NY's Hudson River Valley_by PeterSCrosby_ANA Magazine_1995

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French-Indian Wars. And those pesky Americans
&**r#m We*fu*se#*re #r# Sfr*ep ffier* wanted freedom.
Yes, the Hudson is a two-way river, but not only The Revolutionary War was fought all along the
because of the tides. After serving as the front line 315-mile Hudson. Here, General George Washing-
for American independence, the river was the ton educated the British about the effectiveness of
pipeline fot commerce during much of the next guerrilla warfare. One critical battieground was the
two centuries. Over the years, the Hudson became bluff at West Point where cannons ranged over a
a conduit for wealth, recreation and urban sophisti large S-turn in the river. Rebellious colonists even
cation soaking into its valleys. Today, art, haute stretched iron chains made of 300-1b. links across
cuisine and cosmo chic siphon up from the Big the water here to stop British warships ftom attack-
Apple to spice the country life. True to the ing up-stream. The Point remains a vital
nature of the river, antiques, fine wine and part of the U.S. Army's strategy today
environmental activism also flow out. (please see page 18).
And, a little rock & roll flows both ways. Robert Fulton steamed up the
Explorer Henry Hudson is the Hudson advertising his invention around
waterway's namesake. He sailed it first in 1800, and fired up a century of economic
1609, and it wasn't long until other boom. The Erie Canal opened in 1825 and
Europeans followed, settling into the stretched the river from Albany to Buffalo,
Valley to coexist unsettlingly and thereby to the Great Lakes, Chicago
- sometimes
with a confederacy, an "Iroquois and Quebec. Railroads then used the same
-
Nation" of Native Americans that also route to go west from New York CitY.
included the Mohawk, Seneca and Oneida Factories sprouted along the artery and
peoples. most of the dozen or so bridges spanning
For a century and more, relative peace the stream were built. Brick-lined aque-
was maintained between these Valley ducts under the Hudson constructed 75
residents and the Algonquian to the years ago still supply drinking water from
north. Then the French and English the Catskill Mountains to New York City.
governments imported their European If you're looking for the birthplace of
conflict and dragged the locals into the American industry, you've found it.
t6

4. -
"Laws are only so good," says John Myiod,
ffi**es ca$ &#cxmeg Executive Director of Clearwater. The U.S. Clean
"I want to hear the whistles of the trains in the valley... Water Act was made law in 7972, in part because of
It is the sound of money." media pressure generated by non-profit Clearwater.
William Henry Vanderbilt said this of his Water quality in the Hudson has improved dra-
family's 55-room mansion on a 700-acre river-front matically since: swimming beaches have re-opened
estate in Hyde Park. The Manhattan-bred and sea-going sturgeon are spawning all the way to
Vanderbilts controlled most of the steam ships and Albany.
railroads in l9th-century America. Of the string of But Clearwater's efforts can only go so far, and
residences the family built from Newport, Rhode there's a long way to go, as evidenced by the fact
Island and Palm Beach, Florida to East Hampton, that no other river in America has more "endan-
N.Y., the one at Hyde Park is probably the most gered" sites under the egis of the national Environ-
ostentatious. Its Italian Renaissance and rococo mental Protection Agency. Three of these are
styling add up to pure Beaux Arts. Today, this drawing support from that Agency's "super fund"
Hudson property is a National Historic Site, dusted and are currently being cleared of their deposits of
with picnickers, even though W.H. Vanderbiit also toxic PCBs, healy-metal waste from battery
said: "The pubiic be damnedl" factories and other pollutants. But plans to extend
Near the Vanderbilt pile, another notable this support to other sites along the river are being
American family, the Rockefellers, built a palace contested in the courts, and meanwhile, the abuse
and museum-quality sculpture garden, called continues.
Kykuit. For the first time since it was built, it is now "It is only public consciousness," says
open to the pubiic. Others that have been restored Clearwater's Mylod, "that makes these laws en-
and can be viewed include the Mills mansion in forceable."
Staatsburg, showing 83 rooms, the Van Cortlandt
Manor, Montgomery Place, Cherry Hill, Sunny i*fc +.::*!+
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Valley
Side, Lyndhurst and Olana
monuments to assets and ego.
- all Hudson
Rose gardens, orchards, nature walks, stocked
ponds with waterfalls and ducks
one might create if wealthy
- the wonders
adorn these estates
for ali to enjoy.
-
Other preservations required more heroics.
Boscabel is a 1806 wooden residence saved from
the wrecking ball by local citizens in the 1940s, and
again in the 1950s. Built by a British loyaiist with
funds from the war, Boscabel was moved and
totally reconstructed with donations from the
founders of Reader's Digest. Nowadays, costumed
volunteers explain the hardships of Federalism in
the newly formed United States, lead Christmas
caroi sing-alongs in front of a gigantic basement
hearth and ofler classical music concerts on the
lar.ryn overlooking West Point. Boscabel is a model
of culturai heritage, and of community activism at
work. The Hudson Val1ey is known for both.
#$qlwr3#m*sa'* & ryqry.qi
Perhaps the most vocal of the activists in the
Hudson River Valley are members of Clearwater.
Since the mid-1960s, this environmental group has
led the call to clean up water pollution in this river
and beyond. Pete Seeger, the legendary folk singer
of "Where Have AII the Flowers Gone?" fame, was,
er, instrumental in early efforts. He acted as the
media spokesman and helped raise funds. Then, in
1969, the group launched Clearwater, a 106-foot
replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson a
century ago, to educate citizens about the area's
natural history and ecology.

5. f
green. Brass music swells as the or-
chestra-sized band thumps to the
middle of the parade ground. Colden
tubas glimmer in the midday sun. A
color guard follows right behind, their
gray tunics crossed with white braces.
From five arches in succession more
blocks of white and gray bob into the
open. Then another wave. Throngs of
cameras whirl and click as the field be-
comes checkered with squadrons of
cadets. Finally, t'"vo regiments more
than 2,000 soldiers in all
-
- are in for-
mation, perfectly still. All at once, they
salute, their white-gloved hands crest-
ing in a tsunami. The commandant of
West Point stands rigid, and salutes, as
TIIE I;OilGCMYRATTLE the "StarSpangled Banner" soars across
the plain. The sounds of rifle drills then
fill the air-to the grounds, up, across,
ff *o young men whoosh pass me as back to 1802 and include: Douglas and slap.
E I wanderamong canons and monu- MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, One by one, the units file by the re-
ments on the plain above the sharp Ceorge S.Patton, even Ulysses S.Crant. viewing stand mechanically, precisely,
bend in the Hudson River. They are On a dozen Saturdays during the spring in time to the piccolo-piped "Stars and
walking fast, very fast two steps per and fall, the spirits of these by-gone Stripes Forever." Then they return to
-
second fast. Their heads are locked for- generals still rattle their sabers when their caves and the drumbeats fade.
ward, their backs are ramrod straight, Point trad ition is on parade d ress pa- The generals are satisfied for the week-
-
their gray and black uniforms are rade, to be exact. end.
unwrinkled. Even in the distance, I can A row of white pants pierces the That is, unless it's a home football
see their shaved napes sweat. shadows of an archway in the L-shaped weekend. At West Point, it's not a game,
"Pinking," it's called, and all the citadel across the vast immaculate it's an event. Tailgate picnics begin at
"smacks," "bean heads" and "plebes" breakfast, and range from champagne
- with candelabras to pork and beans
that is, all the men and (since 1976,
women) who are freshmen at West and beer. The sidelines show is just as
Point
- must do it.
"Hazing" like this is against the rules
dedicated
- only noisier. While two
bands bless the bleachers, dozens of
at all colleges and universities in cheerleaders do gymnastics and Army
America. ln fact, the United States Mili- mules embed hoofprints in the end
tary Academy's strict policy against it zone. Canons roar after each score, and
was strengthened last fall. But hey, this The Black Knight leads plebes in a
is more than college. This is The Point. round of push-ups totaling the Army
"Tradition here is more important points * every time. Against arch rival
than rules," as one upperclassman put Navy, it's more intense still.
it. But official discipline is also meted Yet even with all the virility, the dis-
out corporally. Marching for hours in cipline and rules, this is, after all, col-
the drab stone courtyard of the main lege; a time of romance and raging hor-
barracks in full uniform mones. So after the game, couples
rifle
- and a hefty
is the primary way to work off invariably end up strolling beneath the
-
demerits accrued from pinking, or for stone fortifications by the river along
that matter from such infractions as tar- "Flirtation Walk." Traditionally, a kiss
diness, chewing gum and so on. cannot be refused down this wooded
Craduates of this army grind are lane, lest West Point slide into the water.
called The Long Cray Line. They stretch Ah, tradition. We salute you.
18

6. ffir$re$*mg! fi€ €* €k* ffiewp$ea 1ff$s*v* &r€ $s ffia**we
"Pun'kins are my friends," says Trish, a sparkling The natural splendoi of the Hudson has inspired
child who holds up three fingers on one hand to naturalists and artists for centuries. The Hudson
tell her age lest she drop any of the five baby
pumpkins she's hoarding.
River School of painters
in the lead depicted
- with Frederick Church
the 19th-century Valley in
-
syrupy tones of romantic realism. Church's
During Clearwater's annual Pumpkin Sail, the
sloop visits 15-20 ports along the Hudson to raise Moorish hilltop mansion (Olana) set every window
their $1.5 million annual budget and heighten as a frame for a landscape scene.
environmental awarenbss among busioads of Washington Irving used the Hudson as the
school kids through skits and songs. Pumpkins are setting for his "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip
sold, folk music concerts are held and a "stone Van Winkle" tales. John Burroughs philosophized
soup" is prepared (a pot of water and some stones about the conservation of nature here beforeJohn
are provided by the Clearwater and the locals Muir or environmentalism was heard of. Richard
contribute the other ingredients). Wright, the Art Deco designer, spent 30 years in
Trish squeaks as she lifts a basketball-sized the Hudson foothills sculpting an S0-acre arbore-
pumpkin, and nudges her friend to leave. "Say tum called Manitou, Algonquian for "Place of Great
good-bye to river!" she urges. "River is our friend." Spirit."
Another Hudson environmentai success story is Nature and art couple most grandly at the
Iona Island. It's about 40 miles north of New York Storm King Art Center. More than 100 major
kind by Calder, Noguchi,
City, near Bear Mountain, where the Hudson sculptures
- the BIG David-Smith and others, are
Armajani, Liberman,
Valley becomes steep and City drivers slow down.
Iona Island was a munitions dump during W.W.II scattered over an undulating 400-acre park. Sum-
and berthed dozens of mothballed Nar'y ships mer concerts of jazz, classical and folk music iuII
afterward. The base was closed 20 years ago and the audiences into the art, the land, and the conscious-
Iand was rehabilitated. Wildlife was reintroduced. ness in between.
Wetlands surrounding it were flushed and spawn-
ing grounds were grooqled. Recently, a campsite
F**-ss*d* *h*€s
was opened on Iona called Pioneer. During a dawn Perhaps the Hudson Valley's best synthesis of
stroil, I saw scores of deer, a pair of beaver, a tbx, history, activism and nature is the birthplace of
and either a bald eagie or the largest turkey r.ulture Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde Park. As the
on the Hudson. One fisherman on the reed-spiked only U.S. president to be elected four times, FDR
bank had an eel and two shad in a bucket, and told lifted the country out of the Great Depression with
me about a whopper sturgeon that iust got away. social welfare initiatives and led the nation during
"100 kilos!" he cursed with a Baltic accent. W.W.II. Archives, political memorabilia and films
"More!" of his era are here in a huge presidential library.
!*,:<*9 +cii:€*s xcr*ss €resse S**t F*i**
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7. old carriage house and barn on the old
Mansakenning estate. Her aim was to turn it into a
bed-and-breakfast inn.
She laughs: "Me, in my high heels, putting
lumber into taxis... The locals thought I was crazy ."
It took her four years of hard labor to transform
the historic site. But now, the 1Z-room
Mansakenning Carriage House
- with its gabled
roofs, plank-wood floors and well-worn antiques
offers several suites with baiconies, firepiaces and
-
Jacuzzi's.
Gourmet brunches by Culinary Institute of
America chefs offer the iikes of "Pecan and Cream
Cheese-stuffed French Toast with Warm Orange-
Maple Syrup." Two yellow Labrador retrivers
Franny and Zoe, no less
-
- serve as amiable rent-a-
pets for those needing a dog fix.
Dremann says it takes New Yorkers a while to
get used to the peace and quite of the Valley, to
having no locks on the doors and no jackhammers
tearing up the streets. But eventually they begin to
relax
- popular forget some work done: Mansaken-
ning is
and even
shooting films about murder
mysteries for TV, and for, among other things,
getting married.
Gentrification like this during the "go-go" '80s
renovated scores of historic buildings, and drew
tourists to discover Hudson Valley's past. At
Cromwell Manor Inn, a 2O0-year-old Quaker home
in Cornwali-on-Hudson now crammed with perfect
plumbing and style, you can read a teenager's diary
from a century ago. (She was bored with a suitor,
$t*rr*r Ki*6 &r{ {*::*er but thdlled by new ribbons.)
Other bed-and-breakfast inns with names like
His sprawling-yet-cozy home became the Pink House, Pig Hill and the Bird & Bottle Inn
"Summer White House." It is criss-crossed with flourish as well. Rhinebeck's traditional Beekman
ramps for FDR's wheelchair and its walls are full of Arms now presents gourmet cuisine by a Manhat-
Currier & Ives prints, political cartoons and family tan culinary star, Larry Forgione, who puts the
portraits. Roosevelt loved to gather people along emphasis not on fancy French fare, but on good ol'
the crest of the hill behind the house to absorb the American dishes.
beauty of the Hudson River and the hundreds of
different ffees he planted on the 188-acre estate.
,&, Yms€c d *k* &rmp*
And FDR often broadcast his "fireside chat" Several of the local wineries are promoting "Ameri-
radio speeches from here; today, recordings of can traditional" as well
them are aired on a side porch outdoors. A few
- even though the revival
of the industry here was sparked by European grape
yards from the porch, while standing in the rose imports.
garden before the simple tomb that holds the Wine has been made in the Hudson Valley
president and his wife, I overhear the recording of since the 17th century, and Brotherhood Winery is
his first inaugurai address: "...the only thing we actually the oldest one in America. But until the
have to fear is fear itself." Iast few years, the wines of the 20-some Valley
*Y&ee
vintners were, well...undistinguished. Then, New
&.*e*$s Y&wecg&€ * Wam *rmxg* York State's Agricultural Department and private
Michelle Dremann, a boomer businesswoman, is investors began importing European vinifera grapes
part of the Valley's "ner,.r gentry." This former New yields chardonnay and cabernet
York City resident didn't have a driver's license
- the species that and the wine business came
sauvignon wines
when she started visiting the Valley, so she'd come
-
out of its deep, deep sleep. Millbrook Winery was
up by Amtrak train and take taxis all over the one of the first to wake up. It started its "money-
Rhinebeck region. Then, about eight years ago, she no-object viniculture" more than a decade ago and
fell in love with and started renovating a9O-year- now makes the best wine in the state.
)6

8. ;sS,.+ ontact!" shouts the pilot behind the runway grandstand. The audience ln 1958, when Palen began this
"1F me. A pair of arms reaches uP boos the scoundrels on command from museum-of-the-sky on a "level-
from suspendered shoulders and yanks the master of ceremonies, warming to enough" runway at a clearing in the
the wooden propeller. The engine sput- the melodrama as if they were watch- woods between two farms, not much
ters, belches a cloud of smoke, then else was here. Now, the Aerodrome
plane shut-
ing
- or a part of - a Keystone Kops
film. flies and that's the amazing part
thunders to life
- the entire
tering to the drone. Every weekend from April through
-
a world renowned collection of World
-
Built of wood, canvas, and hope, September, weather permitting, a War laircraft including three Fokkers
this 1944 De Havilland feels like an troupe of volunteer pilots scores of (tri-, bi-, and single-winged planes, re-
over-sized model airplane or worse
- vintage contraptions and skits in this spectively), a Sopwith Camel, a
a go-kart with wings. The whole thing, old-fashioned air show. Buildings ex- Nieuport, an Avro, and a I9l I Bleriot
including the massive exposed motor, plode in puffs of corn-oil smoke, dum- (which could barely fly when it was
weighs less than I ,000 lbs. lt's a plane mies get thrown out of planes, and a new!). Model-T Ford automobiles,
built for stunts and it's called a Tiger hero always saves the day. hand-pump fire engines and lndian
Moth. "No director, no actors," says Palen, motorcycles round out the props for
As we bound down the rolling grass perhaps the zaniest one of all, ' just the show. To house all these heir-
runway, the soft leather helmet slaps fun." looms, New York State recently
against my cheek, reminding me Spectators can also ride in an open- granted funds to build real hangars on
the site.
Palen who suffered a stroke recently
and is no longer flying, pushes back his
beret, rubs his head and tells me, "The
young types will carry it on. They can't
get enough of flying." He looks skyward
as another antique craft baarrrrooooms
overhead, making a sharp turn and div-
ing almost to the ground before zoom-
ing skyward again.
there's no cockpit. Even though the two cockpit 1929 mail plane (a New Stan- I duck and Palen smiles. "That's
cloth-covered wings are wired to each dard D-25, to be precise). Four goggled what barnstorming is all about," he
other and to the fuselage, theY are passengers cram into two front seats for says. "Cet it?"
twanging and bending and swaying as a low-altitude look at the Hudson. This Even though there's no barn in
if they are trying to flap. I turn back to big plane rides like a classic Cadillac sight, I get it. Now all I need is a long
- silk scarf and goggles.
point this out to the pilot, but he's lean- smooth, stable, almost comfortable.
ing out the fuselage to steer. And we've
just lifted offl
Up, up we go, up like a fast eleva- gOME FIYWITHTHEM
tor. The acceleration drives me down
into my seat as the 1 00-mph winds peel
back my cheeks and lips into a forced
grin.
This is Rhinebeck's Old Aerodrome,
a living museum and community the-
ater all in one. And it's the result of one
man's vision: when Cole Palen went to
inspect one World War I biPlane at a
military auction in 1951, he was the
only bidder. So he bought six.
Now 70 years old, wearing an eye
patch and a black beret, Palen could
pass for a Hollywood director of the
1920s. ln fact, he's too down-to-earth,
too full ofgap teeth and laughter to be
a DeMille, though he does like his the-
atrics.
A charcoal dust bomb exPlcdes in
the air as two antique biplanes stage a
mock dogfight in the air and the "Black
Baron" menaces "Trudy True Love" by

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Millbrook is in a converted dairy barn atop a
hi11ock. Because it's smail, most of the processing is
t'?lap til,*mntg, Srruirru
done by hand, and visitors can see fermentation Horses graze across white-fenced fields and deer are
bubbling in stainless-steel barrels which once seen on the roads at dawn. Pass by just about any
stored milk. The tasting room is in the loft which orchard and you'll see apples for sale not some-
overlooks 100 acres oi vines.
-
one selling apples, iust a stack of apple crates and a
Our group of two dozen strangers stafied our tast- tin can with a sign that reads something like "Just
ing session with a sparklingntethod cltampenoiseblend put your money here keep that doctor away!"
of pinot noir and chardonnay. Like the first fast dance
-
North of Bear Mountain, life gets simpler. The
at a prom, that tasty tasting broke the ice, and soon county fairs feature livestock shon,s, competitions
we were sipping a splendid 1991 Estate Chardonnay between various 4-H Clubs, craft bazaars and even
that had us spinning. From there we sashayed into a baking contests. Depending on which weekend
lruity Claret, and by the time we hit the Merlot, we you happen to visit the Dutchess County Fair
were dancing on the baicony. Grounds you can gander at collections of classic
lnnon
"'ff hereareboattoursthatwill takeyoufromNewYorkCityuptheHudson-atleastpartoftheway.Butto
? get a better look at the lifestyle enjoyed here
- today and in the past - it's best to drive, and these country
roads are meant for driving, and rent-a-car companies are rife. You can of
course motor up from the City, but a more leisurely (and cheaper) way is to
take the Amtrak train from New York Central, with local stops all the way to
Albany; alight at any of lhese, then rent your buggy.
For details, schedules and suggestions:
. New York Tourism: ln the U.S., call: I -800-CALL-NYS or 518-474-6950.
. Dutchess County Tourism: call: 9l 4-229-0033 fax: -6276
. Orang€ County Tourism: 91 4-294 5151

10. cars, shop for antiques or duck decoys, listen to folk
music hoedou'ns, join in a square dance or do just
about any of the things you might have thought
Americans didn't do any more.
The fairs draw a lot of visitors
Yorkers
- mostly New
and flood nearby Rhinebeck with a
-
flavor-of-the week coating that doesn't really sink
in. But the prosperity does. Intimate four-star
eateries like Le Petite Bistro are down the street
from a church converted into a rock & roll bar.
"Rhinebeck is changing nicely," says Cole
Palen, a 7}-year old barnstormer. It's still a small
town and "looks the same as 50 years ago."
?tus ffimsk*awk ffi*$$xxm
The main intersection in Rhinebeck, where the Old
Albany Post Road meets Sepasco Trai1, is home to
America's oldest inn, The Beekman Arms. Hun- Some visitors overnight in the antique but
dreds of finches tweeter in the oak out front. charmhg Hudson Inn right on the river. But these
Down the street is Schemmy's, a drug-store days, most take the train up from the City, stroll
soda-fountain which dispenses only calories now. around, grab a bite to eat then catch the return
Joe Curthoys, a son of a son of the founder, says train, loaded down with mementos.
their business was built by "treating people with
respect. "
&eee*m* *€ &tm'€
While admitting that city folks have educated Zealous antiquers go north, to Tivoli, Saugerties or
the locals about business, Curthoys says the Hudson tiny towns, river towns, towns that may
-
lack some of the gosh-all-mighty quaintness of
backiash has begun, with demands for stricter
zoning and slow-growth policy. "Nobody wants Rhinebeck but who are seriously into reaping their
gridlock," he says. share of the back-to-America avalanche.
Other towns are also feeling the heat. "The last Here, antiques, replicas and hand-me-downs are
thing we need is another antique shop," said an stacked in converted supermarkets. Chippendale,
antique-shop owner in Cold Spring, across from Shaker and Empire furniture cascade out of shops
West Point. Sundays during the summer and fall, onto the streets. After I looked at one well-oiled
crowds of pokers, sniffers and "how-old-is-this- cedar chest in Saugerties, a leather-iacket man.and
thing?" casual shoppers do their thing at the 40- his hungry wife lifted its lid and asked the price.
some antique boutiques that line the town's steep "We'11 come back after brunch," he said, leaving.
main street. With a nod to the shop owner, I returned to the
chest as if interested. The man rushed back with
$200 in hand. "We want this piece of country by
our bed," he said. The shop owner just smiled, and
winked.
Saugerties, by the way, has the notoriety of
rejecting a certain music festival back in 1969,
rescinding the permit only a week before the
concert was to have taken place. That's why the
concert's promoters ended up on Max Yazgur's
farm in a nearby town
- a town called Woodstock.
But now, 25 years later, Saugerties has the
chance to redeem itself: Woodstock II is scheduled
for this August in the town. The tickets, it is said,
will cost a minimum of $100 each. This revenue
inflated by TV and movie deals, CD recordings and
-
fill Saugerties' coffers for the
other perks
- could
next generation or two.
Meanwhile, as the Hudson flows on, plans are
already in place to make sure the surge of visitors
from the City won't swamp the little town: crowd
control for the concert will begin some 50 miles
downstream. I