Four Classic Poughkeepsie Shoutouts in Pop Culture
Poughkeepsie, home to Marist College and situated on the Hudson River, boasts a remarkable history in the Hudson Valley and New York State on the whole. It might not enjoy grand monikers like the “city that never sleeps,” but it has been called the “Queen City of the Hudson” and reserves a marked place in state history, as well as in pop culture.
In fact, one website includes an exhaustive catalogue of references to Poughkeepsie in television, movies, music and more. Poughkeepsie’s allusions range from innocuous to insulting, and the four examples below –– while not the most flattering –– highlight some nevertheless-notable mentions.
“Friends”
“How can she be great if she’s from Poughkeepsie?” - Chandler in “The One With the Girl From Poughkeepsie”
Poughkeepsie merited a featured plot point in one “Friends” episode (Season 4, Episode 10). Ross (David Schwimmer) meets a woman from Po-Town on the train, but feels daunted by her two-and-a-half-hour distance from Manhattan –– a commute that many Marist students with New York City internship experience are familiar with. Chandler fires back, “How can she be great if she’s from Poughkeepsie?...That joke would’ve killed in Albany.” Simultaneously, Ross starts seeing another woman from the city. While more geographically desirable, she’s less fun than his Poughkeepsie love interest.
Later in the episode, Ross takes the train to meet the woman from Poughkeepsie, but ends up sleeping through the stop, even as the woman knocks on the window trying to wake him up. When he finally arises, he’s reached Montreal, but he meets another beautiful woman ... this time, from Nova Scotia.
David Schwimmer played Ross Geller on “Friends,” who finds himself pursuing a woman from Poughkeepsie in the fourth season. Source: Peter Morawski via Creative Commons
“Jersey Shore”
“I am a princess at home. Like I’m the (expletive) princess of (expletive) Poughkeepsie.” - Snooki on “Jersey Shore”
Snooki skyrocketed to fame on the hit MTV show “Jersey Shore,” but she grew up in New York as Nicole Polizzi. Right across the river from Marist, in Ulster County, Snooki attended Marlboro High School. Despite her self-proclaimed “Poughkeepsie princess” status, Snooki did not actually reside in the city, and she told the Times-Herald Record why: “The only reason I was saying that is Marlboro is a small town, and I didn’t want paparazzi stalking my mother,” she said. The Record also reported that Snooki has spent time at popular Poughkeepsie haunts, including Mahoney’s Irish Pub & Steakhouse and Shadows on the Hudson.
Snooki, shown here with Deadmau5 at a VMA 2010 party, grew up in Marlboro, New York, across the river from Poughkeepsie. Source: Drew 'Rukes' Ressler via Creative Commons
“Supernatural”
“When you find him, say ‘Poughkeepsie.’ It's our go word. It means ‘drop everything and run.’” - Dean in “Road Trip”
“Supernatural” will end its 15-year run this November, but Marist’s hometown reserves a particularly pivotal role for the Winchester brothers in the show. The word “Poughkeepsie” becomes a code word for trouble in the ninth season. In “Road Trip” (Season 9, Episode 10), Dean (Jensen Ackles) makes a deal with an enemy to free his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) from a rogue angel’s possession. He says: “When you find [Sam], say ‘Poughkeepsie.’ It's our go word. It means ‘drop everything and run.’” The reasoning for choosing Poughkeepsie is never explained, but it is referenced in at least three episodes.
Jared Padalecki (left) and Jensen Ackles (right) have played brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, respectively, on “Supernatural” for 15 years. “Poughkeepsie” became the brothers’ distress signal in the ninth season. Source: kmgsquidoe via Creative Commons
“Sex and the City”
“Just like that, Charlotte Poughkeepsied in her pants.” - Carrie in “Sex and the City: The Movie”
Four years after the HBO show “Sex and the City” ended, the foursome reunited for a movie adaptation. After Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) flees her own wedding, the women decide to take advantage of the planned honeymoon trip to Mexico. While on vacation, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) only eats made-in-Poughkeepsie pudding for fear of getting sick from the Mexican water and food. While taking a shower, she forgets her fears and opens her mouth. She now faces a bathroom emergency, and –– in perhaps one of the crudest references to the city in pop culture –– Carrie tells the audience that Charlotte “Poughkeepsied in her pants.”
Kristin Davis plays Charlotte York-Goldenblatt on “Sex and the City.” Source: Phil Guest via Creative Commons