Ulster County’s Woodstock has had a bohemian streak since the early 1900s, when artists and writers settled here. Today a tonier breed of culture vultures comes for the Woodstock Film Festival, one of the country’s best independent film festivals.
Just south of here, in Sullivan County, is the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a venue for a variety of performing artists who play to a 4,500-seat summer pavilion with space on the lawn for 10,500 more. Sharing the 2,000-acre complex is the Museum at Bethel Woods, adjacent to the field where the legendary Woodstock concert took place in 1969; an enjoyable high-tech, music-infused exhibit explores that unique flower-child experience and its influence on American culture.
Those who bond with nature while hip-deep in cold water should visit the famous Beaverkill River, the birthplace of American dry-fly fishing. It is the raison d’être for the Beaverkill Valley Inn, a classic 20-room fishing lodge on 1 mile of private blue-ribbon river and only a quick cast away from the revered Wulff fly-fishing school, founded by Lee Wulff, an icon of the sport.
For more indoorsy types, the Emerson Resort and Spa offers luxury suites and a spa with a long roster of treatments. Its sister property, the Lodge, is family- and pet-friendly and just steps away from hiking, biking, fishing, and tubing. Although not officially within the boundaries of the Catskills, the Mohonk Mountain House has been an upstate favorite since it opened in 1869. Sprawling at the edge of a glacial lake, on 2,200 private acres ideal for strolling or rock climbing, this seven-story Victorian castle blends seamlessly with the adjacent spa of newer vintage—nirvana for weary Manhattanites.
WHERE: 100 miles north of New York City. VISITOR INFO: www.visitthecatskills.com. BETHEL WOODS CENTER: Tel 866-781-2922 or 845-454-3388; www.bethelwoodscenter.org. When: closed Jan–Mar. BEAVERKILL VALLEY INN: Tel 845-439-4844; www.beaverkillvalley.com. Cost: from $175. WULFF SCHOOL OF FLY FISHING: Tel 800-328-3638 or 845-439-5020; www.royalwulff.com. Cost: $625 for 3-day course. When: late Apr–Jun. EMERSON RESORT & SPA: Tel 877-688-2828 or 845-688-2828; www.emersonresort.com. Cost: inn from $299, lodge from $160. MOHONK MOUNTAIN HOUSE: Tel 800-772-6646 or 845-255-1000; www.mohonk.com. Cost: from $540, inclusive. BEST TIMES: Apr–mid-Oct for trout fishing; late Sep–early Oct for Woodstock Film Festival; Oct for foliage.
Baseball, Bel Canto, and Bucolic Charm
COOPERSTOWN
New York, U.S.A.
A gracious, tree-lined village in upstate New York’s woodlands, Cooperstown sits proudly stuck in time on the southern tip of hill-ringed Otsego Lake. According to legend, it was here, in 1839, that Abner Doubleday created the game of baseball—a distinction that’s made this town of 2,000 a pilgrimage site for baseball lovers and home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum’s collection runs the gamut from Joe DiMaggio’s locker to a 1909 Honus Wagner card—some 38,000 objects and 500,000 photos in all.
But there’s much more to this town than baseball. Every summer since 1975, Cooperstown has hosted the prestigious Glimmerglass Festival, which blends classic operatic repertory with rarities, played in an acoustically perfect 900-seat house with views of surrounding farmland. Nineteenth-century novelist James Fenimore Cooper, son of the New Jersey transplant who founded Cooperstown in 1786, referred to Otsego Lake as “Glimmerglass” in his Leatherstocking Tales—hence the festival’s name.
Artifacts from the novelist Cooper’s life can be found at the Fenimore Art Museum, a 1930s neo-Georgian mansion on Lake Otsego, along with a renowned collection of North American Indian Art, and works of Hudson River school artists such as Thomas Cole.
Amid it all is the friendly Inn at Cooperstown, a fine 1874 example of Second Empire architecture just steps off Main Street. For something grander, head to the sprawling Federal-style Otesaga Resort Hotel, commissioned in 1909 and much admired for its 400 windows, unrivaled lakefront setting, and venerable 18-hole Leatherstocking Golf Course, designed in 1909 by Devereux Emmet.
WHERE: 228 miles northwest of New York City. VISITOR INFO: www.cooperstownchamber.org. BASEBALL HALL OF FAME: Tel 888-425-5655 or 607-547-7200; www.baseballhalloffame.org. GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL: Tel 607-547-2255; www.glimmerglass.org. When: Jul–Aug. FENIMORE ART MUSEUM: Tel 888-547-1450 or 607-547-1400; www.fenimoreartmuseum.org. When: closed Jan–Mar. THE INN AT COOPERSTOWN: Tel 607-547-5756; www.innatcooperstown.com. Cost: from $110 (off-peak), from $200 (peak). THE OTESAGA RESORT HOTEL: Tel 800-348-6222 or 607-547-9931; www.otesaga.com. Cost: from $420, inclusive; greens fees from $89. When: mid-Apr–mid-Nov. BEST TIMES: late Jul for the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies; Christmastime for holiday decorations.
World-Class Wines and Small-Town Americana
FINGER LAKES
New York, U.S.A.
The Iroquois attributed these long, narrow lakes to the Great Spirit, who laid his hands in blessing on this particularly beautiful area of upstate New York, but it’s more likely that glacial activity carved them out eons ago. Most are deep—Cayuga and Seneca, the largest, are 435 and 618 feet deep, respectively, and about 38 miles long. Together, these 11 parallel lakes cover an area no more than 100 miles across in a bucolic region where the sleepy Main Streets of waterfront towns like Geneva, Skaneateles, and Hammondsport invite strolling and antiques hunting.
The Finger Lakes are particularly known for their “boutique” vineyards—today numbering close to 100 and recognized for some of the country’s best rieslings and chardonnays. Of the area’s various trails, the most popular is the Keuka, named for what is widely considered the most beautiful of the lakes. The route takes in the pioneering Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars, outside Hammondsport, and nearby Pleasant Valley Wine Company, whose eight historic stone buildings add up to one of the best tours in the region.
Geneva on the Lake, a 1910 Roman villa–inspired hotel, has a beautiful expanse of parterre garden leading down to a pool on the shore of Seneca Lake. At Skaneateles Lake—among the cleanest in the country—the Mirbeau Inn and Spa is a Francophile’s dream with a garden that would woo Monet.
Along Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway lies Aurora, a tidy little town of 650 that is experiencing a renaissance thanks to Pleasant Rowland, creator of the American Girl dolls. Rowland restored the lakeside Aurora Inn, a redbrick Federal-style inn from 1833, and its neighbor, the 7-room E. B. Morgan House. The Aurora Inn’s dining room opens onto a waterfront veranda where American classics, like oven-crusted pork tenderloin, are paired with wines from neighboring vineyards.
WHERE: 20 miles southwest of Syracuse. VISITOR INFO: www.fingerlakes.org. DR. FRANK’S WINE CELLARS: Tel 800-320-0735 or 607-868-4884; www.drfrankwines.com. PLEASANT VALLEY WINE COMPANY: Tel 877-662-8833 or 607-569-6111: www.pleasantvalleywine.com. GENEVA ON THE LAKE RESORT: Tel 800-343-6382 or 315-789-7190; www.genevaonthelake.com. Cost: from $165 (off-peak), from $235 (peak). MIRBEAU INN: Tel 877-647-2328 or 315-685-5006; www.mirbeau.com. Cost: from $220 (off-peak), from $350 (peak). AURORA INN and E. B. MORGAN HOUSE: Tel 866-364-8808 or 315-364-8888; www.aurora-inn.com. Cost: Aurora Inn from $150 (off-peak), from $225 (peak); dinner $50. E. B. Morgan House from $175 (off-peak), from $250 (peak). BEST TIMES: late Jul for Finger Lakes Wine Festival in Watkins Glen; last weekend of Jul for Antique Boat Show in Skaneateles.
Where “America the Beautiful” Began
HUDSON VALLEY
New York, U.S.A.
In 1609, Dutch explorer Henry Hudson sailed up the scenic river that now bears his name, looking for a passage to the Orient. Known to Native Americans as the “two-way river” because salty ocean tides reach as far north as Albany, the Hudson begins in the Adirondack Mountains (see p. 835) before emptying into the Atlantic near New York City (see p. 841) 315 miles later. The Hudson has exerted such a profound effect on American history, art, and literature that Bill Moyers dubbed it “America’s First River.”
A drive through the valley that cradles this timeless waterway won’t disappoint: Take off on back roads past horse farms and orchards, then stop for lunch and antiquing in 18th- and 1
9th-century riverfront towns like Cold Spring or Hudson. Washington Irving, who set his “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” here, said of the area, “The Hudson Valley is, in a manner, my first and last love.”
For a glimpse of the beauty that inspired the landscape painters of the Hudson River school, visit Olana, Frederick Church’s 1874 hilltop Moorish mansion, then walk the nearby Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, completed in 1888. Reincarnated as a state historic park in 2009, it is still, at 1.28 miles, the world’s longest pedestrian bridge.
In nearby Hyde Park, the prestigious Culinary Institute of America offers five student-staffed restaurants open to the public. Hyde Park is also home to Springwood, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 300-acre riverside home, where visitors can tour the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Nearby is the Beaux Arts Vanderbilt Mansion—with 54 opulent rooms and extensive gardens, it’s the showiest of the valley’s historic pleasure palaces.
Many battles took place along the Hudson’s banks during the Revolutionary War, leading the government to designate the valley a National Heritage Area. George Washington’s most important stronghold at the river’s narrowest point became the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the nation’s oldest military academy and its most beautifully sited.
Art lovers will discover that the Hudson Valley also hosts an impressive wealth of museums. Just north of West Point, the Storm King Art Center, an outdoor sculpture park, invites guests to walk among the works by Louise Nevelson and Alexander Calder as well as a host of other monumental structures that grace its 500 acres. Across the river, you’ll find gems by artists like Andy Warhol, Donald Judd, and Dan Flavin at Dia:Beacon, a gallery housed in a 1929 printing plant, where the focus is major (and often oversize) works from the 1960s to the present.
Alexander Liberman’s Iliad is among the Storm King Art Center’s sculptures.
WHERE: 150 miles from New York City north to Albany. VISITOR INFO: www.travelhudsonvalley.com. OLANA: www.olana.org. WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON: www.walkway.org. CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA: Tel 845-451-1588 (tours); www.ciachef.edu. SPRINGWOOD: Tel 800-337-8474 or 845-486-1966; www.nps.gov/hofr. VANDERBILT MANSION: Tel 845-229-7770; www.nps.gov/vama. WEST POINT: Tel 845-938-2638; www.usma.edu. STORM KING ART CENTER: Tel 845-534-3115; www.skac.org. When: Apr–mid-Nov. DIA: BEACON: Tel 845-440-0100; www.diabeacon.org. BEST TIMES: May for spring beauty; Jul–Aug for a variety of festivals and events; Oct for fall foliage.
Summer Scene Where the Elite Meet and Greet
THE HAMPTONS
Long Island, New York, U.S.A.
During the summer months, the seaside towns on eastern Long Island known as the Hamptons are inundated with city folk—you’ll run into almost as many Manhattanites at the Candy Kitchen, Bridgehampton’s 1920s-era soda fountain, as you would on Madison Avenue. But along with polo fields, there are still roadside honor-system farm stands and seafood stores stocked by local fishermen.
What lures the crowds are miles and miles of glorious beach, handsomely restored historical towns, and an active social scene. Southampton is the grande dame of old money and sweeping estates, but East Hampton is arguably the most fashionable town, once the haunt of artists and writers including Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Truman Capote, and Joseph Heller. Spend an afternoon in Sagaponack, where the region’s last stretches of potato fields are fragrant with flowers in August, and you’ll see why they were so inspired.
Restaurants in the Hamptons are as fine as their New York City peers. The intimate 1770 House, on East Hampton’s Main Street, is best known for its elegant dining room, but many prefer the hearty fare served in the cozy basement tavern. Overnighters should book at the Maidstone, an elegant 19th-century white clapboard inn enjoying a recent Scandanavian makeover.
A few miles north is the former whaling port of Sag Harbor. Its shop-lined Main Street is anchored by the American Hotel, which has been welcoming guests since 1846. The 110-page wine list includes the best from the local vineyards and beyond. For flip-flop casual, try the juicy burgers at the Corner Bar.
At the end of Long Island lies Montauk, with its famous lighthouse and surfing, nominally part of the Hamptons but in atmosphere light-years apart. Seafood is the fare of choice in town, and you’ll find none better than at Gosman’s Dock, a Montauk institution that has evolved into a complex of open-air waterside restaurants.
Historic Mulford Farm can be found in East Hampton.
WHERE: Southampton is 95 miles east of New York City. VISITOR INFO: www.discoverlongisland.com. CANDY KITCHEN: Tel 631-537-9885. Cost: lunch $20. THE 1770 HOUSE: Tel 631-324-1770; www.1770house.com. Cost: rooms from $229; dinner $60 (upstairs), $18 (tavern). THE MAIDSTONE: Tel 631-324-5006; www.themaidstone.com. Cost: from $280 (off-peak), from $580 (peak). THE AMERICAN HOTEL: Tel 631-725-3535; www.theamericanhotel.com. Cost: from $150 (off-peak), from $250 (peak); dinner $50. THE CORNER BAR: Tel 631-725-9760; www.cornerbarsagharbor.com. Cost: lunch $15. BEST TIMES: May–Jun and Oct for fewer crowds; Jul–Aug for nicest beach weather and Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge; last weekend of Sep for Montauk Surf Classic Tournament.
“New York . . . moves so fast, it takes energy just to stand still.”—BARBARA WALTERS
NEW YORK CITY
New York, U.S.A.
This is Metropolis. This is Gotham City. This is the one all the other cities wish they were—“the only real city-city,” as Truman Capote put it. Its skyscrapers loom above canyonlike streets where some 8.3 million New Yorkers go about their daily business—walking fast, talking fast, and taking no lip, yet sharing that pride and sense of community that was displayed so unforgettably when terrorists targeted their home on September 11, 2001. They say it’s the capital of the world . . . and maybe it is.
TOP ATTRACTIONS
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY—The movie Night at the Museum was set here, but you don’t need a talking Teddy Roosevelt to convince you of all the wonders on display, from the famed 94-foot model of a blue whale to the fossil composite of a T. rex skeleton to the 21,000-carat Brazilian Princess topaz. The futuristic Rose Center for Earth and Space is a four-story sphere encased in glass that holds the Hayden Planetarium, which features the world’s largest and most powerful virtual reality simulator, seemingly able to send visitors to the Milky Way and beyond. INFO: Tel 212-769-5100; www.amnh.org.
CENTRAL PARK—Laid out between 1859 and 1870 according to a design by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park’s 843 acres are an urban miracle. Its highlights include Bethesda Fountain; the romantic Boathouse restaurant; the Trump Wollman Ice Skating Rink; the Sheep Meadow (an enormous lawn that’s blanket-to-blanket with sunbathers by the time July rolls around); the carousel, with its 58 hand-carved horses; and the gemlike Conservatory Garden. In summer, visitors can take in free performances by the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic on the Great Lawn; SummerStage concerts by a spectrum of international artists; and Shakespeare in the Park. INFO: Tel 212-310-6600; www.centralparknyc.org. BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT: Tel 212-517-2233; www.thecentralparkboathouse.com. Cost: dinner $55. OPERA AND SYMPHONY: www.centralpark.com. When: Jun–Sep. SUMMERSTAGE: Tel 212-360-2756; www.summerstage.org. When: Jun–Aug. SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: Tel 212-260-2400; www.publictheater.org. When: Jun–Aug.
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING—The Chrysler Building may be the most beautiful of New York’s skyscrapers, but the Empire State Building is undoubtedly its most iconic, soaring 1,454 feet and bathed at night in lighting chosen to reflect occasions as diverse as Frank Sinatra’s birthday (all blue) and New York Jets games (green and white). Completed in 1931, it reigned as the tallest building in the world until the World Trade Center surpassed it in the early ’70s. It’s now again the tallest in the city—for the moment. Visit the 86th floor’s open-air observatory and see the sights up to 80 miles in all directions. INFO: Tel 212-736-3100; www.esbnyc.com.
The Empire State Building is 102 stories tall.
LINCOLN CENTER—Since 1962, when the first of its theaters opened, the
16-acre Lincoln Center complex has been the centerpiece of New York’s performing arts scene, with twelve resident companies that include the New York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the New York Philharmonic, and the Metropolitan Opera, the latter widely considered the best in the world. In recent years, architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro have been guiding a major (and sometimes controversial) transformation of the campus, modernizing the buildings to make them more welcoming. Inviting new public spaces include Illumination Lawn, a sloping grass roof above the high-concept Lincoln restaurant. In summer, dance bands from swing to salsa perform in the pocket-size Damrosch Park as part of the Midsummer Night Swing series. INFO: Tel 212-875-2656; www.lincolncenter.org.
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART—With more than 2 million works created in the Stone Age, the digital age, and any time in between, the Metropolitan Museum ranks as one of the largest repositories of art and culture on the planet. Founded in 1870, this institution has expanded to such a degree that its Gothic Revival building is now completely surrounded by additions. Highlights include the Roman and Greek galleries; the Costume Institute; the impressive holdings of Byzantine and Chinese art; the collection of European paintings, with works by Tiepolo, Cézanne, Vermeer, and Monet; the Arms and Armor collection; and the Egyptian collection, with its mummies, sphinx, and the amazing 1st century B.C. Temple of Dendur, presented as a gift of the Egyptian government. The museum’s Roof Garden Café is a popular summertime haunt, while the Neapolitan Christmas Creche in the Medieval Sculpture Hall is a holiday favorite. INFO: Tel 212-570-3828; www.metmuseum.org.
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART—Founded in 1929 to promote new approaches to artistic expression, MoMA was remodeled and enlarged in 2004 under the guidance of architect Yoshio Taniguchi. Nearly twice its original size, it is today home to the world’s finest collection of works from the late 19th century to the present, including Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Picasso’s 1907 Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Other holdings include the 3,000 objects in the Architecture and Design collection; the Film and Media collection, with its 4 million stills and 23,000 films; and 25,000 photographs, including works by Man Ray, Walker Evans, and Ansel Adams, among others. There’s respite in the peaceful open-air Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden—with pieces by Giacometti, Picasso, Rodin, and others—or in the sleek, much-lauded restaurant, The Modern. INFO: Tel 212-708-9400; www.moma.org. THE MODERN: Tel 212-333-1220; www.themodernnyc.com. Cost: 3-course prix-fixe dinner $88.
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