Talking Up My Town: Lacey Schwartz Delgado
Lacey Schwartz Delgado is a writer, director, and producer. She was born in Accord, grew up in Woodstock, went to Kingston High School, and now lives in Rhinebeck. Lacey’s award-winning personal documentary Little White Lie tells her story of growing up confused about why she looked the way she did and the subsequent journey to uncover her family secrets and reconcile her dual identity of being both black and Jewish. She most recently produced a PBS American Masters documentary How It Feels to Be Free, which highlights black female performers and how they were activists on and off the stage and screen. Lacey and her husband, Antonio Delgado—our local congressman—grew up an hour apart, but didn’t meet until they were both students at Harvard Law School. Twenty years later, they’re juggling their personal and professional lives while raising seven-year-old identical twin boys, Maxwell and Coltrane. Here’s a snapshot of Lacey’s typical week in Rhinebeck and the surrounding towns in the Hudson Valley.
Monday
5 am
I wake up when my alarm goes off. My husband has been waking up early for years, but it wasn’t until our kids were doing remote school that I realized that early mornings are the best time for me to get work done. On waking, I sit up in bed and do transcendental meditation (TM) for twenty minutes. After years of hearing from friends about the positive effects of TM on their creative work, I finally took the course in 2019. The Hudson Valley TM teacher is actually a good friend’s aunt, so it felt meant to be. TM has changed my life.
6 am
I’m at my desk in my home office with tea and a piece of fruit for my two to three hours of uninterrupted work time. It is a magical time of day because the only person that I communicate with is my business partner who currently lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and is therefore seven hours ahead of me.
11 am
I do a class on my Peloton bike. It took me years to figure out how to prioritize exercise again after our kids were born, but having the option to exercise in or near my home has transformed my approach to physical wellness.
4pm
In the afternoon, my kids and I stop by Starr Library in Rhinebeck to browse and pick up our latest book requests. The public libraries in Ulster and Dutchess counties have always been a huge part of my life and continue to be incredibly easy to access. Afterwards, we go into town and stop by Oblong Books where my kids enjoy the toy section and robust kid’s book section while I peek at the staff selections clearly marked throughout the store. From there, we spend time at Megabrain Comics and Arcade so that my kids can play in the retro video game arcade in the back. Then, we stop by Samuel’s Sweet Shop and I let them each pick out a piece of candy before we get burgers and fries to go at Del’s Roadside.
On special days, we might also head over to Holy Cow Ice Cream in Red Hook, a place I’ve been going to since my sleep-away camp days at Camp Eagle Hill in Elizaville.
6pm
After a long day of work and family obligations, I enjoy a glass of red or rosé, depending on my mood. Today, I uncork a bottle of wine from my mother’s store in Saugerties: Town and Country Liquors. She opened the store when I was a baby so it has been the foundation of my entire life.
7pm
The boys and I snuggle up into my bed for “family book club.” We all read our own individual books for an hour before I tuck them into their rooms and get back into bed so I can get as close to eight hours of sleep as possible. It took me seven years to learn that going to sleep at the same time my kids maximizes my ability to be effective the next day.
Tuesday
11 am
I know that if my kids are home and someone else (usually my mom) is in charge of them, it is much more productive if I leave the house to work. The physical separation of the spaces between home and work allows me to appreciate both for what they are (and use my time at home for family centered activities). Family relationships are a huge part of my life and something I will never take for granted. Taking a step back and seeing the relationships my family builds every day allows me to appreciate the life I have been given.
I recently rented a small space in the Rhinebeck Village and this “room of my own” has transformed my work week and elevated my peace of mind. When I’m at the office, I love to take a break and walk to get take-out from a yummy lunch spot. Today I chose Bread Alone, a family-owned, values driven bakery that has been in business for 37 years.
3pm
In the afternoon, I embrace the space and catch up on whatever work has piled up. By early evening, I do my second meditation before getting take-out from one of my Rhinebeck favorites: Le Petit Bistro, a French-inspired bistro with farm-fresh food.
Wednesday
10 am
After a few hours of work, I go pick up groceries. I try to get as much as I can from local farms and businesses. First stop is GioBatta for family-sized portions of their meatballs, lasagna emiliana and chicken parmigiana. All are mind-blowing and great to freeze and serve at dinner parties. Next up is the market at Greig Farm for produce and dairy. I pick up meat from Sawkill Farms (their bacon and pork chops are incredible) before driving up to Hudson. In Hudson, I head to Rolling Grocer 19 for organic groceries (their community-driven and fair pricing approach very much resonates with me). My last grocery stop is to roll by the Applestone Meat Co. vending machine to pick up some steaks or whole chickens. Before heading back home, I meet up with a friend at Back Bar for a “Where There’s Smoke” mezcal slushy and dumplings.
Thursday
9 am
If there are any local events happening or community-oriented gatherings, Thursday is my day for these. Before my meetings start, I go to Rough Draft in Kingston to read emails while enjoying tea and a scone. I also grab a book ... independent bookstores are my weakness.
Friday
2 pm
I try to leave Fridays free so I can be creative. The nature of working in a creative profession means working outside the ‘9-5’, which is both freeing and exhausting. Whether it’s a spark in the middle of the night, or a new idea at 4 p.m. on a Friday, the freedom to work with my natural flow of ideas usually produces my most creative pieces. This is why personal time is so important to me and not something I skimp on.
6 pm
After a long week, Friday night is date night. We like to visit different towns and sample from the countless good restaurants nearby. Tonight, we head over to Lis Bar in Kingston for drinks and appetizers and then make our way uptown to the Kinsley for dinner.
Once a quarter, we also take a retreat somewhere within the congressional district so we can stay at some of the amazing inns and small hotels in the area. Our first retreat ever was at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge in December 2019! I also love the Foster Supply Hospitality places in Sullivan County, the Graham & Co in Phoenicia, and the Emerson in Mt. Tremper.
Saturday
9am
My kids have soccer over at Brookmeade.
1pm
For lunch, we head to the Westwind Orchard in Accord. The kids can run around and go apple picking (depending on the season) and we love their ciders, incredible fresh pastas and brick oven pizzas.
5pm
On the way home, we grab dinner at a family favorite. My two childhood favorites still resonate with my kids: brick oven pizza at La Florentina in Kingston (the Mauceri Pizza aka stuffed pizza filled with spinach, ricotta and a red cabbage center topped with porcini mushroom sauce) is unlike anything I have had anywhere else; or hibachi at Golden Ginza.
Sunday
8am
Sunday is typically a day at home to rest, reflect and prepare for the week ahead. I start this Sunday doing restorative yoga.
9 am
We are big foodies at my house. Sunday breakfasts are the boys’ favorite because it is pancake day and a great time for us to sit around together and connect. I savor these moments while they are young and still look forward to having breakfast with us, laughing and eating as if this were the only thing on the agenda for the day.
10 am
My husband and I sit down with our communal planner to plot out what our week looks like and what we would like to achieve both personally and professionally.
2pm
Once we have finished plotting and dealing with any chores around the house, I unwind with some online shopping from my favorite local makers, some of whom I grew up with and have loved watching their businesses grow and thrive. A few favorites include: Leather handbags from Sord Studios, jewelry from Rebecca Peacock, clogs and more from Nina Z and candles and fragrances from Lake and Skye.
6pm
With Monday around the corner, I set myself up mentally for the week to come. I picture what my week looks like and what I want to accomplish. By visualizing my week and goals, I can relax and unwind in these last few hours before I go to bed, knowing that I am set up and ready to tackle anything that comes my way.
For more information go to @laceysd
Photography by Casey Kelbaugh
Volume 6
