A view from the pier

There”™s no better place to watch the Hudson River slide by or to keep watch on the commotion on the Tappan Zee Bridge than in the quaint village of Piermont, wrapped all-America style around a picture-perfect central green, population 2,600.

The village is filled with stores for every pocketbook, from the Tappan Zee Thrift Shop, where Helen Lipovsky has labored with love for 45 years, to Town & Country, where Lynn Boone offers high-end merchandise for the person on your list who has everything.

“We are an all-volunteer staff, with one paid person,” said Lipovsky, getting ready to close the thrift shop for the day. Books for 50 cents, jackets from Macy”™s for $5 and “a lovely pair of brand new designer shoes for someone who has very narrow feet” are just some of the offerings Lipovsky and her co-workers have on sale in the village”™s thrift shop, where most Piermonters browse for a bargain.

Next door, attorney Patricia Finn is just putting the final touches on a press release. Finn handles criminal and civil matters but specializes in fighting mandatory vaccinations.

“We just won a great victory for those who do not want to be mandated to take the swine flue vaccine for religious reasons,” said Finn. “I work with families and organizations that do not want vaccinations of one type or another, either for religious reasons, or because there is a potential the vaccine may do more harm than good. If someone wants to opt out of immunization for health reasons or are faced with mandatory immunization as a condition of employment, that”™s where I come in.”

She also loves living and working in Piermont. “There”™s nothing like being able to walk to work,” said the attorney, who has practiced in the village for several years. “Winters are quiet here, but the summer is packed with tourists. There are a lot of great stores and restaurants here, and people enjoy being on the water.”

Piermont has not been immune to the recession. Several “for sale” signs dot the community, but for the most part, it appears that storefronts are filled and there are more houses off the market than on.

The village has no official website, but Richie Stark, a retired New York City construction worker, has a penchant for computers and started his own website, much to the dismay of the village fathers. Despite the disclaimer that he is not the “official” website of the village, Stark doesn”™t seem to mind. “I created Piermont-ny.com because we didn”™t have a web presence,” said Stark, leaving the village hall. “I go to many of the meetings, and I think it”™s important for people to know what”™s going on, especially if they aren”™t able to make it.”

Perhaps it helps John Doyle, owner of Harbor House restaurant and tavern, who has been commuting to Piermont from his Bronxville home for 11 years ”“ “A reverse commute over the Tappan Zee Bridge,” said Doyle, who wondered “where the telephones areÂ when you see the signs that say ”˜Life is worth living.”™ I still haven”™t been able to spot one, and I cross that bridge six days a week!”

Piermont”™s business owners seemed to be happy with their community and with its secluded niche on the shores of the Hudson.

Taxes? “That”™s another can of worms,” said Boyle. According to Stark”™s unofficial website, Rockland is the fifth highest-taxed county in the United States.

Loads of shopping, restaurants, great views and “walkability” are Piermont”™s main attractions. One item is missing: a bed-and-breakfast. While a few operate unofficially, there are none registered in the village or permitted in its zoning regulationsÂ The nearest hotel is near Exit 11, the last exit before drivers enter the fray of commuters crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge.

“We just don”™t have any around here,” said one village worker from the adjoining town who declined to give her name. Perhaps it is an issue that will surface when the village gets its official website up and running. It”™s still under construction.?