The World Trade Center

No trip to New York can ignore the memories of Sept. 11, 2001. We took an audio tour of the visitor’s center and across the enclosed bridges that connect the remaining buildings. The audio was narrated by people who were in or near the WTC and by family members of the fire brigades. This was a solemn and moving moment for all of us. The image above is of a bronze wall memorial on the side of the Firehouse that is directly across the street from where the WTC stood.


Leaving the WTC Visitor’s Center, we set out in various groups to see the city. With our CitySights pass we hopped to the top of double decker busses. From our perches we had a bird’s eye view of Lower Manhattan, Midtown, and Brooklyn.


Jerry and I left the busses to hoof it about midtown stopping for a Mongolian BBQ lunch. When we needed a break, we just got back on the bus. Eventually, we found ourselves at Zabar’s, probably the best food and cookware store in the entire country. We stocked up on such necessities as lox, white fish, croissants, and rolls. We also did the typical NYC dinner, takeout from Zabar’s, yum.

New York, New York

We had an uneventful relocation to New Jersey, right across from NYC and we spent our first evening aboard the boat. The Spirit of New Jersey cruised up and down the Hudson River giving us the opportunity to admire one of the greatest cities in the world. We again enjoyed a buffet dinner, one that also included crowning our caravan mates Jerry and Jackie king and queen of the cruise for their 55 years of marriage. Jim and Nancy came in second with 52 years.



Dinner was nice but totally outshone by the setting, NYC viewed at dusk and evening from the Hudson River. Clear skies and warm weather provided us a delightful setting for enjoying one of the greatest views in the world. We rode under bridges, in front of Ellis Island, and up close to the Statue of Liberty. The thesaurus went back to work to provide the right words to describe our panorama, glittering, shimmering, sparkling, glistening, dazzling, brilliant. This evening is on the list for best moments of our Hudson River Caravan.

Rainy Day

A combination of Hurricane Danny, and storms from the north and west cancelled our plans for the day so we did what we do so well, we ate. Starting with a team breakfast of omelettes boiled in ziploc bags, fruit, and some of Brenda’s tasty muffins.

We took advantage of the day to do chores, relax and play games. It was rather nice to take time off.


Our reward for the quiet day was dinner at the 1766 Beekman Arms, the oldest inn in the US. We entered through the flower lined walkway into rooms paneled with rich mahogany. There we dined well on steak, tilapia or duck followed by a difficult choice between cheesecake and chocolate explosion cake. We happily rolled out feeling the day was a success no matter what we did or did not do. We had dined.

Our ride to West Point along the mountainous shoreline of the Hudson was marred only by the increasing rain. After proving our identities with security, we took a narrated bus tour around the Point learning about its military position in the Revolutionary War. Washington built the fort to block the British from dividing the colonies.



The Cadet Chapel was described as military gothic with its vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows donated by graduating classes. A candle in a front pew burns to honor MIAs and POWs. It has the world’s largest pipe organ in a religious building with 23,500 pipes. The Lutheran Chapel has plaques honoring historical West Point graduates with George Washington the most prominent. Both Benedict Arnold’s name and date of death were rubbed out by a cadet who wanted to remove the traitor from a place of honor. We drove past both the Catholic and Jewish Chapels.




The cemetery is primarily for graduates, their spouse and one child. Among the names are Abner Doubleday of baseball fame, Sylvanius Thayer who made West Point the educational institution it is today, and Thaddeus Kosciuszko the Polish fortification engineer during the Revolutionary War. The most visited site in the cemetery is of Mickey Marcus, the West Point graduate who helped create the Israeli Army. The grave markers frequently have small stones atop them indicating that someone has come to pay respect. This is a custom borrowed from a Jewish tradition. A monument stands over the river with canons bearing the names of the battles the Army has fought.

After another delicious buffet luncheon at the Thayer Hotel (founded by former graduates), we spent time touring the West Point Museum with its displays of ancient and modern weaponry and wars.





It’s difficult to believe, but we had to eat again. This time it was pizza at the campground and cakes to honor birthdays and anniversaries celebrated during the caravan. Some people got a bit “physical” during the celebration.

Farmers Market

You’d think with all the eating we have done that we would be sated. No, we were just out of food, so we headed to a couple of local farmer’s markets. There we loaded up with tomatoes, melons, corn, eggplant, and, most important of all, pies.





In the afternoon we visited the Dutch town of New Paltz which was settled by Huegenots seeking religious freedom in New Amsterdam. Twelve families bought 50,000 acres in the area from the Escopus Indians and built seven homes in a six acre village in 1678. The balance of the property was devoted to farming. We were able to tour two of the homes. The Hasbrouck home had been enlarged and rebuilt but contains much original or period furnishings. The Dayo family lost the home to foreclosure as did a later purchaser. Bought and remodeled by the Brodhead’s, it was decorated as the home of a socially prominent couple in the early 1900s. Two other homes and the church are also open for touring


Those pies were destined as dessert after our fabulous bbq ribs dinner prepared by Chef Mitch and his crew. With side dishes of special potato salad, beans and local corn, we had to be careful to save room for the pies filled with apples, peaches, cherries or raspberries. Debates about which were better went on late into the night.

The Culinary Institute of America

The CIA (New York not Washington, DC) is delicious, savory, mouthwatering, delectable, heavenly, luscious, scrumptious, toothsome, yummy, etc. It took a thesaurus of words to describe the luncheon we enjoyed after our tour of the CIA. Founded in 1946, it is dedicated to providing the world with outstanding chefs. The school has two sections, culinary arts and baking and pastry. Students specialize in one or the other. Then they go on to restaurants and hotels or get further degrees in the field.



Some of us just could not wait for the tour or the lunch. We had to try something now and the Apple Pie Bakery just fit the bill.



Our tour took us in front of large windows of demonstration kitchens that let us see students in action and past lecture halls where note taking alternated with wine tastings. The class that appealed most was chocolate because the students had to take home their creations at the end of the day.




Walking the halls of the CIA caused us to build up quite an appetite. This was sated at Catrina de Medici where we started with crepes with spinach and ricotta followed by pork loin for Jerry and salmon topped with tomato bruschette for Anna Lee. Our Torta di Cioccolato con Panna Montata was a plate-licking flourless chocolate cake

With satisfied palates, we then raided the gift store buying cookbooks and utensils. I have to be the only person who bought a thesaurus at the CIA, but what a storehouse of goodies for me.

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

The Vanderbilt’s, starting with “The Commodore,” rose from modest means to the very richest of the very richest. Making most of his money in shipping and railroads, the Commodore was the one who standardized track gauge, created a continuous track from New York to Chicago and made the trains run on time. He and his descendants built forty-three mansions, with the one we saw in Hyde Park being the smallest.

Built in 1895 by Frederick and Louise for $2.25 million, the mansion has fifty-four rooms and is a modest 56,000 square feet. It has central heating, flush toilets, and was the first to have electricity (even before neighbor FDR). The couple had no children and their niece tried to sell the property in the late ‘30s for as little as $250,000. With no buyers, she donated it to the National Park Service where today it is a prime example of the Gilded Age.

Hyde Park

We spent a day with the Roosevelt’s starting with an excellent tour of Springwood, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home from childhood. As an only child, FDR lived a most privileged life doted upon by his mother Sara. After college he returned to the home with his new bride Eleanor. The house contains his collection of birds he had shot, naval pictures, political cartoons and an extensive library. Through his terms as Governor of New York and President of the United States, it remained his home.



Eleanor was never comfortable in the home run by her mother-in-law so Franklin helped design her own home known at Val-Kill. Where Springwood was a more stately manor, Val-Kill was a comfortable cottage, though originally it was a factory where local men, unemployed during the Great Depression, learned to make furniture. Eleanor entertained such luminaries as Churchill, Nehru, Khrushchev and a young candidate named John F. Kennedy. She continued to live in the home until her death. Both FDR and Eleanor are buried in the rose garden near Springwood.




The Stone Cottage near Val-Kill was home to Eleanor’s assistants and later her son.

The library and museum chronicle his early political career through his four terms as president. The private study and oval office desk contain items from his time in the White House. The map room where he followed the action of World War II is replicated in life scale.

Dinner at the Brewster's

As mention repeatedly, this caravan is well fed. We were the fortunate guests at the beautiful home of Jack and Terri Brewster. He is first vice-president of Monaco International. It may not be listed in his official duties, but he and his wife treated us to an amazing dinner of hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs and chicken accompanied by four salads, beans, and corn. The green salad included savory tomatoes from their garden. The vegetable garden also contributed zucchini to a wonderful zucchini bread. Dessert was as colorful as it was delicious. We send them a huge thanks for such generous hospitality.
















On a side note, it is great to travel the country with a personal chef and Mitch is ours. Great cooking sir.

Relocation Day

We left Saratoga for Plattekill, near the Catskills. According to leader Steve, Kill is Dutch for waterway. Today is a day of rest in preparation for going non stop from here on out.

This is a good time to explain a caravan for those of you who do not know what we are doing. If you do know, feel free to skip this explanation.


Our caravan consists of sixteen motorhomes following leaders who worked for over a year to plan our trip. These leaders are volunteers who work to develop a route filled with outstanding sites to visit, meals to relish and campsites that we can fit into. Generally the caravan is based upon a theme, this one the 400th year celebration of Henry Hudson going up the river. There are paid professionals who do these same trips for a lot of money but they are no more “professional” than our volunteer leaders. To say this is a lot of work is an understatement; but the leaders call it a “labor of love.”

We travel in waves, four coaches to a wave, so as not to obstruct traffic. Each wave leader has a map of our fairly brief route. We stay in touch via walkie talkies and cell phones. Getting lost is a rare occurrence. The first wave consists of “parkers” who are responsible for helping everyone get into their site without incident. The parkers help each other first for practice.

In addition to meals at places described in the blog, teams from the caravan take turns preparing several breakfasts and dinners. It is surprising how many great cooks can prepare gourmet meals in a motorhome kitchen. Tonight we enjoyed an Italian dinner with a large salad, ziti, meatballs, bread and an array of lush desserts, all but the desserts prepared in the wee kitchens of a motorhome.

As we go out each day to see more and more historic and cultural sites, we carpool in our tow vehicles. The leaders have set up a rotating list so that we all get to travel together at least once on the trip. This gives us a chance to get better acquainted.

We also socialize most evenings as a group, sharing libations and appetizers. Some of us arrived as strangers but at the end of the caravan we all leave as great friends looking forward to future travels together.

And They’re Off

As mentioned earlier, Saratoga Springs is horse race center during August. The facility looks great for hundred-year-old track. The buildings and lawns overflowed with about 30,000 racing fans. We were fortunate to have our own area in the Paddock Tent where we again enjoyed a great buffet lunch and watched the saddling of the horses right out the window. Everyone got a free long sleeve Tshirt as a souvenir. We were all winners in a day free of rain and filled with good fun.




The Saratoga Racing Museum does an excellent job of paying tribute to the historical sport of kings and commoner alike. The Hall of Fame had a few names, like Shoemaker and Seabiscuit, that even the uninformed could recognize. The special exhibit on veterinary medicine taught us about the unique anatomy of a horse, particularly a racehorse.

Gourmet Dining at the Hall of Springs

There are buffets and there are buffets. To call our dinner at the Hall of Springs at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center a buffet is such an understatement. The table settings were lovely; the decor beaux arts, the diners dressed for fine dining. The salads included a capressa salad with three types of tomatoes and grilled asparagus. Dinner included crusted trout, lamb, turkey, and roast. Desserts were heavenly and we happily ate more than our share.

Saratoga Battlefield

Our visit through The Saratoga Battlefield National Historic Site took us right to the fields and bluffs where Revolutionary fighters aided by a few Native tribes turned back the British forces with their German Mercenaries and Native supporters. At the ten stops along the route, we heard personal stories from both Loyalist and Patriots, detailing battles, telling of loss and sharing the feelings of the division between family and neighbor.



Along with another couple we took a stroll through the rose and rock gardens of Yaddo, a 100+ mansion that serves as a retreat for artists, composers, writers, and more. It has welcomed such luminaries as Poe and Bernstein.

Saratoga Springs

We relocated to a new campground in Saratoga Springs. This area is rich in history, is an arts center, and known for its health giving waters, but wherever one goes, one claim to fame is touted from banners, statues, and all over the media. Saratoga is home to the first horse racing track in the US and the sport of kings is still a significant part of the life and culture of the area. We too will partake of this activity, but that is later in the week.

On arriving, under heavy rain, we drove around orienting ourselves to the town for more exploration later. For those of you who know our attitudes about buffet, our lunch today will be amusing. Our group dined at the Golden Corral. Our attitude is unchanged.



Two different museums caught our attention. The automobile museum featured cars from the 50s and 60s. There is only one word for these cars, “cool.” Both men and women were drooling over them. Those with more refined taste headed to the Museum of Dance.

A few of us continued to whet our appetites with the wonderful movie, Julia and Julie, a story of love of mates and passion for food.

Walking Lake George Village

Lake George offered a volksmarch past historic Fort William Henry of French-Indian War fame. Bagpipes greeted us as we walked past. The ruins of Fort George (named for the King of England, not any American president) are in a lightly forested park. We left history behind and walked along the beach and through the tourist town. The walk was very nice except for the humidity that dampens us. We were amused by the warnings about the risk on ice on the steps.



Some friends from Canada joined us on our walk.

AuSable Chasm

We broke from the caravan today as they went to the museum we had already visited. Instead we headed to the outdoors. The brief downpour “wet” our appetite for a walk along the rim of AuSable Chasm. A forest of pine and hemlock grow to the brim of the sandstone chasm. Many people equated it to New York's version of the Grand Canyon. It did not quite fit that bill but the view from above is striking as the water tumbles over boulders and small waterfalls.

After walking about a mile on the rim, we got close and personal with a class 1 ½ raft trip through the chasm. Our guide was excellent at explaining the geology of the area.


California has Squaw Valley and New York has Lake Placid. Unfortunately, Lake Placid is a pale comparison. The town and facilities look their age. Some stores are empty and others filled with the usual clothes and souvenirs of a mountain town. Maybe it’s the altitude of only 1800 feet that makes it seem small. We did enjoy a good lunch and the drive to and from the area is beautiful, forests, lakes, a few wildflowers and some charming buildings.

Fort Ticonderoga

We had a lesson in the history of British, French, Indian and American battles for control of upper New York State. On a bluff above Lake Champlain, the French built the fort, won some battles, then evacuated the fort and blew it up. The British had it for a while and lost it to the Americans. The Indians helped all sides.



For a while, the locals raided the location using the stones from the fort to build their houses. In the 20th century the Pell Family bought it and has continued to restore it, providing visitors with an excellent chance to see an 18th century fort. Costumed soldiers marched with fife and drum and demonstrated military procedures and equipment.

The King's Garden

Adjacent to the fort is the King’s Garden planted by the Pell’s. We enjoyed a lovely stroll through the gardens.

Dinner at Woodland Grille

Our dinner was at the Woodland Grill in the campground. Entertainment was provided by caravan members who performed line dancing for our pleasure. Caravan co-leader George won a pair of fashionable sunglasses at the dinner.