Arriving in the Big City

The last stop on our tour of the Hudson Valley... the one and only New York City.  I adore this one-of-a-kind-full-of-chaos place.  I hope one day to live in this bustling town, for a limited amount of time, of course.  I love how exciting it is here, it is filled with so many wonderful things to do, to see and to eat!  When we arrived in the city, we were met with a thick, low, ceiling of fog that enveloped most of the city.  Luckily, I had taken lots of pictures last time I toured the town CLICK HERE to see those pictures, and a much younger looking me! 

We took a little stroll through central park

One thing that I was looking forward to seeing was the 9/11 memorial.  Construction had just barely begun when I visited in 2010, so I was excited to see how far it had come in just three short years.  It's beautiful, somber, and peaceful all at the same time.  That day has etched itself into history and into all of our minds.  Reading the names of the people who lost their lives that day, made those tragic events feel a more real.  As I walked around the fountains, I thought of their families, I thought of all the calls home made from the planes and the loving words that were spoken, I pondered what that day would have been like for the thousands of New Yorkers that were so close, and all the firefighters and policemen that heroically answered the call.  While it is extremely heartbreaking to think about, I personally think it is important to remember and acknowledge those people, so I was grateful for the opportunity to visit the memorial.

Roses are placed by the names of people who would have been celebrating birthdays on that day.  I thought that was beautiful.

"Trinity Root"

This sculpture is made of bronze encased roots of a 70 year old sycamore tree that was across the street from the twin towers.  The tree absorbed the shockwaves, which a physicist has compared to those of a small nuclear bomb, and was laying in such a way as to shield historic St. Paul's Chapel at Trinity Church and its ancient tombstones from falling debris. The tree, which even took a hit from an I-beam, seemed the only positive story that came out of the tragic events that day... Titled the "Trinity Root," the 13' high x 20' diameter bronze sculpture of the "tree that saved the church," graces the corner of Wall Street and Broadway as a symbol of hope and renewal.  The Trinity Root 9/11 Memorial has been quietly embraced by the approximately 1.5 million visitors from both the city and around the world.

Tonight was our farewell dinner.  Our Hudson river tour had come to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to all our fellow travelers.  We began the evening by having drinks and appetizers in the lounge at our hotel in Times Square.  We had a perfect view of crowded square from 8 stories up.

Then we headed up to the 39th floor to have dinner at The View, the only rotating restaurant in New York City.  I was so excited, I had never eaten in a rotating restaurant before and I was thrilled to get to experience what it's like.  It's fun, and I loved it.

A map of the buildings we floated past throughout the night

Boscobel, West Point & Terry Town

Today we visited Boscobel, which is a beautiful estate over looking the hudson river.  The house is a wonderful example of the Federal Style of American architecture.  The house was built in the early nineteenth century by States Dyckman who was a decedent of the Dutch settlers from Manhattan.  I love visiting these historic homes, I adore their classic architecture and interior designs.  I especially loved the delicate ornamentation on the front facade, it's gorgeous!

This is the view from the house, these pictures do not do it justice.  It was the most serene, peaceful landscape, I could have studied it for hours.  After seeing a scene like this, I totally understand the hudson river school of art's style of painting on a whole new level.

The estate has quite a few different gardens, we got to see the rose gardens and the apple orchards, they are beautiful surroundings for such a charming house.

After our time at Boscobel, we took a tour of West Point Military Academy, while cruising the Hudson River.  Originally, we were supposed to take a walking tour of the Academy, but the lovely government shut down made it so that was no longer an option.  I rather enjoyed touring it from the river, it was relaxing.  It's such a huge facility, a walking tour would have been exhausting. 

After our Hudson river cruise, we continued down the valley to Shady Hallow.  Here we took a tour of the magnificent Kykuit, the Rockefeller Mansion.  The picture below is from when we took our first tour of this amazing estate back in 2010.  I took so many pictures during that visit and the weather was so much better.  We also had a more inclusive tour the first time around, so I didn't take any pictures this time.  CLICK HERE to view my post about this amazing mansion.  Trust me, you want to see what this place is like.

As you can tell the weather was rather gloomy and dark during this visit to Sleepy Hallow.  I am so glad I had visited before, because it really is quite a charming little town.  CLICK HERE to see my post of what we did last time we visited.  Again, you'll be glad you did, because we had a lot of fun last time!

On our way to our hotel in Terry Town, our guide told us she had a little surprise visit for us.  I love surprises!  We stopped off at this tiny church, kind of in the middle of nowhere, to see something amazing.....

... Windows done by CHAGALL and MATISSE!  What a hidden treasure.  This church is called the union church of Pocantico Hills and has 9 windows created by Marc Chagall and the last work Henri Matisse completed before his death, a beautiful rose window.

The design for this rose window was Matisse's last work of art before his death in 1954. The commission, spearheaded by Nelson A. Rockefeller, honors the memory of his mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Mrs. Rockefeller, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art, admired Matisse, collected his work, and entertained him in her home in New York City.

The glorious Good Samaritan window by Marc Chagall, the centerpiece of this humble church, is a memorial to Abby Aldrich Rockefeller's husband, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Their son David Rockefeller masterminded the commission in 1963, which later expanded to include all eight windows in the nave of the church. They memorialize, among others, Michael Clark Rockefeller, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, Peggy Rockefeller (Mrs. David Rockefeller), and Mary Rockefeller (Mrs. Laurance Rockefeller). Chagall and members of the Rockefeller family carefully selected the subject matter for the windows from Biblical texts.

Mohonk Mountain House

The Monhonk Mountain House is a historic American resort located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York.  It's prominent location in the town of New Paltz is just beyond the southern border of the Catskill Mountains on the western side of the Hudson River.  The historic resort is located on the shore of Lake Mohonk, which is half of a mile long and 60 feet deep. The main structure, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.  This magnificent hotel was built by Quaker twin brothers Albert and Alfred Smiley between 1879 and 1910. It has 259 guest rooms, an indoor pool and spa, and an outdoor ice-skating rink for winter use. 

This hotel is absolutely wonderful.  All of it's long, wide decks are lined with rocking chairs, there are romantic gazeboes scattered all over the grounds with breath taking views of the Lake, there are tons of hiking trails, row boats are available for rent, and they have the most gorgeous hidden garden.  It was an absolute dream staying here and enjoying the beauty of Mohonk Lake and the majestic Mountain House, and we seemed to of hit it at the most spectacular time of year, all the leaves and climbing vines were in their stunning fall colors.

The inside of the hotel is very rustic and victorian.  The rooms are cozy and quaint complete with a fireplace but no TV, they don't want their guests wasting their stay here watching the news or pointless sitcoms.  Pictured below is my adorable little room.  Every room also has a nice big balcony with two rocking chairs.  My room faced the Catskill mountain range that Washington Irving made famous in his short story, "Rip Van Winkle."

The back of the hotel faces the Lake.  We did quite a bit of exploring in the wonderful back grounds of the resort.  One morning we took a hike up to the tower.  We got the most marvelous views of the lake, the hotel as well as the mountains in the distance.

We would have loved to have taken one of these boats out on a little ride around the lake, but alas we didn't have enough time.  Looks like I will just have to come back.

The view from the top of the tower.

Their gardens are located just a little walk from the main buildings.  They are gorgeous.  Their dalias were so beautiful!  

On our second day at Mohonk Lake, we went into town for lunch.  We ate at Arielle, the most adorable little french restaurant.  Their food was delicious and their decor was beyond charming.