’s the most thoughtful conversation about living in the Hudson Valley I’ve had in ...

Mat gives an update on the gardening project, including flowers vs. vegetables competition. Though his voice notes, you probably get too close to the amateur he is and the struggles he faces — not to mention the neglect he embodies. Links to what’s mentioned in the episode: Sam’s video on how to properly weed (YouTube) Stark Blooms (Instagram) Photos of before and after weeding (Instagram) Thank you for listening to Cidiot , the award-winning podcast about learning to live and love life in the H...

Upstate, living in a small town, I pop into all my favorite spots all the time. I try to always buy something but I’m also a bit of a gossip and always want to know what’s new. People ask about the show, and several people have been on it as you know. This episode of Cidiot ®, you’ll meet a favorite store-owner-new friend Marie of Red Hook Stationery Co. in the Village of Red Hook, NY. Her store is my new favorite place to get gifts, paper or cards and you’ll know why when you tune into this ep...

Do you love where you live? Mat sure does. Already a champion, advocate, even a shill for people moving to the Hudson Valley, Mat takes it to the next level by becoming a Certified Tourist Ambassador in Dutchess County. In this Cidiot ® episode, you'll hear about the experience as well as advice for visiting from two other 'graduates.' Plus, there's a un/related story about a spider! Beacon (from Nicole) City of Beacon Bank Sq. Coffehouse Long Dock Park Dia: Beacon Dover Plains (from Dawn) Dover...

After missing it last year, Mat explores the big annual event that is Upstate Art Weekend . More than 130 artists participate across the Hudson Valley, including Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. Mat shares the differences between culture in the city versus the country and talks to a New York-based artist, Lauren Cohen at “Brian’s Yard Sale.” It’s hilarious. Artists and galleries mentioned in this episode: Upstate Art Weeke...

Why do we move here? To either open—or eat at—restaurants like Bimi's. And live in—or visit—towns like Chatham. This episode is about Bimi's Canteen , about Ellen & Chris, about a deliciously quaint village called Chatham, NY. Cidiot visits Bimi's, hears the story, the backstory and visits the restaurant and the downstairs speakeasy. As you'll hear from Ellen, the story of Bimi’s is heartwarming, their journey up here is illuminating, she has advice for people opening a business, why Bimi’s is c...

Mat finally takes up gardening but in the safety and security of an adopted small garden plot at Four Corners Community Farm. It's a learning experience for sure, so join him via his audio journal as he tries to grow vegetables vs. flowers. Links: Four Corners Community Farm Old Dutch Village Gardening Club Garden Pals National Garden Association Thanks for listening to Cidiot® , the Hudson Valley's most awarded podcast. Would love to hear from you about what you would love to hear about so writ...

This episode is all about cheese. Who doesn't love it? To answer them all, Cidiot interviews Lauren Cunningham-Housman, owner of The Corner Counter, a new cheese and provisions shop in Red Hook, NY. Lauren worked for years with iconic cheese purveyor Murray's Cheese in New York City, and combining her business school education and her experience in (and love of) cheese, built a plan to open her own shop. I ask her how she chose the Hudson Valley, about her journey from intern to opening her own ...

Sometimes the show takes you to new places, and sometimes the way to get there is the destination. U.S. Route 9 is historic—for much of the portion in New York State, it's The Albany Post Road. Join Cidiot ® for a very personal driving tour from Poughkeepsie to Kinderhook with sites, stops and history along the way. Be sure to see the surviving markers, a system developed by Ben Franklin, including the iconic 100-mile marker in Rhinebeck. Below are some of the places mentioned w/links for more i...

Welcome to Season 6 of Cidiot®! I'm excited to talk about 700,000 acre-big Catskill Park, "America's First Wilderness," with Ryan Penny, owner of Camp Catskill in Tannersville, NY. In two parts, we'll cover what drew Ryan to the Catskills, about starting his store in Tannersville, spotting a cidiot, and about Catskill Park, including his four favorite spots "inside the blue line." We also get into Kaaterskill Falls and the controversy of its claim as the tallest waterfall in New York state. We a...