Earlier this past May, my wife and I shared a brief, restful trip to Hudson, New York. I imagine that we resembled the stereotypical black-clad bohemians regularly hopping off the Amtrak train and searching for a country retreat away from the commotion of New York and yet replete with cultural amenities. A small, former industrial city along the Hudson River, Hudson has reinvented itself as an arts and food epicenter in recent years.

Comforting is the best word to describe the dominant presence of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. While standing in a riverside park at dusk and gazing at the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse nestled within a strata of sky, mountain, and water, I immediately understood why this region has drawn creatively-minded individuals for over two hundred years.

Having grown up in a factory town along the Allegheny River and surrounded by hills, I found myself becalmed by the natural scenery for my own private reason. It felt like home.