Why the Catskills?

A Gathering Of Personal Thoughts & Contributions from Others

By John Kavaller:  Realtor and NYS Licensed Agent

CatskillCountryRealEstate.Com

 

 Still Green--Still Great

Sullivan County is a Feeling...

 

Sullivan County is a Feeling...  It's the Delaware River...  It's Eagles Soaring...  It's the smell of new mown hay.    Our Catskills invigorate and  relax folks like you and me. 

Sullivan County is a Feeling... It's 1969 and Woodstock in Bethel, NY... It's small river towns and pine trees...It's Jeffersonville in Summer.  Our Catskills speak and we listen.

Sullivan County is a Feeling... It's an escape from a Daunting Metro Area...A skinny dip in the neighbor's pond with your one and only...It's 90 minutes from overworked and tired to "Let's light the barbecue and ice the beer."

Sullivan County is a Feeling... It's ski slopes and toboggan runs your kids will never, ever forget--you didn't forget did you?  It's privacy...It's Art and Music and Pottery and Antiques.. It's "I am so glad we're here honey."

And-- Sullivan County is a Feeling that each one of us defines individually.  The Catskill Mountains of Sullivan County are Still Green--Still Great.  If Fresh Air-Green Grass-Cows and Horses Out to Pasture ring true for you... If having your own place here excites and delights you----------YOU NEED TO BE HERE BECAUSE Sullivan County is a Feeling YOU NEVER WANT TO LOSE!

Sullivan County NY real estate is as varied as the multi hued autumn leaves. It's part of a wide geographic fabric including five other New York counties: Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, Greene, and Ulster -see Catskill Mountains for more information on geography.

You won’t find skyscrapers or congested highways here in the Catskills of Sullivan County, NY. That is not exactly true. Come summer time, a mass exodus pushes out of the Metropolitan confines of the Greater New York Area. Folks explode out of the City on Friday. And dutifully return to city and suburban life on Sunday evenings.

We locals often like to complain about the traffic along Route 17. Actually, Route 17, so well known as that highway ribbon to the Borscht Belt, will soon have a reincarnation as Interstate 86. It will be wider, sleeker, and carry traffic up our mountains more efficiently.

But- we do not have skyscrapers or oily fumes. You won’t find any traffic going up the Beechwoods Road. You will find tubes and canoes at Skinner’s Falls. Eagles skim close to the Delaware River waters in these parts. Pigeons are interesting birds to watch on a Central Park bench; eagles are majestic and predatory—much like the Catskills themselves.

Flowing water—nothing can replace that feel of fresh and natural water cascading over your back. The Upper Delaware Corridor beckons. Here in our hills, you find exactly what you came for. Our lakes pull at your memory pushing you to fight though the weekend traffic to get back to your garden.

How many un-named and unknown secret hide aways have you found? Probably plenty, just not the kind you really want to swim or hike in. We are country and define what country life is all about.

Come on up. Take a look around. Find Your Sweet Spot—We’ll help if you want us to.

Another Realtor's View of "Why The Catskills?"

By Carol Spinelli: 607.832.4254

Dateline: Catskills Real Estate - Upstate NY Real Estate

Carol Spinelli is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Coldwell Banker Timberland Properties and works out of the company's Margaretville, NY Real Estate office.

My first visit to Delaware County was over 25 years ago...and it was love at first sight! Working as a top marketing executive in New York, I found the Beauty and Seclusion of this area a welcome relief to my hectic and demanding schedule of Manhattan, and almost immediately set up "roots" in the lovely and quaint hamlet of Bovina. After 25 years of traveling back and forth, I decided to switch my full time residency to my Home here in the Catskills. In 2000.

Here's Why:

You want to wake up in the morning and hear the birds chirping (not a taxi honking)...sip your morning coffee on your porch or deck (not wait on line at Starbucks)...look out to our magnificent Catskill Mountains (not up to skyscrapers)...and discover the startling Pristine Water that our area has (thanks to the Watershed). This is a much-needed place to flex your stress-weary bones. Play Tennis, a round of Golf, hit the Ski Slopes at Plattekill and Belleayre Mountains, go Horseback Riding, try Fishing, buy a Snowmobile or ATV...hey, just breathe some fresh air! Enjoy all the amazing activities that we have here in the Country...including our Farmer Markets, Great Restaurants, Galleries, Theater, and Summer Concerts at Belleayre.

And, Discover as I have, the gift of sharing it with your children, family and friends. So...please contact me. It would give me great pleasure to introduce you to our hidden jewel…the Catskills! I'm the Real Estate Agent who will earn your confidence and respect by delivering the skills, with the experience and knowledge of the Upstate Catskills area, to professionally address all of your Buying and Selling needs! When you come here for your first visit, you will feel...that you've finally arrived! Please call .

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First you must know where they are: So, just WHERE ARE THE CATSKILLS?

So-- you think you know where the Catskills are?  Rather than debate, follow the brief tour here. This geographical area has many names. The borscht belt, the mountains, the Catskills, Catskill region, the Blue Mountains, Kaatskil Mountains, and various other monikers.

For example, Catskill, NY--where do you think it's located?  Take a look here.  Surprised?  click here you're going to google a map for the Catskill Park.  Same region?  Not exactly.  There are about 60 miles to cover between the town of Catskill, NY and the Catskill Park region of NYS. 

The Catskills Region includes these six counties.  Otsego, Delaware, Sullivan, Schoharie, Greene, and Ulster).  No wonder confusion reigns.   Each county claims the Catskills title legitimately.  The Catskills are a geographical formation that includes counties, townships, hamlets, villages, cities, non-incorporated municipalities, incorporated municipalities, and other distinct regional names.

A good example of Catskill Confusion rests with the Town of Woodstock, NY Town of Woodstock.  1969 brought almost ½ million folks together for the rock n roll show of the century.  Woodstock 1969 did not take place in Woodstock, NY.  The extravaganza that August was located at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel NY-Woodstock Rock n Roll Festival.

If you have interest in the Sullivan County, NY region of the Catskills, click here.  We’ll be able to help you with buying of selling real estate and answer any questions you have.

Ready for a change?

If green, natural beauty, clean air and water, serenity and community are among your priorities, you've arrived at the right place. Our listings provide the perfect venue to translate your wishes into a solid residence in the countryside.

Nestled within our mountain tops and valleys lays a world found nowhere else but in the Catskill Mountains. Our abundant streams and lakes create a natural wonderland filled with delight and inspiration.

The Upper Delaware River Corridor refreshes the spirit, challenges the body, and sweetens the summer heat. Imagine yourself stepping out of your door into this vibrant space where hummng birds feed, your pets roam freely, and breakfast is waiting on your own deck overlooking the water.

Possible activities include Bethel Woods, home of the original Woodstock Festival, offering an eclectic mix of entertainment year round-The Delaware Arts Alliance presenting award winning artisans and their creations-The Delaware Valley Opera, home to summer stock opera on par with the best. The Forestburgh Playhouse features top notch shows with rave reviews. For the "Art Movie", the Callicoon Theatre fits the bill.

We are a year round playground offering golf, tennis, hiking, skiing, boating, biking, bird watching, fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling. Coming to your country home, only an hour and a half away from Downtown Manhattan, brings clarity to the reasons why you make a living in metro central but "live" in the country.

If you are ready to make Sullivan County your home away from home, give us the opportunity to help. If something sparks your interest, call or Email for additional information. These listings are always changing, so bookmark the page and check back often.

So You Want A Place in The Catskills?

 Really?  There’s a lot to think about.  For instance:

 Do you really want  about 100 miles and take a swim before dinner?

 Are your children ready for the fresh air, cool breeze, and sunshine?

 Will Mom and Dad fit into the double bed at the farmhouse?

 Do you really feel like taking a 3 or 4-day weekend to relax and enjoy life?

 Great band playing Bethel Woods, should we buy tickets?

 Should we do some horseback riding or maybe tube at Skinner’s Falls?

Sure there is a lot to think about.   But why wouldn’t you want to come on up to the mountains?  It’s just around the corner.  You can be up in the same time it takes to creep down Madison Avenue or the LIE (Long Island Expressway).

Making Sullivan County your second home choice makes good sense—especially in today’s market.  Super properties featuring views, water, and pastures are available at very advantageous price points.

Low interest rates and excellent inventory have created the perfect storm.  So you want a place in the Catskills? Sure you do!  Welcome Home.

  Water, water everywhere . . .

What is it about water?  What internal human instinct instills the love of that life giving substance?  The draw to water is visceral.  Like the warm smell of a 3-week-old puppy, water comforts the human soul.

Our human urge to get on the water, look over the water, ride the water, fly over water, bathe in water, drink in the water, devour the water, relax in water, hold our babies in water, swim in water, make love in water, seems to speak of our ancestry and kinship with life.

We mark our own birth with the breaking water--that nine month ride in water, so gloriously harmonized, connecting the unborn and yet to be, with mother, the source.  I suppose the water worship is justifiably poignant for those of us wise enough, well heeled enough to live by, or on the water.

Translating the transcendental water front property into business is not so esoteric.  Here in the Catskills, we thrive on natural waterfronts of a diverse nature. 

The Rio (pronounced rye-o), Toronto, Neversink, Pepacton Reservoirs, the Delaware and Mongaup rivers, Swinging Bridge, Tennanah, White, Kauneonga Lakes, and so much more, provide ample opportunity for those heeding the inner call to the water front.

Water front real estate, be it by salty sea or fresh water estuary commands a premium.  The collection of qualities surrounding water front properties is mysterious yet completely understood by that inner personal compass.  No exact definition can be rendered. It is a personal relationship.

The streams, rivulets, ephemerals of spring flow here.  Your spirit reaches out to be renewed, refreshed, and re-vitalized.  I’ll be here waiting at the water’s edge.  Welcome home.

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From:  Breathing is Political-Blogger Liz Bucar

February 17, 2010

Callicoon-On-The-Delaware: One Morning

Filed under: Uncategorized — lizbucar @ 9:50 pm

I grew up playing baseball, growing veggies with my grandmother  and riding horses  in Madison, Ohio.  It’s   a small village in the northeast corner of the state  that sits  five  miles from the shores of Lake Erie.  When I was in school, the Cuyahoga River caught fire  regularly  and  “Help me!  I’m dying,” was scrawled in graffiti letters on the side of a Lake Erie  pier.   Anyone who lived along its banks already knew the lake was in jeopardy.   The miles of fish carcasses strewn along the shore were clue enough.

Today, I live in a lovely, well-worn  home overlooking the banks of the Delaware River in the Hamlet of Callicoon, NY.  Whether I drink my morning coffee on my front  porch or at a bedroom window,  the gleam of the river is the first thing I see each day.

I’ve stood on the bridge that connects Pennslvania to New York and watched vacation trailers float  beneath me in a torrent of brown flood.  I’ve watched ice floes pile and pile so high  that I’ve never doubted our  tenancy  rests  in Nature’s hands.

But for  more than the River, I came home to Callicoon for the people and early morning walks down Main Street.

This morning’s first  stop was  The Delaware Valley Free Library,  built in 1913.   As I approached the door with my ever-late book returns,  Bernie, a friend from “the PA side,”  poked his head out  saying,  “Got a minute?  We have to talk.”  His dark  hair hangs well below his stocking cap  and his salt and pepper beard remind me of my old hippie days.  He’s wandered through the Far East and Buddhist Temples and now, he works as hard as anyone I know to preserve and protect the river and its hamlets.   He wants to be sure we’re  ready for  this Saturday’s  forum on  Gas Drilling and Public Health that we’re helping to coordinate.  It will be held in  Callicoon’s  Delaware Youth Center this coming Saturday.

At the back of the Library is a public room with murder mysteries and computers where locals chat  as often as they read.  As we finalize our last minute plans for the forum,  the owner of Callicoon Van & Taxi Service wanders in with a big “Mornin’, all!”  and settles at one of the internet terminals.  A half hour or so later,  as I pay my fines and check out a selection of  Martha Grimes and Louise Penny mysteries,  an elder whose head almost reaches my shoulder breathes toward my ear,  “Oooo.  Martha Grimes!”   “Yup,”  I nod.  “Richard Jury’s  my one true love,”  and the conversation’s  off  and running until I remember I’ve got three  more stops at least.  She pats the cover of  a book  I’ve just returned.  “The winter’s too long these days,” she sighs, “and I need all the books I can get.”

Headed toward The I.O.U.,  my favorite store in the universe,  I remember I need stamps.  Yes, stamps.  I send birthday  cards that carry  fingerprints and smudged ink because anyone who’s struggled down a birth canal deserves more than misty electrons floating in an ethernet pipeline.

The main lobby of the post office is closed.   Bud,   a long-time resident who migrated up from NYC decades  ago,  shakes his head at me from the driver’s seat of his truck.  “And it’ll stay closed for a full 90 minutes,”  he says.

“Well wouldn’t  Mae Poley and Wilda Priebe have called that  heaven in the old days,”  I say.   (Mae and Wilda were North Branch’s  post mistresses when I first moved to  The Delaware River Basin.  They’d taken over  from their mother  when she retired  and Mae,  her husband Earl  and their daughter Amy still  live in the old building that houses the PO.  When  I was a young  single mom with a baby to raise, the sisters   made sure I had plenty of house cleaning and dairy farm  jobs to feed the little bugger.  Neither of them ever closed the post office for more than  half  an hour and even then,  we all knew where to find them.  More than once,  Mae fed me lunch at her kitchen table.  She thought it’d keep me quiet till she was ready to re-open the window.   I still remember the day Wilda admitted she knew fewer and fewer of the  “new folks”  who were buying the old, empty houses in North Branch.  The Poleys, Priebes  and so many others are  woven into my life here in  The Basin. I’ve  cared for their loved ones  in the Callicoon Hospital,   rattled rafters with them at Democratic Party meetings and cheered all our  kids from Tee Ball to graduation.

“I like your ‘Drilling Isn’t Safe’  button,”  Bud says and I invite him to  the forum on Saturday.  For an hour, we catch up on all the people we know in common  and where they are.

“Ya’ know Barbara and George Hahn?”  I ask.  “Sure!”  he says.  “We were  in school together.”   Barbara was an RN who flew over the original Woodstock Festival in a medical helicopter with Abby Hoffman.  Her husband, George,  had the Jeffersonville Veterinary for decades.  They spent a whole afternoon giving me the skinny on my Jeff postcards.  Although, truth be told, their memories weren’t always…synchronized, George’s  family  hearkened back to the days when our first settlers spent their first winters hunkered down in caves till their houses could be built.  (The old Hahn farmstead was where Apple Pond Farm is today in Callicoon Center.)  Barbara and George moved to Connecticut this winter to be nearer their  kids.  “They lit my days,”  I say, missing them all over again.

Bud says his  daughter  was laid off when the Neversink Public School closed its reading program to save money.  “Can’t  pass a math test if ya’ can’t read,”  he mutters.

My heart was set on a stop at the I.O.U. but I still needed  a few things at Peck’s and as ever, the morning was nearly gone.

Peck’s is more than just a village grocery.  For years, Art and Beth Peck worked day and night growing  their first Narrowsburg store  till  it  became another and another and another.  Just as Beth’s energy fed the  Narrowsburg Library,  the local arts alliance and theater and a small news sheet that eventually became The River Reporter, when they retired, the Pecks ensured their employees were vested in the small chain’s future.  But that’s not why Peck’s is  more than a grocery.  As my friend Marci says, “If I’ve got things to do at home, I don’t dare go to Peck’s.”  Even if you make it down the aisles at a run,  there’s the check out where neighbors share the news of the day.   Among others, this morning,   I ran into Fred Stabbert, III,  publisher  of The Democrat,  Callicoon’s hometown newspaper.   He was in college when I first worked for the paper that was handed down from his grandfather to his father and not so long ago, to him.    Anyone who moves  to Sullivan County  should make it a point to read The Democrat’s  “Down The Decades”  page.  It’s a wonderful compendium of  more than 100 years of Sullivan County  history  — from the “white knights who protected our women”  in thankfully bygone  days to our more modern times.  Those pages, in concert with  Quinlan’s History of Sullivan County are a must-read if you’re interested in where we’ve been.

Most days, I feel a terrible urgency about painting  a picture the outside world will see and cherish as much as I do.  Our River valley’s  wealth and health depend on each of us.  We are a generous people.  We care for each other — for our   elders  who return home alone after a hospitalization  because their children have left   in search of better jobs;  for our young people  who are learning the old arts from teachers like Bobbie Allees over at the Sullivan West Central School in Lake Huntington.

Our memories are long,  stretching  back to the days when our early families  lived in caves above Callicoon Center and North Branch.  Much of our strength derives from our open arms;  arms that have welcomed organic sustainable agriculture to replace the old dairies.  Fiber artists, novelists, poets  and even Hollywood actors have made  The Basin their home.   And just this winter,  our valley  sent two of our sons to The  Sundance Film Festival where Zac Stuart-Pontier won critical acclaim as an editor for “Catfish”  and Josh Fox’s  “Gasland”    brought home  Sundance’s Special Jury Prize for Documentaries.

Like Appalachia, Texas, Ohio and countless others  before us, our valley faces a threat from outside.

But with each new year,  our farmers, artists, teachers, librarians, nurses  –  old-timers  and newcomers –  carve  a new historic tablet.

Please come to the  Delaware Community Center  February 20th at 4:00 PM.   Learn what gas drilling may mean to the future of our valley.

*******

(Postscript to yesterday’s article.   Bread bakers who read yesterday’s article will be unsurprised to learn that my pumpernickel  loaves  were reluctant to rise.  The yeast knows when the baker’s spoiling for a fight.  I suspect anger makes the air too heavy.)

  

Ready for a change? If green, natural beauty, clean air and water, serenity and community are among your priorities, you've arrived at the right place. Our listings provide the perfect venue to translate your wishes into a solid residence in the countryside. Nestled within our mountain tops and valleys lays a world found nowhere else but in the Catskill Mountains. Our abundant streams and lakes create a natural wonderland filled with delight and inspiration.

The Upper Delaware River Corridor refreshes the spirit, challenges the body, and sweetens the summer heat. Imagine yourself stepping out of your door into this vibrant space where hummng birds feed, your pets roam freely, and breakfast is waiting on your own deck overlooking the water.

Possible activities include Bethel Woods, home of the original Woodstock Festival, offering an eclectic mix of entertainment year round-The Delaware Arts Alliance presenting award winning artisans and their creations-The Delaware Valley Opera, home to summer stock opera on par with the best. The Forestburgh Playhouse features top notch shows with rave reviews. For the "Art Movie", the Callicoon Theatre fits the bill.

We are a year round playground offering golf, tennis, hiking, skiing, boating, biking, bird watching, fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling. Coming to your country home, only an hour and a half away from Downtown Manhattan, brings clarity to the reasons why you make a living in metro central but "live" in the country.
If you are ready to make Sullivan County your home away from home, give us the opportunity to

help. If something sparks your interest, call or Email for additional information. These listings are always changing, so bookmark the page and check back often.

If you let me know the specifics of what you are looking for, I can be on the lookout on a regular basis.Please contact me with any questions you might have about Sullivan County Catskills Real Estate. (I love talking about it.) Telephone 845-482 3200 Ext. 13 or email me at catskillsrealestate@gmail.com
Contact us for more information if you want to follow-up on anything you've found. We'll be happy to help.

Contact us for more information if you want to follow-up on anything you've found. We'll be happy to help.