Vignettes of New Paltz: Main Street New Paltz, Saturday, September 2, 3:50 p.m
Strolling past the storefronts of downtown New Paltz’s central strip gives off a face value impression of a staple from another time.
While most time machines are criticized for not keeping up with the times, Main Street holds true to its original form, maintained inside a modern culture all too accustomed to renewal.
Main Street’s alternate scene offers local college students a refreshing mix of fusion eateries, classic book stores and introductions to their parents’ youth during the era of the “Hippie Movement.”
Record shops are key preservations in these communities. In Jack’s Rhythms, a pressing of Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words leans in a milk crate adjacent to a shelving of Whitman’s poetry books. Prince and the B-52’s records sit in the front, welcoming customers to the nostalgia trove.
A mix of old and older materials, Jack’s stands as a strict distributor of what people should listen to and what they downright need to listen to.
Remnants of Dr. Leary and Kesey’s acid tests are embedded into the brick of Main Street. They stand as figures to be understood and misunderstood by passerbys: could it be an ironic star-spangled peace sign or a red fist consuming blue? (The Main Street Bistro of which the graffiti is painted on is up for interpretation as well).
Patterns mix to decorate the walls of today’s free spirits. Tie dye and psychedelic tapestries can be bought at most stores. Roost Studios hosts a gallery of local artists specializing in mask making. A curly haired collegiate exits Kon-Tiki Trading with a beaded doorway curtain depicting Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu deity.
Like a good book, the culture behind Main Street can be hard to put down in the present. Revisit it after a long time away and the memories start to come flooding back, as if you never left.
