In this episode of Cidiot®, we explore the literal "connective tissue" of our region: the bridges. 

Host Mat Zucker is joined by Chris Steber, Public Information Officer for the New York State Bridge Authority, to discuss the five major vehicular crossings—from the "grand-daddy" Bear Mountain Bridge to the Rip Van Winkle.  

We dive into the fascinating history of these landmarks, including why Franklin D. Roosevelt vetoed the first attempt at a northern bridge, the "engineering epic" of the Mid-Hudson Bridge construction, and the mystery of why the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge doesn't actually land in Rhinecliff or Kingston.

The episode also highlights a truly unique marriage of infrastructure and art: Bridge Music. Composer Joseph Bertolozzi transformed the Mid-Hudson Bridge into a massive percussion instrument by recording the sounds of its cables and railings. If you're walking the bridge between April and October, look for the listening stations at each tower to hear the bridge's own soundtrack!

Episode Highlights & Resources:

• Engineering History: Insights into the Bear Mountain Bridge Centennial Page and archival 1924 Fox Newsreel Footage of Bear Mountain Bridge of its construction. (Note: This footage was provided courtesy of the Moving Image Research Collection at the University of South Carolina.)

• Local Lore: The story of Monsignor Joseph Sheahan, the Poughkeepsie priest who campaigned for the Mid-Hudson Bridge, and the 1930 Universal Newsreel showing its grand opening.

• Chris’s Recommendations: Explore the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College or the "hidden gem" gardens at Wethersfield Estate & Garden. 

Special Thanks: A huge thank you to Joseph Bertolozzi for his generous permission to feature his music in this episode. We also want to extend gratitude to guest editor Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio and host of Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast, for his expert help in bringing this story to life.

©2026 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a registered trademark.

After a brutal winter, spring in the Hudson Valley isn't just a temperature change—it’s a shift in soul. In this episode, Cidiot® explores the "palpable optimism" of the season, from the practical (and messy) realities of country living to the psychological power of starting fresh.

Mat shares his 7-step guide to mastering spring upstate—covering everything from the melody of melting creeks and the return of outdoor farmers' markets to the essential "joiner" culture of CSAs. We also hear a moving reflection on the deeper meaning of the season.

And from a conversation with Cidiot listener Jacqui Rose, we discuss the concept of "Springing Through" grief, the healing power of the Hudson Valley landscape, and the importance of rebuilding community after loss.

Episode highlights:

• The Mud & The Melody: Why muck boots are your most important spring investment.
• Country Logistics: Fixing gravel driveways and the "Project" mindset.
• The Return of the Outdoors: Ending the boycott of indoor farmers' markets and the hunt for the best farm stands (Copake, Kingston, Montgomery Place, MX Morningstar, and Samascott Orchards).
• Car Soccer Memories: A tribute to Red Hook’s legendary (and flammable) town event.
• CSA 101: Why you should join a Community Supported Agriculture program (and yes, you will use all that lettuce).
• Spring Flavors: What’s actually in season, from ramps and fiddlehead ferns to maple syrup.
• Healing in the Valley: Jacqui Rose on moving through grief, becoming a "joiner," and finding a home in Slow Food Hudson Valley.

Special Event Mention: Wild Hudson Valley, a fundraiser presented by Rigor Hill Farm at Liberty Farms.

• Date: Sunday, April 26
• Benefit: Supports Slow Food Hudson Valley
• Tickets at Slow Food Hudson Valley site

Links to highlights mentioned in the episode:

• Slow Food Hudson Valley
• Montgomery Orchard Wayside Stand, Red Hook
• Hearty Roots Community Farm, Clermont
• MX Morningstar, Claverack
• Samascott Orchards, Kinderhook
• Kingston Farmers Market, Kingston
• Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market, Hillsdale
• Hudson Valley CSA Coalition

Guest editor: Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio and host of the other most-awarded podcast in the region, Kaatcast: The Catskills Podcast.

This episode's sponsor: Super-extra thanks to long-time Cidiot listener Jacqui Rose for sponsoring this beautiful episode and sharing her story, and helping us all “Spring through.”

(If you'd like to sponsor an episode of Cidiot, please reach out via the Contact Us page at Cidiot.com.)

Thanks, everyone, for tuning into magical Season 9!

Come visit.

©2026 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a registered trademark.

Who do you trust for the "real" news? 

In a landscape of paywalls and strictly managed county reporting, Mat sits down with Jeff Yeh, the man behind the largest social media news source in Hudson Valley's Columbia County. From tracking DUI arrests to questioning local political transparency, Jeff’s unconventional approach has earned him millions of views—and a fair share of controversy.

In this episode of Cidiot®, Mat and Jeff discuss the "wild west" feel of Columbia County, the delicate balance of being a "local meddler," and why Jeff isn’t afraid to delete your comment if you won’t sign your name to it.

Hyperlocal newspapers & blogs (please send in others you know of):

• Columbia County Morning News - "Start Your Day with with Yeah"
• A Little Beacon Blog (Beacon)
• Bluestone Press⁠ (Marbletown, Rochester, Rosendale)
• Columbia Paper
• Croton History & Mysteries (Croton)
• The Daily Catch (Red Hook and Rhinebeck)
• Daily Freeman (Ulster, Green & No. Dutchess Counties)
• The Gardiner Gazette (Gardiner):
• The Gossips of Rivertown (Hudson)
• The Highlands Current (Philipstown, Cold Spring, Garrison)
• Hudson Common Sense (Hudson)
• Hudson Valley One (Ulster County)
• Hudson Valley Post
• IMBY (several counties)
• Kingston Wire (Kingston) 
• Mid-Hudson News
• Ossining History on the Run (Ossining)
• Porcupine Soup News (Green County)
• Tgazette (Taghkanic)
• Trixie's List (Hudson)

Visit Cidiot.com for more links and episodes.

Thanks for tuning into Season 9!

©2026 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a registered trademark.

This episode is hilarious—and delicious.

Host Mat Zucker dives into the magical world of local farming and the global Slow Food movement with Pierre Fredrichs, co-chair of Slow Food Hudson Valley and owner of Overlook Farms in East Chatham.

Recorded at the Creative Legion in Hudson, we discuss:

• ​The Movement: How a McDonald’s in Rome sparked a global mission for "good, clean, fair food for all."
• ​Life on the Farm: Pierre’s journey from private chef to tending 120 acres of pigs (including a 500-lb celebrity named Bacon!), "living sculpture" alpacas, and guinea fowl.
• ​Eat Local: The secrets of "egg-speriment" at his farmstand, the protein power of guinea fowl eggs, and the joy of community cookbook clubs.
• ​Farmer Life: Transitions from New Orleans to Montauk to the Valley, and the truth about a farmer's social life.

Special thanks to listener Jacqui Rose for the introduction and Creative Legion for hosting.

Learn more: Slow Food Hudson Valley | Overlook Farms

Other links:

• ​Creative Legion (Hudson)
• ​Talbott & Arding (Hudson)
• ​Kinderhook Farmer’s Market
• ​Chatham Farmer’s Market
• ​Via Carota (NYC)
• ​Quinnie’s (Ghent)
• ​OK Pantry (Kinderhook)
• ​Northwind Farms (Tivoli)
• ​Sawkill Farm (Red Hook)
• ​Bee Hollow Farm (Kinderhook)
• ​Liberty Farms (Ghent)
• ​Columbia Land Conservancy

Nonprofits they fundraise for:

• ​Columbia Kitchen (Hudson)
• ​Long Table Harvest
• ​Dutchess Outreach (Poughkeepsie)

Visit Cidiot.com for more information and links.

Much thanks to guest editor Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio and host of the other most awarded podcast in the region, Kaatcast: The Catskills Podcast.

©2026 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a registered trademark.

“One is fooling the mind. The other is fooling the eyes.”

—Thomas Baker on the difference between a magician and an illusionist

Season 9 is out! With Cidiot®, I’ve been trying for more than 125 episodes to open your eyes to new things. This season will be all about wonder. We need to look into the wonder to see what’s possible. So this season starts with magic.

Thomas Baker is an illusionist based in Hudson Valley's Saugerties, New York, known for creating moments that defy explanation. He has sold out the Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill and performed for major brands including L’Oréal Paris, as well as audiences throughout the Hudson Valley. His work spans weddings, festivals, and live events, where reality bends, and expectations vanish. With a style rooted in suspense and surprise, Baker leaves his audiences in stunned silence long after the illusion ends.

You know I love accolades. Thomas has been called “Houdini of the Hudson Valley.”

Thomas and I talk about becoming a magician, what works, how to identify the cidiot in the audience, and we even do an audio magic trick! You’ll love him, and you should book him for your next dinner party, Bar Mitzvah, or event. 

Where to find Thomas Baker:

• Instagram: @tbakermagic
• Facebook
• GigSalad
• Email: [email protected]

Much thanks to guest editor Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio and host of the other most awarded podcast in the region, Kaatcast: The Catskills Podcast.

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

Winter in the Hudson Valley is not a metaphor. It’s a physical, emotional, and occasionally muddy reality—one that arrives early, lingers late, and demands respect (and better boots).

In the Season 8 finale of Cidiot, Mat wraps up a year-long exploration of the “Creative Human” with a practical—and lightly self-deprecating—survival guide for making it through a Hudson Valley winter with your sanity intact.

From generators and wood-burning stoves to libraries as lifelines and the quiet heroics of simply showing up, this episode distills what we’ve learned this season into three essential rules for wintering well: physical readiness, creative resilience, and social warmth.

This is not about mastering winter. It’s about practicing life here—embracing the hearth, the community, and the small rituals that make the cold months not just survivable, but meaningful.

You’re a cidiot. You’re doing it. And you’re home. Come visit.

Places Mentioned

• Neverstill Wines — Hudson, NY
• The Maker Hotel — Hudson, NY
• Mid-Hudson Library System
• Starr Library — Rhinebeck, NY
• Rough Draft Bar & Books — Kingston, NY
• Books & Cake — Hillsdale, NY
• The Spotty Dog Books & Ale — Hudson, NY
• The Yoga House — Kingston, Highland, Poughkeepsie, NY

Excerpts from “Hudson Valley Reveries” by Will Forge and “Hudson Valley Winter” by Jennifer Rodriques.

Thanks for listening to Cidiot®, the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the newsletter at Cidiot.com , and please rate and review the show here or in the Apple Podcasts store.

This episode’s guest editor is Drew English of Upstate Podcast Studio

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

What does it look like to build a creative life without a ladder, a map, or a five-year plan? In this crossover episode, I sit down with Kingston-based cinematographer, podcaster, and all-around creative human Drew English, host of the podcast No Set Path.

We interviewed each other for our respective shows, and this is the Cidiot cut—rooted in the Hudson Valley, flavored with dirt, neighbors, and the reality of figuring it out as you go.

Drew shares his journey from years in the NYC film world to building a life (and a studio) in Uptown Kingston—one that balances creativity, parenthood, community, and work that doesn’t always follow a straight line.

We talk about why Kingston has become such a magnet for creative people, the myth of the “COVID panic buyer,” how podcasting grew out of basement space and curiosity, and why no set path is actually the point—whether you’re navigating a career, a town, or a brand-new way of living.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you can leave the city without leaving yourself behind, this one’s for you.

Podcasts, radio stations, and other good things mentioned:

• Upstate Podcast Studio (Kingston, NY)
• No Set Path podcast
• The Valley Girls Podcast
• Kaatscast podcast
• Hudson Valley Unleashed podcast
• Rhinebeck Scoop podcast
• Radio Free Rhinecliff
• Cinema Kingston
• ⁠WKZE⁠ radio station, Red Hook, NY
• Arrowood Farms, Accord, NY

Special: There's a video version of the episode available on Cidiot’s YouTube channel. Thanks, Drew!

Thanks for listening to Cidiot®, the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the newsletter at Cidiot.com and please rate and review the show here or in the Apple Podcasts store. Come visit.

This episode’s guest editor is Drew English of Upstate Podcast Studio

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

Live from Hudson, NY, it’s an author Q&A with Brian Shaefer and his debut novel Town & Country. 

Recorded in front of a live audience at Spark of Hudson, Mat moderates a conversation about character, plot, and the worlds of weekender and local coming together.  The story follows a congressional race set in a fictional town of Griffin, inspired by the Hudson Valley.

“Duffles” is Brian’s word for cidiots. One lesson which I really appreciated is the importance for all of us in a community, as Brian says, in just “showing up.”  We also play the Cidiot® Geography Game with instinctive reactions to a list of towns across the Hudson Valley. 

Be sure to get your copy at your local bookstore, via his author page, or through the Cidiot bookstore on Bookshop dot org.

Places Mentioned:

• Hill Rock Distillery, Ancram
• Rogers Book Barn, Hillsdale

• Hillsdale General Store, Hillsdale
• Books & Cake, Hillsdale
• Zinnia’s Dinette, Craryville
• Random Harvest Market, Craryville
• Spotty Dogs Books & Ale, Hudson
• Spark of Hudson, Hudson
• Rough Draft Bar & Books, Kingston
• Merritt Bookstore, Millbrook
• Harney & Sons, Millerton
• Phoenicia Diner, Phoenicia
• Cinnamon, Rhinebeck
• Diamond Mills Resort, Saugerties
• Camp Catskill, Tannersville

About Brian Shaefer:

Brian contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for The New Yorker, New York magazine, and more. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Arts Journalism and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for International Reporting. He earned his master’s degree in creative writing from Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv. He and his husband live in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Town & Country is his first novel.

Early praise for Town & Country:

• “A big-hearted and true debut novel set in a small rural town amid a congressional race that forces the candidates, their families, and a clique of gay second homeowners to confront lies, betrayals and shifting allegiances. —Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Price winner
• “Rich in sex and social intrigue.” —The New York Times

Thanks for listening to Cidiot®, the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the newsletter at Cidiot.com and please rate and review the show here or in the Apple Podcasts store. Come visit.

• Photo credit: Stephen Mack
• This episode’s guest editor is Julian Blackmore. 

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

Meet Patrick, owner of Lily’s Natural Pet Store, which just opened its second location after Poughkeepsie in Hudson.

We talk dogs—a favorite subject—and why he chose Hudson, why not on Warren Street for his second location, why it’s not your average pet store, about running a pet business (I was thinking of doing one!), and tackle my burning questions such as the smell of bully sticks and what’s so great about raw. And like on many other Cidiot® episodes, we end with favorite places in the Hudson Valley… to take dogs.

Lily’s Natural Pet Store — 76 N 7th Street, Hudson, NY 12534

• “Soft opening” in November (check hours).
• Grand opening Friday, December 5, 2025.
• Tell ‘em Cidiot sent ya!

Other places and businesses mentioned:

• Red Wing Park, East Fishkill
• Pause Dog Boutique, Rhinebeck

Guest editor: Drew English of Upstate Podcast Studio

Thanks for listening to Cidiot®, the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the newsletter at Cidiot.com and please rate and review the show here or in the Apple Podcasts store. Come visit.

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.

Meet Amy and Joyce, owners of The Yoga House, now with three locations in the Hudson Valley — Kingston, Highland and Poughkeepsie. 

One grew up in the HV; one is a transplant from Queens—what a great fit for coming on Cidiot. 

We talk about yoga, the different types, and poke a bit of fun (well, I do, and they’re good sports about it).  They share how they got into yoga, which you won’t believe has quite a bit to do with roller derby. They also share some travel advice for cidiot bodies in the car or on the train coming upstate.  They helped even helped me turn it into a blog post you’ll find on Cidiot.com with photos as well. 

Special Offer for Cidiot® Listeners:

Mention "Cidiot" and get a FREE CLASS  and receive access to a special 15% off discount on regularly priced class passes and memberships.  Notes: Limited time, one per person, first time customers only. Thanks, Joyce and Amy.

Learn more at The Yoga House: https://www.theyogahouseny.com/

Timestamps to segments:

• 01:25 Mat's history with yoga
• 02:50 Their connections to the Hudson Valley
• 06:32 How and why they started The Yoga House
• 07:40 Types of yoga, including for people like Mat
• 13:37 Guide to yoga for cidiot travelers on train and car (see blog post)
• 17:20 More on practice types and defining them
• 22:02 Cidiot geography game, this time with stereotypes for how they practice yoga (hilarious)
• 29:40 Favorite place in the Hudson Valley

Quotes from the episode:

“Yoga House is founded on a basic principle that yoga should be accessible, enjoyable and affordable for every body”— Amy

“We teach more to energies — are you looking to chill out, do you want something more energetic?” — Joyce

Thanks for listening to Cidiot®, the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the newsletter at Cidiot.com and please rate and review the show at the site or in the Apple Podcasts store.  Come visit.

©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark.