New Paltz: Berkeley of the East

by Anne Pyburn and photographs by David Cunningham, December 30, 2011

When Occupiers pulled a “mike check” on the New Paltz Village Board at the December board meeting, it was something of a nonevent. “They were surprised but smiling,” notes an occupier on the group’s Facebook page. And why not? Mayor Jason West had already helped them choose a campsite and an amiable liaison with the police had been established. This is, after all, a community where the Women in Black’s weekly vigil on Main Street in front of Elting Library is outlasting the seemingly interminable wars. West, one of the most renowned mayors in local history for his bold instigation of the Great Gay Marriage Rebellion of 2004, was recently put back into office by a village that decided they just plain liked his leadership, drama or no. Also recently reelected is Susan Zimet, supervisor of the town from 1996-2000, famed for leading the effort that stopped Walmart in its tracks.


Ask Zimet what she loves about New Paltz and you get a torrent: “Just being downtown. I love the [Main Street] Bistro, the [Village] Tearoom, the Bakery—any of those for breakfast or brunch. Then there are the bookstores: Barner Books and the Inquiring Mind. Just hanging around Church and North Front street is amazing. Handmade has such beautiful decor, the Groovy Blueberry has all that tie-dye. Bruce [Kazan] has the most wonderful food at Main Course. My newfound place is Paul’s Kitchen. But the thing about New Paltz is, even the standard stuff becomes transformed. The post office, the Mobil station, the wine store. Do your errands and then go hit the Gilded Otter for drinks with the teachers. You can’t get through the supermarket without ending up in a discussion. The diner, PDQ copy shop—I mean, even the copy shop rocks!”

How so? Exceptional ownership. “Last time I was at PDQ, Craig [Shankles] told me he’d asked Kathy [Cartagena] from Family of Woodstock how many families were gonna be hungry this holiday. Kathy said, ‘46 families and 80 kids.’ So we’re getting with ShopRite and Stop-n-Shop and Moxie Cupcake and making sure none of those people do without for the holidays, but we’re also brainstorming and organizing how to make sure they don’t go without period. Ever. Because this is New Paltz.”