They were seeking outdoor activities - places to go with their families. The guides were selling briskly to city dwellers, many of whom had taken up residence in their country homes. These bustling businesses couldn’t get enough books. I found myself opening new accounts at pharmacy gift shops, delis, and farm markets. Soon I was traveling masked throughout the Hudson Valley and Catskills visiting my accounts: Many museum stores and historic sites, including Olana, Lyndhurst and the Vanderbilt Mansion, were closed for the foreseeable future. I was grateful they could complete the run of this “pandemic edition” in 10 days. So, I made the necessary changes in the final proofs and called the printer. Surprisingly, almost every dining spot seemed to have adjusted to the new normal instituting online orders, take-out, and increased patio dining. Over the July 4 th weekend I called every restaurant in my guidebook, from Westchester and Rockland Counties to the cities of Albany and Saratoga Springs, to make sure they were still open. New Yorkers had followed the scientists’ advice: The virus looked like it was on the downswing. The numbers were going in the right direction. Every day I walked five miles on a nearby rail trail and tuned in to see the governor on TV reeling off the horrifying facts of life: how many new coronavirus cases and tragically, the number of deaths the previous day.īy the end of June and the onset of welcome summer weather, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I tried to make good use of the time at home by organizing every closet and attacking boxes of family photographs. “I’m not sure I’ll have a business come June.”

“Hold the presses on those 2,000 books!” I exclaimed. I called Color Page in Kingston, the printer of what was to be the 11 th edition of my book, The Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains: Only the Best Places. I think back now to Friday the 13 th of March 2020 that was the day the reality of the lockdown struck. Photo by Ian Poley Woodstock-based publisher Joanne Michaels experiences an unexpectedly busy season after early concerns about her business during the pandemic. New Paltz is one of the many towns where you can find the author’s books.

Hudson River Towns by Joanne Michaels