New York –
May, 2015
I have been travelling to New York City for years
but have never ventured out of the city!!!
This year I spent only a few days in the city and almost a week out in
the beautiful Hudson
Valley filled with charm
and history.
In New York City I stayed at Park79 hotel as it
is so close to everything, i.e. central park, metro lines, metropolitan art
museum, etc. I like to start each day
with a nice walk around the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir starting at 79th street,
breakfast at some little café, i.e. Birdcage, on Columbus Avenue and then take in a museum
or two. There was a fantastic exhibit at
the Met which I spent two days viewing, i.e. “China:
Through the looking Glass”, an exhibit about how China has fueled the fashionable
imagination for centuries through its shawls, porcelain, flowers, movies,
etc. A fascinating show. Lunch at the Little Owl was a creative quinoa
salad with arugula, shaved artichokes and chickpeas finished by a warm
chocolate cake – divine!!!
After a nice walk around
the little streets nearby and a quick rest at the hotel I took the metro to Brooklyn where I had a delightfully delicious dinner at
Battersby (www.battersbybrooklyn.com)
where I had dined a couple years
ago. I opted for the 5 course tasting
menu, sat at the bar and so enjoyed each little bite, especially the wide
noodles with fava beans and bread crumbs, duck with potatoes, artichokes and
olives, mango granite and little rhubarb crumb tart – all excellent!!!
I spent the next morning
at the Met visiting the remainder of the China
exhibit and then took in the “Sultans of Deccan India: Opulence and Fantasy” exhibit which explored
the paintings, metal works and textiles of India’s
Deccan courts during the rule of its sultans
in the 16th and 17th centuries. I walked down Fifth Avenue to Eataly on 23rd
Street which is a fun market filled with everything Italian, i.e. cafes, wine
bars, markets, bakeries, etc. I sat at
the counter and had a pea sprout salad with radishes and parmesan which came
out quickly so I easily caught the 4 p.m. train from Grand Central to Tarrytown en route to an awesome dinner at Blue Hills at
Stone Barnes, a food mecca to be sure!!!
The “menu” is whatever is in season so in May it was fiddlehead ferns,
stinging nettles, baby beets, pea shoots, etc. etc. I spent 3 hours eating my way through, among
other things, kohlrabi with a spicy dip, fiddlehead fern crostini, chicken pate
w/chocolate tuiles, barley soup with fresh flowers, grilled asparagus with beet
vinaigrette, soft shell crab burrito, farm raised chicken w/parsnips, grass fed
beef with rhubarb, s’more on a stick, chocolate mousse with crunchy grains and
honey candies – WOW!!
After my walk and
breakfast in the morning, I took the bus to LGA and got off at the Dollar rent
a car stop to pick up my little Chevrolet Spark. Drove to Tarrytown to visit Sunnyside, the
cottage like estate along the Hudson River
where the famous author of “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip van Winkle”,
Washington Irving, lived. Most of the
rooms are open to the public and contain much of their original
furnishings. A guided tour told all
about his life which was very interesting.
Down the road a few miles
is Lyndhurst, one of America’s
finest gothic revival mansions which sits beside the Hudson
river within a park. Unlike
later mansions along the Hudson, Lyndhurst’s hallways are
narrow, windows small and sharply arched and ceilings peaked, vaulted and
ornamented. With a guided tour, it is
always interesting to hear about the residents of such lofty estates!!! Back to Tarrytown
for dinner at the Twisted Oak, i.e. asparagus and nettle soup topped with
crispy soft shell crab and angel lemon pudding with meringue on top. I stayed the night in Hyde
Park at a very cut little “inn” called Costello’s (www.costellosguesthouse.com) right
off highway 9.
In the morning I walked
the grounds of the nearby Vanderbilt Mansion down to the Hudson River
– a glorious walk. Stopped at Cranberry
Bakery for a scone and coffee before heading back to Sleepy Hollow for a tour
of Kykuit, Dutch for “lockout”, the Rockefeller Estate built in 1908 by J. D.
Rockefeller, situated on the highest point in the Pocantico Hills overlooking
the Hudson River. I had about 20 minutes before the tour
started so walked around the nearby Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery
where Washington Irving is buried.
In its classical revival
Georgian form, Kykuit is considered rather modest compared to other estates
nearby as the Rockefellers are Baptist.
Nelson, former governor of New
York, was an avid art collector and his exceptional
collection of paintings, sculptures, etc. spill out of the house into the
beautiful gardens below.
Afterwards I drove up to
the Union Church known for its famous stained glass windows created by Marc
Chagall and the rose window created by Henri Matisse. The tour explained the story behind each
window and enhanced the knowledge of the Rockefeller legacy.
Later in the afternoon I
took a tour of the Philipsburg Manor, which, in 1750, was a thriving milling,
trading center owned by the Philipses, a family of Anglo-Dutch merchants. The tour of the 300 year old manor house and
quarters where 23 enslaved Africans lived was very enlightening. Some hands on activities for kids as well,
making it a nice family tour.
Dinner at Equus in the
Castle Hotel on the Hudson
was delicious. I had a beet salad with
goat cheese and nuts and hamachi with asparagus and ponzu before driving back
to Hyde Park. I had brought my TomTom GPS with me and
finally figured out how to direct it to New
York so the rest of the trip was easy going as I
didn’t have to worry about getting lost!!!
After walking down to the
Hudson River and breakfasting at Cranberries, I drove to Springwood,
birthplace, lifelong home and burial place of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd
President of the United
States. The estate remained the center of Roosevelt’s life in all stages of his career and he hosted
many famous people there, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in
1939. After a tour of the home, I spent
almost 3 hours in the FDR Memorial Library ajacent, whose permanent exhibits
tell the story of the Roosevelt presidency
beginning in the depth of the great depression and continuing through the new
deal and World War II until his death in 1945.
I took a break for lunch
at Cranberries and then visited Val Kill, “valley-stream” in Dutch, the only
residence Eleanor Roosevelt personally owned.
After FDR’s death, she became an important Democratic party leader and
humanitarian in her own right. She
hosted many world dignitaries such as Winston Churchill, Marshal Tito and
Jawaharlal Nehru in her Val Kill cottage until her death in 1975.
I drove up to Hudson, stopping in
Rhinebeck to have a look around. It’s a
very cute little town filled with many antique shops and great restaurants
where I will return someday!!!
I stayed in Hudson at the Hudson City Bed and Breakfast on Allen Street and,
after checking in, wandered down the main street of Warren to Crimson Sparrow (www.thecrimsonsparrow.com) where I had an outstanding dinner. The food was very creative and I enjoyed
sitting on the patio dining on mackerel sushi, hamachi with watercress and
salmon roe, duck breast with crisp cornbread, corn puree and pickled red onions
and buckwheat cake with gelato and fresh strawberries – all small plates,
exquisitely prepared and beautifully presented!!!
In the morning, I took a
walk around town and stopped at Cafe de la Perche for an almond croissant and
delicious strong coffee. Drove to
Kinderhook to visit Lindenwald, the estate of Martin Van Buren, eighth
president of the United
States.
He purchased this estate in 1839 during his one term as president and it
became his home and farm after retirement.
On over the Rip Van winkle bridge to Catskill to visit the home and
studio of Thomas Cole, a famous Hudson
valley landscape artist but had to return the next day as it was closed. Lastly I visited the Omi outside sculpture
gardens with its nearly 80 works of art by internationally recognized
contemporary and modern artists set over 60 acres of land.
Back to Hudson for a quick tuna sandwich and then a
leisurely walk along Warren Street,
visiting the antique shops and art galleries.
Swoon Kitchenbar (www.swoonkitchenbar.com) for dinner, i.e. beet and goat cheese salad
with arugula and crispy onions and chocolate crème brulee for dessert before
returning to the hotel for the night.
Took a walk to the river
and then had a scone at Café de le Perche before visiting Olana, named for a
fortress-treasure house in ancient Persia, about 10 minutes away. An eclectic castle, Olana was built in 1870
by the famous landscape artist Frederic Church with the help of Calvert
Vaux. Frederic and his wife Isabel were
impressed by the architecture they saw on their travels to the Middle East and upon their return created a villa with
gilt stencilling, Eastern motifs, ceramic tile, etc. It is so magnificent that it must be seen to
be believed!
Back over the bridge to
visit Thomas Cole’s house which made more sense now that I had seen the home of
his brilliant student. Cole was not as
successful as Church or perhaps he didn’t know how to sell himself as
well. Born in England,
Cole emigrated to the U.S.
in 1818. He was the founder of the Hudson River School and known for his realistic and
detailed portrayal of American landscape and wilderness. The “voyage of Life” is one of his
outstanding achievements. It is a series
of paintings that represent an allegory of the four stages of human life: childhood, youth, manhood and old age. He created two sets of these paintings, one
of which is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Stopped in Hyde Park at Cranberries for lunch
and then to Poughkeepsie to walk across the Hudson; however, a storm
was brewing and they closed the bridge so I didn’t get to walk across. I had read mixed reviews about the experience
so wasn’t all that disappointed…
Headed on to West Point and the Thayer Hotel where I stayed the
night. I got a really good deal on
Groupon and the hotel and my room were gorgeous!!! Drove to Cold Spring, a cute little town nearby,
for dinner at Le Bouchon, a little French restaurant on main street. I sat on the patio and had a nicoise salad
with fresh tuna and vanilla crème brulee after wandering around town a
bit. Back to the Thayer to relax and
plan my last day in the Hudson
valley…
In the morning, I took a
walk down to the river with a view of West Point. After breakfast, I drove to the Storm King Art Center,
a 500-acre outdoor art
museum filled with more than 100 pieces of sculpture and land art by
contemporary artists such as David Smith, Roy Lichtenstein (Mermaid), Zhang
Huan (threeleggedbuddha), Maya Lin (Storm King wavefield), etc. After walking around for about 2 hours, I
took the 30 minute tram to view some of the art I couldn’t get to on my own. Absolutely superb!!! Had a quick little cookie at the café and
then on to Croton on Hudson
to visit the Van Constadt house but it was being updated and wouldn’t open
until July…. So, nothing for it but to check into the Alexander Hamilton House
B&B and walk into town.
Croton on Hudson
is a small but cute little town on the Hudson
with a lot of charm. It started to rain
later in the afternoon which cleared away some of the humidity so it was very
pleasant when I walked to Hopscotch for dinner later that evening. A very innovative restaurant with delicious
food, Hopscotch didn’t disappoint. I
enjoyed a half glass of wine with the shredded pork shank topped with small
lukewarm radicchio cups drizzled with blue cheese foam, pappadella with carrot
marinara sprinkled with crunchy pumpkin seed granola, little cheese course and
chocolate mousse with strawberries and rhubarb for dessert. Courses were all small enough to be
thoroughly enjoyed and the waiter was great fun!
In the morning after a
nice walk to the church, I drove back to LGA and returned the car. Bus into the city, checked back into Park79
and took the metro to the Spotted Pig where I had an outstanding grilled 4
cheese sandwich with arugula (YES!!!) and a lemon/lime tart. The new Whitney was just a couple blocks away
so viewed the American Art exhibit on four floors. They had taken the museum’s art and arranged
it by time periods, i.e. depression, industrial revolution, Vietnam war,
etc. Really quite interesting. Afterward I walked the high line, a 1.45 mile
long linear park built on an elevated section of a railroad spur complete with
trees, benches, cafes, etc. Quite
elegant.
Wandered through Chelsea
Market and then returned to the hotel to regroup. Dinner at Buddakan on Ninth Avenue, a very popular Asian
restaurant with a long menu of small and large plates. I sat upstairs where the action seemed to be
and had spicy tuna spring rolls, pancakes with short ribs and apples and an
outrageous “crying chocolate” dessert composed of a warm chocolate tart, ganache,
espresso ice cream and caramel.
After my walk and
breakfast in the morning, I took the subway to the Bronz/New York City Botanical
Gardens.
It was a lovely day and the rose garden was beautiful, the azaleas were
in bloom, etc. Gotham Bar & Grill
for a simple fixe lunch, i.e. escarole, snow pea salad with grapes and dried
cherries, roasted halibut with fingerling potatoes and a warm chocolate cake
with crème fraiche before visiting the Cooper-Hewitt Museum on 91st
street where they had a very interesting exhibit on poster art.
Leisurely walked across
central park to my hotel. Later that
evening I had a fun dinner at Beauty and Essez. There is a jewelry pawnshop as the store front
selling jewelry and some of the waitresses also wear jewelry for sale. At this bustling, lively place with its great
vibes, I had a yummy kale salad with
apples, pancetta, candied pecans and grated Parmesan and three spicy tuna
wonton tacos – perfect after my hearty lunch.
In the morning I checked
out and walked down Columbus,
around the park, visited the folk art museum and the McKenzie-Child store. Lunch nearby at Telepin, i.e. blini with
smoked trout, pan roasted fresh trout with spinach salad and chocolate brownie
for dessert. Picked up my luggage and
took the metro to the M60 bus which took me to LGA where my flight left at 4:00
p.m. getting me into SNA about 9:30 p.m.
It was a really nice trip, especially the drive up into the Hudson Valley
which I will surely do again!!!
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