It’s not often that I get a case of nostalgia while working on a story. But that happened recently when I wrote about Hudson, N.Y. for The New York Times.
Hudson is a town from my youth. My family used to vacation at the nearby Lake Taghkanic State Park and we’d regularly venture into Hudson for penny candy, Stewart’s ice cream and other quaint country experiences we couldn’t get back home on Long Island. Continue reading
WHERE TO STAY
To be within a quick walk to live-music venues, book accommodations in downtown Charlottesville.
The outdoor “Downtown Mall” is chock-o-block with venues. To be near the action, stay at the three-story Victorian 200 South Street Inn, right, (from $160). Request room 18 on the second floor, which is insulated from downtown’s rumbling trains. Fuel your night of living like a rock star at Asian-tapas restaurant Bang!, across the street (213 Second St. SW, 434-984-BANG).
Rub elbows with performers at the Omni Hotel (from $169), a three-star high-rise, popular with headliners at the state-of-the-art John Paul Jones Arena — named after a donor, not the bassist. If Keith Urban, Phil Lesh and Bruce Springsteen sightings are nil (they’re all playing the arena this spring/summer), take solace in the indoor and outdoor pools, seven pillows on the beds, and the unparalleled location on the Mall.
For easy access to the University of Virginia’s nightlife strip, “The Corner,” check into the Dinsmore House Inn (from $119), an exquisitely preserved bricked colonial. If you plan on finding an afterparty, request the Veranda Room for its private entrance.
Three blocks away on Elliewood Avenue restaurants such as Coupe DeVille’s and the Buddhist Biker Bar, above, let the party spill outside, at the latter on a generous fenced front lawn, with live reggae, blues or rock most nights.
WHERE TO EAT
Tagged 200 South Street Inn, Bang!, Best of What's Around, Blackrock Summit, Blenheim Vineyards, Charlottesville, Charlottesville Pavillion, City Guides, Coran Capshaw, Corey Harris, Dave Matthews Band, Dinsmore House Inn, Gravity Lounge, John Paul Jones Arena, Mas, Mono Loco, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, Spudnut Shop, The Hackensaw Boys, The White Spot, Thompson D'Earth, Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, Va.
You might remember him from The McCormack Brothers, his acoustic trio with 
brothers Mike and Dave, or Meanflower, his alt-country band (also with brother Dave). Today, Tom McCormack is on his own
… well, sort of.
Tom just released a solo album, “Anxieties and Accomplishments,” a collection of catchy rock tunes that sound at times like Son Volt’s Jay Farrar. McCormack employed the help of an all-star Richmond crew: his bro Dave on organ, backing vocals by Regan, two members of Carbon Leaf on guitar and bass, and two former members of Agents of Good Roots. For the last three years McCormack’s been touring with Carbon Leaf so this is his chance to get back to his own work. Check out the first single.
Tom’s also an artist, creating work like the above acid-etched steel panel. The rusted panels turn up in warehouses he’s renovated in Petersburg, Va. (the acid he’s used for refinishing claw-foot tubs). He combines the two, and a fascination with industrial sites, to yield an almost sepia-toned memory of places most of us drive right by. More recently he’s explored buildings and streetscapes as subjects. See more here.
