Debunking Growing Popular Myth About Poughkeepsie, New York

A recent Reddit post about Poughkeepsie is growing in popularity, and though most of it is glowing, there is one thing in particular I don't agree with and I have to set the record straight before things get out of hand!

Debunking Growing Popular Myth About Poughkeepsie, New York

In the r/hudsonvalley thread, with over 50k members, a recent tourist made a post about the City of Poughkeepsie

We (NYC dwellers, one originally from Peekskill) were curious about spending time in the city of Poughkeepsie. (We've been to Beacon and Cold Spring many times, as well as to Hudson and Rhinebeck, so wanted to see what Poughkeepsie had to offer.) We didn't want to drive, so we took the train up and got an AirBnB within walking distance of the station. We spent three nights in town.

Taking the train up is definitely the way to go, if you can. I actually really love the Poughkeepsie Train Station's Architecture. Did you know it was modeled to be like a mini Grand Central?

There's a lot of really beautiful architecture, from old churches to gorgeous Victorian houses. The streets are wide and clean. Foot traffic was disappointingly minimal; there were some panhandlers, but mostly it was just people going about their day. The mountain and river views are lovely.

Honestly, you can't beat the views in and around Poughkeepsie. Come on, you have the Walkway Over the Hudson, Waryas Park, Quiet Cove, the Marist Boat Docks and more! Those are some of my favorite spots to hit up. As someone who is used to city living, I can understand the drastic difference in foot traffic. Poughkeepsie, as a whole, is a driving city, not necessarily a walking city. That being said, a lot has been done to help that with the Empire State Trail and the Poughkeepsie Urban Rail Trail.

We ate and drank really well. Farmers and Chefs was a favorite (excellent service and several veg options). Mill House Brewing has good food and beer. The roof garden at Zeus Brewing has incredible views. Poughkeepsie Grind has excellent coffee and breakfast sandwiches (the lunch sandwiches are another story). Mercat at 1915 also has great coffee, pretty good pastries and a cool vibe. Rossi's makes what might the best eggplant parm I've ever eaten. We also went to the gorgeous library and did the Walkway Over the Hudson, which was fantastic on a summer day.

These guys really made the most out of their day! It's funny, when I was in college, I would meet people who said that they visited Poughkeepsie, and they said, "And since I was in Poughkeepsie, you know where I went to eat?" And my honest answer was, "Where?" More times than not, their response was Rossi's! Obviously, Rossi's is very popular in our area, but I had no idea that it had such a popular reach for outsiders.

We did rent a car to do some exploring after we left town. We stopped at the incredible Vassar College art museum, which is free and now showing a fabulous exhibit of South African bead art, as well as its permanent collection (which includes some big names -- Rothko, Calder, O'Keefe, Picasso, etc.). We checked out the Lifestyle center at Eastdale Village, which we found kinda funny: they built a faux walkable town, when the city of Poughkeepsie is RIGHT THERE.

I need to go visit Vassar, dang, that sounds cool! And honestly, this person does have a point about Eastdale Village. I love Eastdale, but it is funny to think about!

What Do You Mean There Are "No Grocery Store[s]" in Poughkeepsie?!

Here's the line that got me though from this reddit post:

A few things bugged me about the city. Why is there no grocery store? It was the worst food desert I've ever been in. No drugstores, either. I found this disturbing and depressing. The East-West Arterial is hostile to pedestrians -- also a bummer.

Okay, I'll give you the East-West Arterial. It is definitely not an area I recommend for pedestrians. But when it comes to grocery stores and drug stores, there are plenty! Here, let's focus on what is nearby the Eastdale Village in Poughkeepsie and then work our way down Route 9 and to the Poughkeepsie Train Station.