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Health & Fitness

Lower Hudson Valley gets a boost with Film and Tourism

Westchester is being heavily promoted by the County, Hudson Valley and NYS to get more filming on location which in turn will give us a boost with tourism.

At a recent HVGateway Chamber meeting it was heartening to hear at a recent HVGateway Chamber meeting it was heartening to hear Westchester is being heavily promoted by the County, Hudson Valley and NYS to get more filming on location which in turn will give us a boost with tourism.

Guest speakers Natasha Caputo, Director of the Westchester County Office of Tourism & Film, Mary Kay Vrba, Director of Hudson Valley Tourism and Jeffrey Stoe, Deputy Director NYS Governor's Office for Motion Picture & Television Development who, with much enthusiasm told us there is much interest from the film industry to work here, even with hopes of actually getting post production done locally, all this would be a boom for the economy here in the Hudson Valley.

Filming has been going on for quite awhile here though more requests are coming in, as we were told by our guest speakers, by promoting and making it easily assessable for production companies to actually film in the lower Hudson Valley it is becoming a very big in draw for us in tourism, as there are many who want to see where their favorite movies were filmed.

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In the past 30 years there have been unforgettable movies shot here:  A few to mention, and we cannot forget the 70's classic The Marathon Man, as well as, Fatal Attraction, Radio Days, Big, Working Girl, and Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown. Yonkers is also included with the 1998 version of Rear Window filmed at the industrial park Also, Yonkers Alder Manor has been in several movies Recently, Kate Winslet in Peekskill with Mildred Pierce, and Jennifer Anniston In The Bounty Hunter right here in Croton Point Park.

It's all great there is a plan to capitalize on this, and if this is the case, (and by the way, Lonely Planet has recently named Westchester as a GO TO place for day trips and vacations), we need to take this seriously. If we are to make the lower Hudson Valley a place to visit, a bit of preening from everyone; residents to businesses and local government need to put out the hospitality sign and send out a message we are most welcoming, we are visitor friendly, and have good reason for visitors to come here.

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We have beautiful open space, river walks, vistas,  quite simply, lovely landscape just 45 minutes from NY.  The easy part is the natural scenery and history, yet there is more than just that. Metro North has been heavily promoting Getaways to the Hudson Valley and, little be known, Metro North is bike friendly especially on the weekends. What gave me the itch to move up here over ten years ago from Manhattan was from coming up here by train to ride on and off-road, it gave me taste of Westchester in all its beauty. Kayaking, hiking, the arts (Peekskill's Open Studios June 2 & 3, 2012. ART ALONG THE HUDSON), more and more fine dining and global cuisine is always on my list of things to do.

I have many potential buyers coming up from Brooklyn and NYC, and of course I give them a tour intermingled with seeing homes, though I always hand them a map or send them links to go exploring on their own. A new comer, or day tripper coming from NYC will likely want to concentrate on the river towns and villages. Either by train, or explore them by car, follow along Route 9, (which is an extension of Manhattan's Broadway).

An informative site for tourist and residents is the 2012 Westchester Destination Guide Also, check them out on Facebook for up to date happenings. For exhibits and open studios: ART ALONG THE HUDSON

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