The Apple Pie Bakery

Throughout the four years that I've spent here at Marist, I've noticed that there is an unspoken, subtle (yet still there) confrontation between the CIA and Marist. We don't usually go out to the same bars, and when we do, there is no discussion among different schools. Not to say that there's a huge difference in our school's, we ARE right down the road from one another. But because of this unconscious conflict, many Marist students don't venture over the the CIA for anything other than nice dinners with their parents. I, however, heard about the bakery that's inside the Culinary: The Apple Pie Bakery.

The bakery, located right inside the main entrance to the Culinary is completely student run: they work there and they help prepare the food that is served. The students who do work there are super nice and really helpful, which always makes for a pleasant dining experience. The bakery is usually kind of crowded but both times that I went there proved to be worth the wait. Another added benefit: while you wait in line for your food, they feed you hand made chocolate (DELICIOUS!). 

The bakery offers full-fledged meals, such as sandwiches and soup, and--of course--desserts. I've experienced both ends of the spectrum and haven't been disappointed. The sandwich that I had, turkey with the fixings, was awesome. It was on student made bread which was amazing all in itself. However, as good as lunch was, dessert is better. I've tried their cookies and, my personal favorite, a mousse "bomb". The mousse was maybe some of the best that I have literally ever had. 

The grounds are beautiful if you ever feel like taking your food outside, which I have done. Or you can choose to eat it in the actual bakery. The prices might be a little high for everyday visits by college students but when you do go, it's well worth it. If parents come up, this is also a great, different place, to have lunch or grab a bit of something sweet. Check it out if you're ever in the mood for a great lunch or a treat.

Akari Sushi

So I don't know about everyone else, but there are those days where I could just really go for some sushi. This always bring on the question: where? For those of you who eat sushi, you know that there are good and bad places to get it. A bad sushi place, in my mind, is determined by the quality of sushi you get but also the price...there are a lot of sushi places that will try to overcharge you for sushi. Akari wins twice in my book: awesome sushi and great prices.

The restaurant, located in the complex of the Poughkeepsie Train Station, is never over crowded so you are always seated right away. No one really likes waiting for a table so this is an instant plus. Once seated, the service is great and the staff is super friendly. Personally, I have only ordered sushi while here but according to people I've gone with, the other food is amazing too. The selection is great which makes for a great dining experience as well.

If I was to recommend any of the sushi entrees, I would have to say that my favorites include: spicy crab roll, shrimp tempura, the snow mountain roll, the green dragon, and the spicy tuna. However, I have tried a bunch of things and everything I've had is amazing. There are other, more known, places to get sushi in the area but if you really want the BEST sushi, Akari is the place to go! 

The Inside Scoop

Although the title of this post might give off an air of mystery, the place I'm telling you about today is actually called The Inside Scoop. In my four years at Marist College, I never drove up Violet Ave past Stop and Shop. Sure, I've driven that far on Rt. 9 but the back roads have a ton of smaller places that are definitely worth checking out. The Inside Scoop is one of them!

The Inside Scoop is a little place that serves food but--more importantly--ice cream! They advertise their homemade ice cream which is what automatically caught MY attention! So on one of those super hot days this last week, I made my way over there and I was not disappointed, at all. As I looked at the menu of food choices, they had everything from burgers to nachos, most of it for less than $7. The real deal is the ice cream though.

I like to think that I am a self-diagnosed expert of ice cream and this was a great addition to my list of fantastic ice cream. The ice cream was thick and the flavor was delicious...some of the best chocolate ice cream that I've ever had. An additional benefit? There's plenty of seating inside but they also have seating outside, where I love to eat my ice cream. There are chairs, playgrounds for kids, and picnic benches. If you haven't gotten over there yet, get on Violet Ave and just drive towards Stop and Shop and you'll see it on your right!

Quiet Cove

In between Marist and the Culinary Institute there is a sign for a place called Quiet Cove, a sign that I am willing to assume goes mostly unnoticed. However, if you are looking for a nice, quiet place to sit on the river, this is place to go. There are beaches that afford a beautiful view of the river with picnic tables to enjoy whatever food you bring with you.

When you arrive at the site, there is a center where you can host meetings, it also has restrooms. On the back of the house there's a porch with chairs you can sit in to enjoy a view from further back than the water itself. Around the site there are grills that are able to be used by whoever wants to have a BBQ down on the water.

I've been down there for lunch on nice days, just to lay out in the sun, or to do some reading from classes. It's only open this season so if you are looking to take advantage of this beautiful view, this is the time to enjoy the scenery and weather.

The Vanderbilt Mansion

After four years of living right down the street from one of our countries historic landmarks, I finally made it over to the Vanderbilt Mansion. I was not disappointed. The place is absolutely magnificent! As you pull up to the mansion, the driveway winds up the 200 acre property. Visitors have the option to just hang out on the property and enjoy the view of the mansion and Hudson Valley or you can take a tour of the inside of the mansion itself. If the tour is what you are interested in, you must go to the visitors center (white building by the parking lot) to receive your ticket; they're only $8 for the hour long tour.

The Vanderbilt Mansion

Since that era of history always interested me, I thought that the tour would be perfect and I wasn't let down. The tour starts on the outside where you learn the general history of the mansion: how much it cost back then, what it translates to now, some family history, etc. As you stand there listening, looking up at the mansion in awe, you learn that this mansion is the smallest of all the Vanderbilt mansions.

The Living Room where music and card playing took place

Once inside the tour takes you through the first floor where you see Vanderbilt's office, the giant dining room, the men's sitting area, the women's sitting room and the general living room where the parties gathered. The foyer--where you hear most of the information about the third floor--is bathed in sunlight from the skylight on the roof. The tour takes you up the grand staircase to the second floor.

The foyer when you walk in the house

The second floor is where you can see the master bedrooms for Mrs. and Mr. Vanderbilt. These bedrooms are modeled after the royal bedchambers in the Palace of Versailles in France. You also notice that the married couple had two separate bedrooms, both extremely elegant. You can also see bedrooms that were used by the guests of the Vanderbilt s who would stay for the weekend. On the second floor you are also able to see the types of bathrooms that were in this mansion. Each bathroom had running hot and cold water, bathtubs, and flushing toilets...all extremely expensive and unheard of for the time period in which they were built. As if it wasn't impressive enough that they had them at all, there were 14 bedrooms in the mansion, including one in each bedroom.

Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedroom

After seeing the bedrooms, you get to go down the servant staircase to see the male servant quarters in the basement (the women servants lived on the third floor) and the kitchens where they prepared the 7 course meals that the Vanderbilt family was accustomed to eating. The servants were given $1-$2 a day, four times what the average family made a day at other jobs. And after seeing these servants quarters, it would not have been a bad deal to have been employed for the Vanderbilt family. The servants were the recipients of part of the Vanderbilt fortune when Fredrick Vanderbilt died.

The extra bathroom on the second floor

Overall, this experience was fantastic! The history that you learn (way more than what I put in here, wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone) is part of an era in the United States that we should all hear. The extravagance of the mansion is something that you just don't see anymore, it was the last of it's kind. So if you live in the Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, or Rhinebeck area and you have not been to the Vanderbilt Mansion yet, you need to get there. You will not regret it!

The kitchen in the servant's quarters

Getting a Bang for Your Buck

This post is probably going to come as a shock to many readers but the next place that you should check out for a good deal in Poughkeepsie is the Dollar Tree. Yep, you read that right, the Dollar Tree. Located on Rt. 9, past the mall and next to Petco is the Dollar Tree. I know that it's pretty common that these dollar stores get a bad reputation for a lot of things: 1. crappy merchandise 2. limited selection of merchandise 3. most things aren't actually a dollar, they're over by the time you add tax in. Well, fear not. None of these concerns will ruin your shopping experience here.

I have never been one to shop at places like this just because it was never something that crossed my mind. Then a good friend of mine took me to the Dollar Tree and I immediately changed my mind. The place is massive and literally has anything and everything you could potentially need. Most of the stuff isn't brand name stuff but they do stock some brand name merchandise as well. But even the non-brand name things are worth what you pay for them.

I have now done shopping here for kitchen stuff, garbage bags, frozen food, snacks, drinks, holiday decorations, Halloween candy, picture frames, everything. Literally everything. I've been there with my house to buy part of our grocery list and just everyday house items and we got an entire shopping cart full of food and supplies for less than $100. A lot of things that you get aren't even a dollar, they're less.

So as tacky as you all may find it, the dollar stores are sometimes well worth visiting because you are going to get way more for what you pay. Get to the Dollar Tree soon if you want to get some good deals on those little things that you need!

Dunkin Donuts on Violet

So I need to apologize to everyone for the lack of blog posts of late...the end of the semester is approaching and I'm finding that I have less and less time on a daily basis. However, I have spent the last two days scouring Poughkeepsie to give everyone enough blog posts for the ones that I missed giving to you last week. To start of, a place that many might not immediately consider to be a "hidden gem" of Poughkeepsie: Dunkin Donuts.

Many know of the Dunkin Donuts on Rt. 9, it's kind of hard to miss with everything else that is going on around there. But, quite honestly, I find that if I'm really in the mood for a DD coffee, that is just a little too far to go from Marist campus. You need to take into account the lights, the traffic, and the impossible designated turning lanes on the highway. Add all of this together and it makes it pretty difficult to get a coffee before class. Sure, there is a Starbucks right down the street/across from campus but (at the risk of making enemies at Marist) I'm not usually willing to pay that much for a mediocre coffee...I personally believe that Dunkin gives you better coffee for a better price.

This brings me to my hidden gem, the Dunkin Donuts on Violet Ave. It's a bit off of the beaten path since many Marist students don't always travel on that back road, they usually opt for Route 9. But trust me, go to this Dunkin and you won't be disappointed. They make great coffee (I find that some make better coffee than others) and the staff is always exceptionally nice. The greatest part: there is hardly ever a line. I have been there at all hours of the day and the same is true no matter what time you go. This means that you are guaranteed quick service getting what you want.

The inside of the store is comfortable with plenty of tables to enjoy your coffee and food. They even have a fireplace inside that gives it a cozy feeling, no matter what time of year you go. So if you want some really good coffee, in a quick time frame, this is the place you need to be. To find it, just travel up Violet Ave (towards Stop and Shop) and it will be on the left of the street right after the abandoned bowling alley.

Noah's Happy Hour

It's the end of the week...you've had a lot of homework...work has been stressful...you just need a break. This is when Happy Hour is JUST what you need. But! Rather than going to, say, Applebee's where you can get two for one drinks, you should check out Noah's Bar off of Delafield Street for happy hour. Not only is beer only $2 a glass but you get free food. Yes, you read that correctly, you get free food.

Every Thursday and Friday, Noah's has happy hour with cheap beer and food. The bar provides guests with free wings, ziti, and garlic bread. The only downside, free food draws a crowd so you will wind up standing in a line to get the food before it even comes out but it's worth it. The wings are delicious and come out hot. The pasta is pretty good...it's not 5 star quality but it's still definitely worth getting. And the garlic bread, perfection. The combination of all three is remarkable. And frankly, I think it tastes better because you aren't paying a cent for it.

The crowd that usually shows up consists of Marist students and some local Poughkeepsie residents. The great news for all you Marist students, it's strictly 21+ so it creates a nice atmosphere of people who are coming together for some great food and beer. Most of the attendees of happy hour can be seen enjoying their food in the booths or up in the back room playing darts and pool. Personally, I enjoy going because it's a laid back environment where you can have a beer and still hear your friends talking without techno music blasting overhead. It's also a great chance to brush up on my dart skills...you never know when those will come in handy.

By 8:00 most of the happy hour crowd leaves which is great for anyone who needs to get back home at a reasonable time to get ready to go out to another bar...I mean...go home and do some homework. So you get dinner, some beer, and plenty of time to continue your night. The perfect way to end any week.

Soul Dog-The Fancy Hot Dog

One of my favorite things about the winter coming to an and and summer coming around is the food that becomes more acceptable to eat. Let's be serious, no one thinks of summer without thinking of hot dogs. On the 4th of July alone, millions of hot dogs are consumed by the US population. I, myself, look forward to those delicious, grill-cooked hot dogs as much as the next person. However, there are times when the generic hot dog with ketchup on a bun just doesn't cut it. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, Soul Dog is the place you need to go to.

Located on Main Street, Poughkeepsie, Soul Dog Cafe offers customers specialty hot dogs for awesome prices. The cafe has a great atmosphere with great decor and crayons and board games laying around to play with as you have a hot dog. Even as a college senior, I can appreciate when I see Connect Four on a table, who didn't love playing those games as a kid? The menus are scattered around as well so you can take your time decided which hot dog suits your mood that day. The options are seemingly endless!

As you look at the menu, you can choose which type of hot dog you would like: beef, chicken, vegetarian and Italian sausage are all possible options. You then get to pick the toppings you want to have...the first two toppings are only 50 cents with the third being free. Some of the multiple options you can have are: chili, sour cream, bacon, baked beans, cheese, cole slaw, and more. I personally, gave the chili cheese hot dog and the baked bean hot dog a whirl when I went there for this post and both were amazing!

The cafe also offers different food choices if hot dogs aren't your thing. They also serve beer and wine for those who feel like making the hot dog a bit more classy. The prices, as I mentioned, are great. With the hot dogs costing you no more than $5 for what you get (that's including toppings). And for those who may have food allergies, all of the food at soul dog is gluten free. If you haven't popped into Soul Dog yet, I highly suggest getting over there to taste a bite of summer!

Rossi's Deli

It's no secret that Rossi's Deli is one of the best deli's in the area. However, despite its reputation, there are still people that haven't experienced this amazing food (especially their paninis). Like these people, I had been hearing about Rossi's for over a year from my obsessed friends but still hadn't been there myself. Thankfully, creating this blog gave me the necessary motivation to go and experience it for myself so that I could share it with everyone else. And, let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

The deli is small but, as I'm learning, that doesn't mean anything. Upon entering the deli you are given the choice of the regular deli sandwich options, a daily special, and the panini list. If you are a fan of paninis, that's what you want to focus in on. There are the options for how they make your panini, including the type of meat you want, the type of dressing, the type of cheese and any extra toppings you may want. After you place the order you make your way down to the front of the deli, passing amazing authentic Italian food as you go.

The deli also caters for events with Italian food that looks and, I'm sure, tastes great. Aside from the delicious panini I had, I decided that dessert was in order and wasn't disappointed. As an Italian, I've had countless cannolis. Rossi's had a plate of cannolis that I just couldn't resist. They had multiple options including chocolate filling, chocolate covered, and duel filled with vanilla creme and chocolate. I got the duel cannoli and was amazed, it was probably one of the best cannolis I think that I have ever eaten. 

The food isn't going to be the cheapest option in Poughkeepsie but I think that the food you receive is well worth the price that you pay for it. And coming from a college student, that says a lot since I'm always watching what I spend. If you haven't been to Rossi's yet, you need to get there!

Roosevelt Farm and Forest Hiking Trail

Despite the fact that it is only March, the 80 degree weather has hit. This means that it's time to break out the shorts and t-shirts and get outside. For my friends and me, this means that it's also time to get out on the trails and go hiking. Right up Route 9 from Marist College is one of many of the Hyde Park Trails. The Roosevelt Farm and Forest Trail is located right in between the drive-in movie theater and the Hyde Park Brewery. When you arrive at the trail, you have the option of walking, pushing a stroller, or riding your bike through the trail, the pathway is designed so that multiple modes of transportation are possible.

This specific trail is 3.6 miles long by the time that you go to the end of the trail and the back. However, the trail is so beautiful that you don't even realize that you are walking that far. The trail winds through the forest across the street from the Roosevelt House. The main trail is outlined well as you walk through the woods by a gravel path (we wouldn't want any hikers getting lost). However, if there are hikers out there that are feeling a little more adventurous, there are multiple side trails that can be followed based on color markings on the trees. These paths wind deeper through the forest but eventually drop hikers back off at the main trail so they can find their way back to the parking lot at the beginning of the trail. As of right now, there aren't many trees in full bloom so it's looking a little sparse but when spring is in full bloom, it's gorgeous and well worth the walk.

An added benefit to walking this, among other Hyde Park Trails, there is a badge that you can receive if you walk 6 or more of the trails associated with this collection of trails. When you arrive at the entrance to the trail, brochures can be found with the complete list of trails, their locations, and information on the trails around the area. This list also serves as the check list for which trails you have walked and the required documents to receive the sew-on badge offered.

The Infamous Walking Bridge

Finally! A warm, sunny day in the Poughkeepsie, New York! You know what this means...time to get out on the bridge! The Walkway Over the Hudson has been one of the big name places to see when you come to Poughkeepsie for the last couple of years, and for good reason too. The walkway is the largest suspended walkway in the world...pretty impressive for such a small town.

The bridge, situated over the Hudson River is beautiful. It allows visitors to see the surrounding town (including Marist College), the amazing scenery, and of course the Hudson River. The bridge, 1.5 miles in each direction, is the perfect place for walkers, joggers, bike riders, scooter riders, dog walkers, everyone. When you get up there, you will see this collection of people enjoying the gorgeous scenery.

As you traverse across the Walkway Over the Hudson, there are plaques to read about the wildlife in the area, historic Poughkeepsie, its original use as a train bridge, etc. There is also a food truck at the beginning of the bridge so you can get food and drinks for your walk or after you finish your run. If, as a Poughkeepsie resident, you haven't been to the bridge, I highly encourage everyone to go. And since it's free, there's no reason not to make time to visit.

Here are some additional fun facts about the Walkway from their brochure:

• At 6,767 feet Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is the world's longest, elevated pedestrian bridge. 
• The Walkway soars 212 feet above the Hudson River and continues 130 feet below the river's surface to compacted gravel. 
• Walkway State Park's deck is comprised of 973 prefabricated concrete panels, each weighing up to 15 tons.
• A series of LED-filled tubes provide lighting for occasional night-time use. More than 81,000 light-emitting diodes use less than $1.80 an hour of electricity. 
• It's estimated that nearly 1 million rivets are used to hold the 20,000 tons of steel together. Each of the 4 river piers contains 40,000 tons of timber, stone and concrete. 

The Red Fox Eatery

As many Marist students have noticed, the corner restaurant of the strip mall by campus deli doesn't stay occupied for long. Every few months the current eatery gets shut down: Casablanca Cafe, some wrap place, and now...The Red Fox Eatery. Trust me, I was as skeptical about it as the next person. Some would even say that the place was cursed the business was so bad. However, I decided that if the new owners were considerate enough to name it after our school, I at least owed it to them to try their new place. Let me tell you, one of the best food decisions I have made this year.

The Red Fox Eatery is one of the high scale deli's that everyone searches New York City high and low for. The only difference...you aren't paying NYC prices, you're paying perfect college prices (about $6.00 for a high quality sandwich/wrap). There is also an extremely extensive menu that allows everyone to find something that they like.

The menu offers hot sandwich options, deli meat sandwiches, specialty sandwiches, salads, and a wide selection of drinks, including hot chocolate and coffee. They also offer dessert for customers with a sweet tooth. Some options include various fruit smoothies, candy and chip options, and--the creme de la creme--Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. Yes, you read that right...Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.

The service is fantastic with friendly people taking your order and bringing the food directly to your table. Throughout the course of your time there, they will ask you how things are going and if the food you have ordered is good. I have been there multiple times this semester and every time I go, they know my face and remember me. I think that this has a lot to say about a company and their interest in customer satisfaction.

It is evident upon walking into the restaurant that it is clean and a place for the college students to gather. On each table there is a stack of Marist's magazine, The Circle, for students to read as they eat their lunch or have a smoothie. The food is also available for take-out if you're a college student on the run or, conveniently, they deliver as long as the order is higher than $20. If you haven't checked this place out, I HIGHLY suggest getting over there and having a great meal!

The Roosevelt Theater

Up Route 9, North of Marist College, there is a small movie theater: The Roosevelt.  If you don't know that it's there, the chances of driving right by it are pretty high. It's set back into the landscape a bit, there is no big flashy sign with neon lights, and it's pretty mundane. The building itself is old and nothing remarkable...quite different from the way modern movie theaters look. However, as many Marist students may know, if you are looking for a reasonably priced movie, this is definitely the place to go!

Today, general movie tickets at my hometown movie theater are usually around $10.50 (upwards of $13.00 for 3D)...almost as much as I'm going to wind up paying to buy and own the movie when it comes out on DVD. This makes me pretty upset, and from what I've heard from friends, there isn't anyone who is really pleased with the price of movies these days. But honestly, what's our other option? There isn't one. Or so people who don't know about The Roosevelt think.

This theater offers prices that actually keep the joy in seeing a movie. Adults pay $7.50, children pay $5.00 (as do seniors). If you are a student with a valid college ID (hint hint Marist community) the tickets are dropped $6.00. This has just saved you $4.50...which as a college student can get you pretty far, it's two cab rides or a meal. You can't beat that.

 

However, these low prices do mean that your viewing experience may be a bit diminished from what you are used to. The tickets that you receive look like someone printed them off of a computer at home...not really the most up-to-date tickets. The theater is, as I said, old which shows as soon as you walk in; the lobby and theaters are a little out-dated. The seats and walls of the theater are definitely old but, luckily, really comfortable still. And if you are worried about annoying pre-show commercials, ads, or previews...worry no longer! The Roosevelt has silent advertisements while you wait for movie to come on (most of them look like photographs of business cards) and they only show one movie preview before the movie starts. This is an added benefit to only paying $6.00 for a ticket. However, it does mean that the common, "It's okay if we're late! They still need to show the previews!" is no longer applicable...trust me...I've made this mistake before.

The Roosevelt also offers a movie theater that is not likely to be packed wall to wall. Although the theater space is small, in my four years of seeing movies there, I have never once experienced a packed movie theater. I think the closest it ever got was half full, still leaving plenty of seats to pick from.

So, if you can get over the outdated visuals of the theater, you are guaranteed to have a quiet, pleasant movie viewing experience for a fantastic price. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who, like myself, has had enough of overpaying to see a movie.

For a list of their movie times you can visit their website: http://www.fandango.com/rooseveltcinemas_aajtl/theaterpage

Jelly Belly Deli...The Best Deal in Town

There is a deli on Washington Street, Poughkeepsie that will change your life: the Jelly Belly Deli. When driving, you may pass the sign and assume (due to the rather lack luster outside) that the little hole in the wall deli is now shut down...the sign is old, the building looks to be falling apart, and--quite frankly--it looks flat out sketchy. However, if you are privileged enough to know the wonders that await you when you walk in, you know that the outside is extremely deceiving. I guess it goes back to that cliche saying: you can't judge a book by its cover...or a deli by the building...Either way, when you enter Jelly Belly, you are greeted with the smell of breakfast. The menu has a list of breakfast sandwiches and platters that may not appear to be anything special at a first glance. Your taste buds will tell a different story.

Anything that you order at Jelly Belly Deli is guaranteed to blow your mind, from the Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich to the full platter of pancakes. The service allows you to sit and pick from a wide variety of drinks while the chef cooks and delivers your food to you at your table. The delicious food is only made better by their out of this world prices. Some of their prices are: Ham Egg and Cheese Sandhich $2.25, Sausage Egg and  Cheese Sandwich $2.60, a breakfast platter (3 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, coffee, and home fries) 3.99. Honestly, you can't find better prices. They beat out the prices (and taste, in my opinion) of any diner, and the food is WORLDS better than McDonalds...the only other place that breakfast is this inexpensive.

In addition to the delicious breakfast options the deli offers, they are also open for lunch and dinner. For these meals they have a full-fledged deli with hot and cold sandwich options. They also have cheeseburgers and fries. Again, you can't beat the prices. A cheeseburger goes for $1.99 and the Cheeseburger Combo (2 burgers and fries) is just $5.00. They make super heroes for parties...yeah...those subs that are 3, 4, and 5 feet long and packed with meat. The greatest part about this deli is that they deliver. Yes, you read that correctly. You can get any of this amazing food delivered right to your doorstep if you don't feel like battling the weather, other drivers, or you're just feeling that lazy that day.

So, whether you are in the mood for breakfast on a regular day, lunch during a work day, or that necessary comfort food after a night of college drinking, Jelly Belly is the place to go. And trust me when I say that the outside is not at all reflective of the delicious food that awaits you inside.

Welcome to Poughkeepsie Underground!

Welcome to Poughkeepsie Underground! As a student in Poughkeepsie, New York, I know the reputation that circulates about the surrounding area: there is nothing to do, there is nowhere for a college student to go to have fun, etc. Put these thoughts together with those of a college student...I have no money, there's nothing to do on campus, we always do the same thing...I figured that I could help solve both of these problems at once. After being a student here for four years, I have come to learn of little "gems", as I call them. These are places that surrounding college students--and Poughkeepsie residents--can get to easily and that cost little to nothing. Through the course of this last semester of my college career, I hope to catalog my favorite places as well as new places I seek out during these upcoming weeks. Hopefully this blog can help those who read it to gain a better appreciation for the town and the many unrecognized places it has.