About La Vida Local

Side by side image of a woman hiking in baseball cap and pink top and a woman mimicking the pose of a statue

How many times have you heard friends or neighbors complain, “There’s nothing to do around here”?

To that we say, “Au contraire, mes amis.” And, “Wenn du nur wüsstest, meine fruende.” Plus, “Sólo espera, mis amigos.” There is actually so much to see, do, eat, and experience in this weird little amoeba-shaped region of upstate New York, the Berkshires and all New England, and beyond, that we could never hope to encapsulate it all in one place.

Yet that’s exactly what we, Louise Hendry and Robin Catalano, who have lived in the upper Hudson Valley of New York for a collective three-plus decades, aim to do with La Vida Local.

Call it a blog if you must. But to us, La Vida Local is so much more. It’s the first digital lifestyle magazine that caters to an area that has been overlooked for, well, ever. It’s a place to learn about cool things you might never have heard about—from mouthwatering new bakeries to hidden-gem boutiques for buying unique gifts and the best hiking and snowshoeing trails.

And it’s an opportunity for all of us in this gorgeous, rural, sometimes behind-the-times, often remote area of Northeast to connect and experience our region with a fresh perspective.    

We didn’t start this wacky, possibly ill-advised venture to make a million bucks—although we wouldn’t turn our noses up at it, if you’re interested in adopting two moderately well-behaved adult children. And we swear you’ll never hear us use words like monetize, leverage, or geotargeting. La Vida Local isn’t a marketing venture. It’s a place for a pair of longtime locals to share their knowledge and experience of the lifestyle pursuits you love the most.

Let us be your guides for:

Outdoors. The best of outdoor recreation in our region, from parks to walking and hiking trails, lakes and ponds for kayaking, ski resorts, and more.

Travel. We’ve broken this section into Near, for when you’re looking for day and weekend trips in the area, and Far, for when you just need to get away—a really long ways away.

Food & Drink. Everything from breakfast joints to snack bars, white-tablecloth restaurants, cocktail lounges, and tasting rooms.

Shopping. From boutiques selling artisanal gifts to imported-foods shops, outdoor gear suppliers, and farmers’ and craft markets, we’re your guide to standout retail therapy.

Arts & Culture. We have So. Much. To. Share. Art exhibits, live performances, inspired home design, literature and book reviews, little-known bits of history human culture around the region, and a curated monthly calendar of our favorite events.

Rural Journal. The inner-made-outer musings of your fearless leaders. Join us for local-interest snippets, tales of being single in the sticks, and conversations between two townies on stuff the newspapers don’t cover.

About Robin

Woman in red beanie and green coat photographing and Icelandic glacier while standing in front of an otherworldly rock formation

A specialist in coastal travel, the northeast United States, and Spain, Robin is an award-winning travel journalist. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, National GeographicTravel + LeisureWashington Post, TIMESmithsonianConde Nast TravelerAFARHemispheres, and a range of other publications, both national and regional. A finalist for the International Food, Travel & Wine Association Excellence in Journalism award in 2020, she won a Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Lowell Thomas Award for sustainability reporting in 2023. In 2024 was a two-time SATW Lowell Thomas Award and a two-time American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) Award winner.

A New Englander by birth now living in the Hudson Valley, Robin understands the call of the sea, and the allure of rock-strewn beaches and shrouded forests. She also knows that a Maine-style lobster roll — the one true lobster roll — is best paired with a crisp hard cider, and that nothing beats a Rhode Island clam cake.

An honorary Spaniard by marriage, Robin visits Spain at least once a year, and has never met a town or tapa she didn’t like. When she’s not writing about travel, conservation, human cultures, and design, she can usually be found exploring regional lakes in her inflatable kayak, hiking the Taconics, attempting (and often failing) to snap the perfect photo of backyard wildlife, and scheming new ways to take over the world with her dear friend and partner in crime, Louise Hendry.

About Louise

Woman with dark hair and blue eyes holding a sweet gray cat

Born in the coastal village of Balmedie, Scotland, Louise immigrated to the United States in 1995 and called Fort Lauderdale, FL, home for the majority of her life. She has a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, where she specialized in feminist art, collage, and found-object installations; and a BFA in fashion merchandising, which led her to careers in fashion show production, journalism, event management, and public relations.

After years as an account executive at boutique PR firms in Miami, Louise fulfilled her childhood dream of buying a bookstore in the middle of nowhere. That “nowhere” is the only Stephentown on Earth in upstate New York. Louise has traded in her high heels for hiking boots, but the lipstick, and love for beauty and glamour, have remained. She is the proud owner of Braveheart Books & Bazaar and the co-creator of The Only Stephentown on Earth Facebook Group with good friend and colleague Robin Catalano.