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…
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…
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…
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 and Bar, about Ellen & Chris, about a deliciously quaint village called Chatham, NY. Cidiot visits Bimi's, hears the story, the backstory and visits the restaurant…
Excerpt from Cidiot® Episode 87 - Cheese, Please. Listen to all about Hudson Valley cheeses and how to buy them from Lauren of the Corner Counter. Wherever you listen to podcasts. Find links at Cidiot.com.
Join Mat and his audio journal as he attempts to grow plants for the first time at his adopted plot at the Four Corners Community Garden in the Hudson Valley. It's flowers versus vegetables. Apologies to real gardeners and, of course, to the plants. This episode, and every episode available,…
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 (https://www.fourcornersfarm.org/) Old…
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…
Learning to garden with a little plot of land at Four Corners Community Garden. It's flowers vs. vegetables, planted by a cidiot. Tune into this season of Cidiot® podcast for more and follow on Instagram. Links via cidiot.com
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,…
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…
Cidiot closes out Season 5—the show's biggest yet—with reflections on what worked and what's ahead. Thank you for making Cidiot one of the Hudson Valley's biggest and most loved shows. Stay warm catching up on past episodes and watching the Cidiot anthem video, available here (https://youtu.be/fXhefOe3TAQ) , via Cidiot.com, and…
I love color. I’m fascinated by color. I have questions. Amy Krane is an architectural color consultant as well as a real estate broker. And get this: she has her own podcast on color called Let’s Talk (Paint) Color with colleague Amy Woolf. On this episode in three fun, chatty…
Ash trees are dying fast. Not just at our house, but across the Hudson Valley. This has made me learn a lot about taking care of trees (e.g., the PINE method for tree care: prune, inspect, nourish and extend), meet a shirtless tree caregiver, and find an expert to ask…
Meet a couple who makes a leap, not just in moving upstate, but by restoring a motel. Cidiot talks to Kendra Sinclair and Jared Vengrin who have just opened the Reclaimed Motel in Red Hook in Dutchess County, New York. Jared grew up here, met Kendra in college and now…
It seemed like a giant beehive was in our willow. Or was it? What should a cidiot do anyway? This episode is about the little critters that fill our lives—and our properties—in the Hudson Valley. Bees, wasps, bats, snakes, spiders, chipmunks, frogs, beavers—and more. Tune in for an education and…
Let's talk more broadly about this movement to the country and the experience for each of us. I speak to artist and photographer Alissa Hessler, founder of Urban Exodus, a project and podcast. She is also author of Ditch The City and Go Country: How to Master the Art of…
When you think of art in the Hudson Valley, your head probably goes to the Hudson Valley School and the river, mountains and landscapes of Thomas Cole and Frederick Edwin Church. You know, dead old white men. Anne Sanger runs the Pinkwater Gallery (https://www.pinkwatergallery.com/) in uptown Kingston. She’s an artist…
In a special cross-over in honor of International Podcast Day, Cidiot talks to this year’s winner of the Chronogrammie for regional podcast (we got runner-up!) Brett of Kaatscast podcast. It’s no wonder he won. A pro in audio with a very handsome voice and a public radio style podcast, Brett…
If you love books, you’ll love this episode. Cidiot gets local, pro recommendations from Oblong Books in Millerton and Rhinebeck, The Chatham Bookstore in Chatham, Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston, and several Cidiot listeners. Links here and on the episode page on Cidiot.com Books mentioned: • One Hundred…
A big part of why we love the Hudson Valley and Catskills is because of the farms and the animals. In this awesome, moving, eye-opening, and hilarious episode, you’ll meet the fabulous Kathy Stevens and hear how Catskill Animal Sanctuary (https://casanctuary.org/) in Saugerties got started and its mission. You’ll learn…
Ashes are among the first trees to change color, the Cary Institute noted on its website back in 2010. Their subtle tones set off the deep red creepers in their branches. Ash trees also are valuable as timber — most famously for baseball bats, but also for flooring and many…
Super-short episode today while Cidiot prepares for a big, big, big fall sprint of shows starting September. Very excited and a new sponsor coming too. • Get on the free Cidiot newsletter to not miss a thing (https://mailchi.mp/392408291576/cidiot-sign-up) ! • Cidiot Anthem (Audio only): Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/cidiot-anthem-single/1604058510?uo=4) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/album/28PzYUk3U9uyfx8bga8kEg?referral=labelaffiliate&utm_source=1101lw8r9ESa&utm_medium=Indie_Distrokid&utm_campaign=labelaffiliate)…
Four years since the show debuted! What a good time for a State of the Cidiot. In this special episode, Mat reflects on what Cidiot has accomplished so far along with birthday messages from several listeners, including Mark, Katie, Allison, Irwin, Adam—and of course superfan Leslie, Mat's mom. Thanks for…