Blistering summer afternoons were soothed by savory food and chilled beer. Head banging to live music. Colorful dance parties. Uncontrollable laughter with friends and family. Unforgettable nights that, turned into, well, nights that you’d have no memory of. This all happened at Gully’s Restaurant during its heyday in the 1990’s and 2000’s.

To put it simply, Gully’s was a diamond in the rough. It was opened by Ralph Risio with the help of Gail Guimares more than 30 years ago. It didn’t take long to become an extremely popular destination in Orange County.

Before Gully’s was bought by Risio, it was used as a barge that would run various materials up and down the Hudson River. Then, after it was purchased, Risio turned the barge into a restaurant and bar, complete with space for dancing and live music that floated on the Hudson River, right on Newburgh’s waterfront.

As of now, the barge sits on the Hudson River, discolored and decrepit. The barge is held to land by the miracle of some dirty rope and a crane. But, it’s clear-- the former restaurant is slowly sinking into the Hudson River, help or not. It faces lopsided in the water, as seagulls fly around its ratty curtains. If curious visitors squint hard, they can still make out the signature sign: black and white complete with blue stripes that spell out “Gully’s.”

The former restaurant and barge is private property, and is not owned by the City of Newburgh. If it sinks, it will be on its own.

Gully’s “uniqueness” is due to the fact that “it was unlike anything else that was in Newburgh,” said Town of Newburgh resident Bruce Banner. It became a fixture in Newburgh before many other waterfront properties opened, like the River Grill and Front Street. There used to be a similar floating restaurant called the River Queen, but it fell victim to a fire back in the 1980s.

During nice weather, people would sail up with their boats, dock them next to Gully’s, and enjoy some lunch. They’d then be able to continue sailing on the Hudson River.

Banner and his wife, Evelyn Banner, were regular customers at Gully’s.

“My wife and I used to go there quite often for lunch. It was a great place to get a nice burger, some crispy fries. We’d sit there and have a beer or a glass of wine. We’d sit there for an hour or two at a time,” he said.

Banner called Gully’s a “great place for networking.” Both he and his wife were former real estate brokers, and he’d meet up with other realtors in the Hudson Valley. They all came from different agencies, but the atmosphere at Gully’s allowed them to collaborate and talk about the housing market.

He fondly remembers Risio as being an open person, who was friendly to his patrons. “You’d always find Ralph sitting there, talking to people. He always talked to people,” he explained. [Gully’s] always had pleasant staff [who]were willing to talk to you. The service was good, the prices were reasonable, the food was decent.” said Banner.

Gully’s ultimately closed in 2015 after new owners took over the restaurant. The food, the prices, the service, along with the atmosphere of the restaurant had completely changed. “The [new] people who came to run it had absolutely no clue about the people of the Hudson Valley,” said Banner.

Some people have mixed feelings about the closing of Gully’s. “It’s bittersweet,” said Hudson Valley resident Susan Morgan Lewis. “I have tons of memories there, from Sunday Funday to K104 night. I met so many people there that I’m still friends with. We always talk about [how] the best time[s] of our [lives] was going to Gully’s.”

Luis Ramirez, a former Mount Saint Mary College student, continued to visit Gully’s even after he moved out of Orange County. He was originally struck by the restaurant’s promotional sign for 10 Dollar Lobster. “That’s what drew [my] attention to Gully’s,” he said.

When Ramirez lived in Yonkers, he would drive up to Newburgh on the weekends, exploring the city. He’d go to Gully’s for lunch. “It was a pretty nice place because it was right on the water. During the summertime I’d go eat, have a few drinks.”

Then, he’d come back to Gully’s around dinnertime to eat more and listen to the live music. “We’d go there and see who would be playing there that night. I’d come across old folks who used to go to school with me,” he said. Ramirez would spend the night reminiscing his college years.

Ramirez remembers patrons and staff alike being “so down to earth and so friendly.” He recalls owner Ralph Risio always stopping at his table every few hours to ask how he was doing. “There was a lot of hospitality from [Risio]. He was always kind and pleasant,” said Ramirez.

As for his favorite food? “The seafood pasta was to die for,” he said. “I felt very much at home.”