Valley Girls

This is the tale of my recent road trip through New York’s Hudson River Valley.  I enjoyed four days of scenic vistas, historical sites, and fabulous food.  But what made it extra special was that I got to spend so much time with my traveling companion, Audrey.  Our friendship goes back to the early 1960s when I started studying piano with Audrey on Long Island. 

We set out early from Audrey’s house in West Hempstead – no, the plan was to leave early but actually, it was late morning on a beautiful summer day when we finally got underway.   Audrey was at the wheel.  Perhaps I should mention that Audrey is an extremely vigorous 87 years old who still teaches, performs, and attends concerts regularly in New York City.  However, she has limited vision in one eye.  I offered to drive but Audrey insisted that she was perfectly fine with daytime driving.  

Putting aside my concerns, I focused on the view.  Riding through the streets of my childhood hometown brought back so many memories. We passed my old high school, which looked exactly as I remembered.  A glimpse of Hall’s Pond transported me back decades in time.  When I was a young child, my mother would bring me there to feed the ducks.  It’s also where I first wobbled across the ice in a pair skates on a freezing winter day.  Just across the road from the pond, there used to be Carvel ice cream stand.  We often got ice cream cakes there for my summer birthday. 

But before I could get too sentimental about Carvel, a sign for the Southern State Parkway caught my attention.  My heart started racing as we drove down the entrance ramp.  I never imagined that an ordinary highway would trigger such strong feelings.  I couldn’t stop picturing my mother, once again young, at the wheel of our 1955 Chevy. Of course, there was no air conditioning back in those days and I could almost feel the wind blowing in through the open windows of the car.  I had visions of handing my mother a dime for the toll and of scrambling around in the back seat with my very annoying younger brother.

By the time we crossed the Whitestone Bridge into the Bronx, I was in full-blown nostalgia mode.  I recalled those enormous high-rise apartment complexes, so emblematic of New York, and the dingy, gritty industrial buildings near the highway.  Soon, however, we found ourselves in the wooded landscape of Westchester County, on the east bank of the Hudson River.  Now I had to busy myself with navigating our way to the first stop on our road trip, the Union Church of Pocantico Hills just outside the historic village of Tarrytown. This small Gothic Revival church was built for the Rockefeller family and opened in 1921.  If you’re interested in stained glass, it is well worth a stop, as it features windows by Matisse and Chagall.  As our guide explained, the Rockefellers commissioned the windows from Matisse, who died shortly after designing the rose window.  Chagall, who was a friend of Matisse, offered to design the remaining nine windows based on Old and New Testament stories.  Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the church.

We were definitely away from the big city now, and cell reception was spotty at best.  Once I was able to pick up a signal, I was able to get us en route to our next destination.  There are several possible roads we could have taken to go from Tarrytown to Hyde Park. My navigation app said that the fastest route, at a little over an hour, would be the Taconic State Parkway.  In hindsight, I wish we hadn’t chosen to take the Taconic.  It may have been the fastest route, but the road was a series of twisting curves.  The lanes were very narrow and traffic was zipping along well above the speed limit.  Since there was no shoulder on the roadside, we were traveling inches from a wall of sheer rock.  It was a white-knuckle ride all the way to our exit in Dutchess County.  

Since we’d gotten off to a late start, it was already the middle of the afternoon and we were starving. Since we couldn’t check into our B&B for another couple of hours, we went in search of lunch.  On the Albany Post Road that runs through town, we saw the Ever Ready Diner, but after the harrowing ride, we needed to treat ourselves to something a little fancier.  A quick detour off the main road brought us to the Culinary Institute of America, a training institution for professional chefs and a foodie mecca.  People make reservations months in advance to dine in one of their many celebrated restaurants.  In fact, I had already made a reservation for Audrey and me to eat lunch the following day at Caterina de Medici, their Italian restaurant.  

Main building on the CIA campus

Fortunately, their casual Apple Pie Bakery Café didn’t require reservations.  While we waited for a table to free up (the café was packed), we browsed in the CIA’s well-equipped shop, with its displays of clothing, kitchen items, cookbooks, etc. 

Display at the entrance to the Apple Pie Bakery Café 

Lunch exceeded our expectations, both visually and taste-wise.  Salmon poké bowls, sweet potato fries with honey mustard dipping sauce, and finally an operetta cake (filled with lemon curd, pistachio and poppy seeds) to end the meal.  Before we left the café, we even picked up take-out salads for an eat-in dinner at our B&B.  

Poké bowl

Operetta cake 

Take-out items from the Apple Pie Bakery Café 

Our B&B, Journey Inn, was just a short drive up Albany Post Road, directly across from the entrance to the Vanderbilt estate.   After a warm welcome from the innkeepers, Audrey and I settled into our comfortable and well-furnished suite.  As we were both eager to stretch our legs after the lengthy car ride, we strolled the grounds of the Vanderbilt estate until the oppressive heat and humidity drove us back to the air-conditioned comfort of our inn.  

 

Just inside the gates of the Vanderbilt estate

The following morning, after a wonderful breakfast served family style at our B&B (peach half with pistachio crumb topping on island of yogurt cream, veggie frittata and cornbread), we continued our exploration of the Hudson River Valley with a visit to the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park.  We began by touring Springwood mansion (aka “the big house”), where Franklin was born and raised.  It is also where he, Eleanor and their children made their home along with Franklin’s mother (the actual owner of the estate).  I took a photo of the mansion’s kitchen so I could show my children what an old-fashioned ice box looked like.  Elliott had told them that his parents used an ice box for several years when he was growing up. 

Outside the Visitors' Center at FDR Historic Site

"The Big House"

The mansion's kitchen with ice box

Audrey and I made a brief visit to the gardens, where Franklin and Eleanor are buried, and then cooled off inside the on-site museum where we saw an excellent exhibit of World War 2 poster art. Some of the art was familiar, such as Norman Rockwell’s series of the Four Freedoms and a version of Montgomery Flagg’s Uncle Sam (“I Want You”) poster.  But the poster I hadn’t seen before was the most memorable, given the anti-immigrant sentiment espoused by certain national figures today.  

World War 2 poster 

Then it was time to head back to the Culinary Institute for lunch at Caterina de’ Medici.  The sky had turned dark, the wind was whipping the trees, and fat raindrops had just started to fall as we ducked into the gold-toned Tuscan villa that houses the restaurant.  I sipped a glass of Italian rosé as I considered the menu options.  I could easily have made a meal from the wine along with the crusty bread and excellent extra virgin olive oil that our server brought to the table.  But there were plenty of tempting choices.  As we sampled our first courses – a salad of local heirloom tomatoes and burrata, and a pasta dish with pesto, white beans and potatoes, thunder crackled outside and rain pounded against the windows.  We shared a main course of wild salmon, cooked very rare, as requested. It was served on a bed of polenta and garnished with seasonal vegetables.  For dessert, I chose an affogato and biscotti, while Audrey selected a flourless chocolate torte. 

The dining room at Caterina de' Medici

The rain had just about stopped when we finished our meal close to two hours later.  We were so pleased with our two dining experiences at the CIA that before we left the campus, we made a reservation to eat lunch the following day at The Bocuse Restaurant, the school’s modern French restaurant. 

Although the skies still looked threatening, we hurried over to Val-Kill, a National Historic Site associated with Eleanor Roosevelt.  Located about 2 miles east of “the big house,” Val-Kill Cottage is cozy and unpretentious – the complete opposite of the Springwood mansion. With its pond, woods, and stable, the Val-Kill property was Eleanor’s favored retreat.  Here, she frequently entertained family and friends. In addition, Val-Kill served as the center for her impassioned advocacy work.  Political leaders from around the world, as well as U.S. politicians, were invited to discuss issues such as social welfare, civil rights, and world peace. Val-Kill is where Eleanor Roosevelt met with Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy in 1960.  I learned a lot about this amazing woman from the exhibits and our tour guide.  I struck me how very different our country would be today if our current leaders followed in her footsteps.  

Entrance to the Val-Kill cottage

The living room at Val-Kill

The next morning, after another wonderful breakfast (mixed berries with crunch granola topping nestling beside a pillow of honey-sweetened Greek yogurt, a generous wedge of tomato-basil-goat cheese quiche, and a cranberry orange scone), we crossed the road to the Vanderbilt estate.  This property is another National Historic Site.  Back in the late 1800s, the Vanderbilt family maintained a lavish home in New York City and used their estate in Hyde Park as a country getaway. The Hyde Park mansion, built in 1895, may not be the size of Versailles, but Mrs. Vanderbilt used the French royal palace as her inspiration for decorating.  I was actually more interested in the gardens and grounds, which extend down to the Hudson River.  As a National Park Site, the estate is open to the public, and many local residents use its trails for running, dog walking, and bicycling. 

The Vanderbilt country house 

Mrs. V's bedroom 

View of the Hudson River from the Vanderbilt estate

On day three of our trip, we returned to CIA for the third and final time for our French lunch at The Bocuse Restaurant, named for the celebrated chef Paul Bocuse.  The prix fixe menu was a great deal.  I started off with a glass of Cotes du Rhone.  Once again, there was marvelous bread, this time with butter.  My first course was a chilled white gazpacho.  The base of the soup was cucumbers, ground almonds and yogurt.  The server brought it out in a small pitcher, which he poured over a garlicky mixture of shrimp, tomatoes, and fresh herbs sitting at the bottom of a shallow soup bowl.  As final touch, the soup was punctuated with carbonated grapes. Without a doubt, it was the best cold soup I’ve ever tasted, and it was the perfect way to start a meal on a hot summer day.  

Whenever I’m in a French restaurant, I think back to the many meals I shared in France with Elliott, who was a big fan of French cuisine.  He must have been whispering in my ear when I made my selections from the menu because I ordered one of his favorites as my main course.  The menu description listed lamb and eggplant, along with bulgur, haricots verts, chanterelles, figs and sumac yogurt.  However, I didn’t expect the visually stunning creation that was placed in front of me.  The baby rib chop, the lamb meatballs snuggling in the half of baby eggplant, the tiny summer squashes – all of it was as delicious as it was beautiful.  Audrey was equally enamored of her main course. There was nothing ordinary about chicken breast, pole beans, tender kale, and morels in a richly flavored sauce.  Dessert was a chocolate torte with pistachio crunch and cassis sorbet.  Two hours later, we staggered out of the restaurant.  Please, if you are ever within driving distance of Hyde Park, stop and eat at the CIA. You will not regret it.  

For an afternoon excursion, we drove north on the Albany Post Road about 15 minutes to the town of Rhinebeck. After visits to so many historic sites, I was ready for a little self-indulgent shopping in Rhinebeck’s charming downtown.  It certainly didn’t take long for me to make a couple of purchases.  Since we’d eaten such a big lunch, we opted for a relatively light dinner at the Market Street Restaurant in Rhinebeck.  We shared a couple of salads (arugula, artichoke, Parmesan; endive, apple, pear, goat cheese); a couple of warm sides (white beans with herbs; roasted vegetables); and an extremely generous serving of gelati (one scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and hazelnut) for dessert.  On second thought, maybe that doesn’t exactly qualify as a light dinner!     

In Rhinebeck's compact downtown area

On our final morning, I awoke early and tiptoed down to the inn’s inviting sitting room.  One entire wall was bookshelves. I scanned the shelves, noting numerous volumes on cooking and travel as well as fiction and a broad range of non-fiction.  The New York Times and several magazines were laid out on tables.  I poured myself a mug of coffee (already available at 6:30 am) and listened to the birds chirping in the sunshine outside the windows.  As I sipped the rich brew and felt the peace of the morning caress me, a thought occurred to me.  There were so many of interesting sights in the area, but it would be very tempting to spend a day inside here at Journey Inn, sitting in one of those comfy chairs and leafing through books (that Historical Atlas could keep me occupied for hours) and magazines – without any sightseeing on the agenda at all.  I made a mental note to return in the fall or winter.  I can’t imagine a better place to be trapped inside on a rainy or snowy day, with a fire in the fireplace and a batch of innkeeper Val’s homemade cookies to keep me company.    

 

One of the common areas at Journey Inn

After another great breakfast (melons with mint, locally-sourced bangers, lemon poppy seed muffin, and an apricot cherry clafoutisthat triggered memories of the South of France), I took a short walk to the nearby post office.  It’s not that I had something to mail, but I’d heard that the post office contained murals painted in the 1930s when the government was paying artists to create works of art in public places.  Nineteen panels inside the small stone building showed local scenes ranging from the anchoring of a Dutch ship in 1609 to the President and Mrs. Roosevelt picnicking with the King and Queen of England at their Hyde Park home in 1939.  

The Hyde Park post office, site of the WPA murals

I wouldn’t have minded another couple of days to explore further afield, including on the other side of the Hudson River.  But it was time to load up the car and drive back towards the suburbs of New York City.  Once again, Audrey at the wheel and I was the navigator.  This time, however, thanks to some last minute research, I was able to find a route that avoided the “terrifying” Taconic.  For all of you who live in the New York metropolitan area, I highly recommend a road trip through the Hudson River Valley.