14 Comments
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Sheila Eldred's avatar

Very interesting times back then. Enjoyable reading again Jack. I'm going to see if I can get the Diamond Street book to read. Thanks for mentioning it

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Kristin's avatar

I loved the tone of this and I looked up and learned what blind pigs referred to, so I’ve learned my one thing for today.

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Jack Kelly's avatar

Thanks, Kristin, I had heard the term blind pig, but I had to look it up myself for the origin.

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phyllis palmer's avatar

Such a good one, Jack. How boring it is now in Hudson compared to the old days, but I'm glad, of course, that women have other work!

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Jack Kelly's avatar

The great tragic human comedy. I never met Bruce Hall, but in addition to Hudson he wrote a history of Chinatown in NYC and an award-winning children's book.

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james a. steinberg, new yorker's avatar

Entertaining stuff and even better writing. People from Nantucket moved to Hudson to "escape bad limericks." That's really funny.

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Michael Geiger's avatar

Delightful, Jack. Any diversion from national news is welcomed.

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Thomas Curtis's avatar

You drove a cab in the “city?” Strictly for research purposes I’m sure.

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Jack Kelly's avatar

Yes, I was doing research having to do with my empty bank account.

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Thomas Curtis's avatar

😂🤣

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Tom Clavin's avatar

Hudson has sure changed since I lived near there (in Valatie) in the late '70s.

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Jack Kelly's avatar

Gentrification has had an effect, less so on Kingston, very little on Poughkeepsie. Many upstate cities suffer from constricted early city limits so that development takes place in the suburbs and drains the tax base.

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Thomas Gilling's avatar

Having lived up in Chatham since 2003 and working l in real estate, I quickly discovered how "the locals" despised this Renaissance of antique dealers, and city-its intruding on their focus of racism and bigotry. I'm not as enamored wirh hudson as most visitors, although it does have some fine dining, but no art galleries worth mentioning. I wonder, back during the heyday of brothels how much stds were passed along to these male pleasure seekers and to their spouses and genetically to their children. Just raining on a parade. It's my nature.

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Jack Kelly's avatar

During the heyday the authorities organized weekly doctors exams for the women and issued cards to those who passed. The women closely examined customers for signs.

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