Jen

I am a member of the Poughkeepsie Street Team—readers and friends who support, promote, and otherwise flail over Debra Anastasia’s novel about a girl who falls in love with a man she meets at the train station. 

In April, 2013, I was fortunate enough to have been a stop on Blake’s Cardboard Piano tour, and as a local to the Poughkeepsie area, there really was no question where I’d take the piano for my photo shoot.

I’m sure Debra’s got the characters busy while she finishes up Return to Poughkeepsie, so I took the piano back to the station for a welcome-home visit. And we made a couple of little detours while we were there.  

It’s one thing to read a story and to visualize the scenes in your head, and with Debra’s writing, that’s easy to do. But it’s quite another to walk along the path of the character and trace his or her footsteps, seeing what they saw, hearing what they heard.

If you know the story, you know that Blake has an aversion to sunlight, and for someone who’s pretty much homeless, that’s an issue. But there are some nice shady spots at the station. 

There are so many references to stairs, running up them, down them, hiding under for shelter. And there are several different sets of stairs, but I’m pretty sure these are the ones referred to at least a few times. 

Don’t worry, like Blake, I wouldn’t leave the piano on the stairs unattended. The stair picture is one of my favorites; it’s simple, yet it speaks of the despair and loneliness that was his life before Livia. 

We found a nice shady spot with a bench. Can’t you just imagine Blake and Livia sitting there? The shade would keep Blake safe from the sun, and it’s more private–set apart from the rest of the station. I can imagine them sitting on the bench and holding hands. 

On a cold day, Blake might have stepped inside the station, although he might have been too proud to seek warmth. There are quite a few warm corners in the station, some offering a pretty backdrop for the piano.

There are some beautiful architectural elements, including a steel overhead walkway outside and high arched windows on the facade. 

There is a large, not-to-scale rendering of Dutchess County down one long hallway and a bright sitting area for the weary traveler. 

 But there were a couple of other places I wanted to visit, so I carefully rolled up the piano and headed out on foot, the way Blake would have. 

Looking out toward the Hudson River and the Mid-Hudson Bridge—or the Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge, officially—you can see the park mentioned in the story. 

Named Waryas Park, after Victor C. Waryas, former mayor of Poughkeepsie, it sits just at the edge of the river, one block west of the station. It is peaceful and beautiful and such a surprise to find right there at the edge of the city. There’s a plaque dedicated to the former mayor that’s built into the front of this very large boulder, conveniently located at the entrance to the park. 

You may notice that within the park, similar architectural features as the station can be found. The pyramid-shaped roof and steel frame of the picnic area mimic the distinctive walkway from the street level to the tracks at the station. The streetlamps are the same, as well. 

A few blocks east of the park was a surprise the first time I found it, as I had no idea it was so close to the station. But as you approach the station, the steeple to a church is visible through the trees for at least a mile. I thought, “No way; that can’t be Cole’s church.” But after checking with the lovely author herself, I was assured that it was, indeed, Cole’s church.

Known to locals as Church of the Holy Comforter, this Gothic Revival church built in 1860 is stunning, made of local bluestone with dark red trim accenting the doors and stained-glass windows. The doors are actually red and just gorgeous. I can almost picture Cole throwing open the doors and welcoming his congregation.

At the front of the church, there is a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus, and there are wildflowers and daffodils blooming all around in the spring. The only disappointment was the fence surrounding the church.

We couldn’t look inside or even get close enough to the front, so we had to limit ourselves to pictures at the back door, which was really red! As unfortunate as the fence is, its also understandable. Some of the windows have been broken, and in the few times I’ve visited, haven’t been repaired. Which is sad. It’s a beautiful landmark in the community and it’s a shame to see it mistreated. 

We tucked Blake’s piano in the fence for one last photo before heading back to the station. 

It was absolutely wonderful to have a chance to take Blake’s piano back to Poughkeepsie, back to the train station, where the story began. 

Thank you Debra and the Poughkeepsie Street Team for their all-around awesomeness in allowing me to be a stop on the tour, and thank you for visiting!