Month: July 2017

Last Night at Half Moon Bay

July 6, 2017    Thursday

Life is never simple, we should have received Rick’s new phone yesterday but complications were such that there was no one at the marina that could sign for the package. This morning he called the local Federal Express and they said his package would be waiting for him at their office. He drove 15 miles to Elmsford, New York to pick up his new phone, however, when he arrived they could not find the package. Finally, they had found the package but would not let him have it because the address on his driver’s licenses did not match the address of the marina, go figure. An hour and a half later he finally left with his package.

As we all know, most gray clouds have a silver lining, after running errands and returning the rental car we returned to the marina to meet fellow loopers aboard m/v Donna Mae and m/v Tango Papa. At docktails, we had a great time sharing tall tales with Derek, Lori, Tom and Paula on Donna Mae. Great people with lots of humor, we are still laughing at their stories.

Another beautiful sunset!

New York City, New York

July 5, 2017, Thursday

We took the train to Grand Central Station to spend a fun-packed day in the city. A stroll down Broadway, lunch at Trattoria Trecolori, entertainment at the Gershwin theater and a walk in Central Park.

The Broadway play Wicked is hilariously funny and extremely thought-provoking. It powerfully shows how the reaction of people to news can change the course of history.  What a clever twist on the Wizard of Oz. Loved it!

Connecticut, Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park

July 2-3, 2017  Sunday & Monday

The last two days we enjoyed a drive thru beautiful Connecticut and the sites around Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park, New York. At Poughkeepsie we had an inspiring walk at Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, the walk included a walkway spanning the Hudson River. At 212 feet tall and 1.28 miles long, it is the longest, elevated pedestrian bridge in the world.

Next, we visited Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site which includes Springwood, the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of the 32nd President of the United States, our only four -term president. The two-mile walk down Roosevelt Farm Lane to Val-Kill certainly gave us a strong sense of Eleanor Roosevelt’s love of nature and simplicity. Val-Kill was Eleanor Roosevelt’s main home from 1945 until her death in 1962. This site originated as Val-Kill Industries, a social experiment designed to provide local farmers and their families with necessary crafting skills to supplement their income. Mrs. Roosevelt championed social welfare and civil rights and her Val-Kill Industries experiment was a prototype for the New Deal programs of President Roosevelt. It was to Val-Kill that John F. Kennedy went to seek Eleanor Roosevelt’s support as the 1960 Democratic nominee, she consented only after he agreed to make civil rights part of his platform.

Unfortunately, the Vanderbilt Mansion is undergoing exterior reconstruction which took away part of the grandeur but still is an excellent example of a gilded-age country place, illustrating the political, social, and cultural changes that occurred after the Civil War. The Italian Garden is stunning.

A note about the word kill, which we see everywhere; Val-Kill, Fishkill, Peerskill. It comes from the Middle Dutch kille, meaning “riverbed” or “water channel”. The term is used in areas of Dutch influence in the Delaware and Hudson Valleys.

After all this touring we needed a bit of nourishment, so we stopped at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) which has four restaurants where students learn by doing. We were headed for Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici, regrettably it was closed due to the holiday weekend. We refocused our pallets and enjoyed the wonderful meal at Apple Pie Bakery Café which serves excellent soups and sandwiches. Some famous chefs that went to the CIA: Anthony Bourdain, Cat Cora, Rocco DiSpirito, Richard Blais, Grant Achatz, Michael Symon, and Marcel Vigneron.

At the end of the day, the gorgeous setting and architecture of Marist College drew us in. Built in 1929, Marist College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college. We had a great time talking with students fishing off the pier and watching the large gaggle of geese playing along the rock edges of the Hudson.

USN Blue Angels & more!

June 30 – July 1-2, 2017  Friday – Sunday

Rick’s phone died, buried at sea, and we are waiting for delivery of his new phone. Since we will be here for at least a week we have rented a car and are enjoying the rich heritage of the area.

New Croton Dam which has a stunning spillway that is part artificial and part natural. Built in the late 1800’s, the dam supplies New York City 19 billion gallons of water, about three percent of New York City water system’s total storage and provides the public access to a beautiful park and hiking trail.

USN Blue Angels soar the skies at the New York Air Show, an amazing event. On our way home we visited West Point, the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. We were astonished by the beauty of the buildings and scenery. At Trophy Point, a scenic overlook of the Hudson River, there is a collection of cannons that were captured from early American history wars and pieces of the huge chain stretched across the Hudson to prevent British Ships from continuing further up the Hudson. This is where Benedict Arnold, at the time commander of the fortifications at West Point, betrayed his country and rowed out to a British warship to defect.