Postcards: The Maker Hotel

Two perfectly slow days in Hudson, New York.

Dec 02, 2025

∙ Paid

Welcome to Postcards, the photography and travel side of Sunday Scaries. After upgrading my film camera in 2023, film has overtaken my iPhone as my camera of choice. Here you’ll find photos from travels, home, and anywhere in between. To see more, check out the Postcards section of this Substack.

My experience in the state of New York has always been confined to New York City. Knowing that we had a few extra days to work with for this trip to New York City, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to actually escape the city for once and see what going two hours north had to offer.

I had always known about The Maker — especially their scented candles and fragrances — but getting to Hudson, New York was something we fell short on over the last few years. When I began to ruminate on perfect places to be during the colder parts of fall, Hudson was squarely on my list.

We arrived after three days in the city and it was an ideal final destination. After taking the picturesque train for two hours, we walked with our bags to the hotel where we were greeted with smiles and smells. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better smelling hotel in the world.

As soon as we arrived in our room (which you can see below), I knew it was going to be a relaxing couple days. And it was.

Below are all the photos from our trip. If you have any questions or need any recommendations, please do not hesitate to contact me for a chat. All my Hudson, New York recommendations are below for paid subscribers as well.

Film

Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 140 ED AF
Film: Kodak Gold 200 35mm

Can only spot one book I’ve read here — not saying which.

A view I ended up seeing a lot of considering the pot of gold at the end of it was the perfect fireplace.

A meal so good I nearly ordered the same thing the night after.

A paper and thermos of hot coffee in the morning does do the trick.

I don’t love including blurry photos but after our fragrance cocktail class, it seemed to make sense.

@willdefries

will defries on Instagram: "the planes, trains, and automobiles…

Because I was so pleased with how my phone photos turned out from this trip, I thought I’d include them as well. When it comes to indoor film photography, I’m still very much trying to figure it out despite having some tricks up my sleeve. Additionally, I always take a ton of photos on my phone just in case something happens to my film during travel. This time around, I was very glad.