Does Solange Knowles live in Nyack? There are plenty of reasons to love this 'little town'
Does singer, songwriter and actress Solange Knowles (sister to Beyoncé) really live in Nyack?
According to a TikTok video posted by local realtor Tionna Smalls, Knowles can be heard saying she "moved to a little town called Nyack." She also said, "Now that I'm there I never want to leave."
The news of Knowles' move was first reported by Nyack News and Views and later reported in the Rockland Report.
But so far, there have been little sightings.
In fact, there's just been one — at The Breakfast & Burger Club in Nyack. Co-owner Mersina Ocampo, would love more. "I'm hoping she’ll become a regular and maybe bring her sister next time," she said.
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There are a lot of reasons to love — and move to — Nyack, according to Mayor Joe Rand, chief among them the fact that you get an urban feel amidst a suburban setting.
“My wife and I bought a condo here in 2009 after years of living in Manhattan because we weren’t quite ready to be suburbanites," he said. "We wanted a transitional home that felt a little urban, but 15 years later we're still here, with a house, two kids, three dogs, and I’m the mayor."
Other reasons he said Knowles (and others) should love Nyack:
"We have some of the best restaurants in the Hudson Valley featuring a huge variety of cuisines including new Tibetan and Ukrainian restaurants, plus Greek, Peruvian, Mediterranean, Southern, Italian and a variety of really good pub food," he said. "Plus a variety of independent coffee shops and breakfast nooks."
The large walkable downtown: "Nyack boasts a full and mostly flat mile of shops, bars, and restaurants," said Rand. That includes a diverse retail mix such as an authentic French bakery, a cheese shop, a chocolate shop, two bookstores and everything from high-end boutiques to a half dozen thrift stores. Plus, he added, there are zero chains.
Nyack also boasts "a wonderful, charming waterfront park with a huge lawn, picnic tables, basketball, skatepark, splash pad, baseball field, and a children’s playground."
And there's "a progressive community of people committed to diversity, social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and other causes."
Rand also noted that Nyack is the boyhood home of Artist Edward Hopper and the adult home of Helen Hayes, the “first lady of American theater." "We have a cultured community of people who value the arts, many of them talented professional artists — actors, musicians, painters, sculptors, authors, screenwriters, and more."
The village is also home to "beautiful architecture," many of which includes "well-preserved 19th century homes and buildings that dodged the mid-20th century urban renewal wrecking ball."
Rand reiterated Nyack's urban sensibility but with the feel of a small town "where everyone knows each other and is passionate about where they live."
Naturally, it's not the only place in Rockland County that attracts celebrities. The area has long been a haven for famous people to live (and possibly hide) and includes past and present residents such as Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Rosie O'Donnell, Stephen Baldwin, Ellen Burstyn, Jonathan Demme, Lorraine Bracco, Larry Mullen Jr., Claudio Sanchez, William Hurt, Alan Ruck, Aidan Quinn, Diane Sawyer, Bj?rk and the beloved recently deceased Chita Rivera.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Does Solange Knowles really live in Nyack? We tried to find out