"So You Think You Can Tell Heaven From Hell?"

This past Saturday was, I think, the warmest Saturday of the year so far, if not the warmest April 15th in Hudson historically.  Lots of visitors, lots of automobile traffic (on the streets and sidewalks!), few places to park, and no shortage of people looking for a place to eat, drink and soak in the warmth.  At about 6 pm, from the corner of 6th and State, I could hear the faint sound of live music, so I had to investigate.

It turned out that the live, amplified music was coming from inside the new brewery a block away, at 7th and State, the centerpiece of Galvan's phony "Depot District" moniker.  The recently opened brewery was as busy as I have ever seen it, with plenty of diners eating at tables on the patio surrounding three sides of the building.  On the 4th side of the building, facing north, the large doors were wide open and a full rock band playing inside could be easily heard off of the property, though I would not say the volume level was blaring.  Still, should Galvan ever actually follow through with their plans to build a 70-unit apartment building on that property, those open doors will be directly facing that apartment building.  My guess is that the distance between that side of the brewery and the planned apartment building to be no more than 150 feet.  If I could hear the music from a block away, then the tenants in that apartment building might be getting a good dose of Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton on a regular basis.  

Standing just outside the doors and enjoying the classic rock tunes coming from inside the building was a motorcycle gang, alongside about ten motorcycles.  Yes, I say "gang," because several of the riders standing and drinking beer in the lot had the jackets signifying what motorcycle gang they belonged to.  I was not close enough to find out where they rode from, nor did I care to take a picture of them.  Strangely, the signs at the entrance to the gravel lot surrounding the brewery read "Staff Parking Only."  Motorcyclists are the exception, it appears.

This is the type of clientele that the Upper Depot brewery is attracting, much like the Hudson Brewery has been attracting (where there is also a permanent food truck) -- Motorcyclists who can stand around outside by their parked hogs, drinking $7 beers and listening to live classic rock tunes.  If they are lucky, maybe a heavy metal band will play at the brewery sometime, something Galvan's apartment dwellers would welcome, too, no doubt!

On Saturday evening, there were more cars parked on streets near the brewery than I have ever seen.  Where visitors to the brewery-in-progress across the street are going to park is beyond me.  And what about those tenants in the 140 units (the plan is for 2 apartment buildings on 7th) that Galvan hopes to rent to?  Where will they park their cars?  I digress.

My assumption has been that Galvan must knock down the warehouse on their property so that they can build the apartment building on the east side of N. 7th.  Sure enough, activity began last week on that building, located along Railroad Avenue.  On Thursday, I noticed that a contractor was busy removing material from the roof of the warehouse and making lots of noise doing it.  Then on Saturday, when trying to locate the live music, I saw the result of that work. 

Large pieces of insulation on the roof had obviously been left loose a day or two earlier and were now blowing in the wind, some hanging over the edge of the roof.  Many pieces had fallen on the fenced-in grounds, though, unsurprisingly, a few pieces made their way outside the fence.  Who knows how much of the stuff was blown beyond the area, as it was another windy day.  Expect more of this sloppy, disrespectful kind of work from Galvan's contractors in the coming years (and don't expect the City of Hudson to do anything about it!).  Also, expect more loud motorcycles, no place to park your car, and loud, live music from tired, old cover bands with nothing better to offer than Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."