Get Used To It! (If You Can Afford To)

Get used to the lovely frosted windows on the funky basement storefronts at 726-728 Warren; they may be around for your lifetime.  According to what I witnessed yesterday and what can be seen through the unfrosted windows, it appears that the hotel across the street is renting both of those potential retail business spaces as STORAGE SPACE, primarily for stuff related to their restaurant and bar.

Nothing says THIS TOWN IS DEAD quite like frosted windows along historic Warren Street, do they?

Don't expect a retail business to ever
again be located here.  

The Kitty's empire down by the train station is doing the same thing on the north side of Cross Street in an attractive 2-family house that until recently was lived in by city residents.  South Front Street Holdings (aka, Ben Fain) purchased 18 Cross Street in December of 2022 for $410,000 from someone named Genowefa Friss.  A little over a year later, for one dollar, Fain transferred the property's ownership to Cross Street Holding, LLC, with an address of 335 Main Street in Catskill (aka, Ben Fain).  Fain would rather the house at 18 Cross Street be used for storage purposes for his business empire than be lived in by Hudson residents, perhaps a renter or five. Of course, Ben Fain doesn't live in Hudson, does he?!  What does he care about the housing problem in Hudson?  He's got an empire in Hudson to maintain from across the river! 

18 Cross, as seen the year it was sold to Ben Fain.
Since then, it has been his storage unit.

It's scary what money can do and how it can screw with your brain... and screw with our city with its worsening housing woes!  It seems to me that the money coming into the city (the millionaire's money) is only worsening our housing crisis.  Well, at least we've got plenty of hotels and wedding venues to be thankful for!  And more are on the way!

Last week, on two consecutive days, I noticed that both of Galvan's houses on North 4th Street -- the only houses on North 4th -- were being gutted.  

The message from City Hall is clear:
Do not move to Hudson.  Just visit and
stay in one of our many hotels!

I remember a time not too long ago when a musician lived in the house on the right, and, as I recall, the other house was occupied and owned by the guy who was the MC (and fantastic keyboard player!) at the popular open mic night at the former Helsinki night club next door.  Those were the days when the city seemed to have a life.  Possibilities.  A vibe, if you will.  And not so many god damn hotels and storage units.

The days of calling this a house 
or a home are gone.