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gilda_eliseMy vacation didn’t actually start in New York, but in Baltimore, where I attended Shore Leave 40 from July 4th to the 9th. I wish I could say that it was a glowing success, but that was definitely not the case. To begin with, the shuttle from the hotel to the light rail wasn’t running (we were told that was because the hotel had too much business!) so we trudged the two blocks to the hotel, pulling our luggage behind us. And it was hot!
Things only went downhill from there. Both slash panels were sparsely attended, and I think there were eleven of us at the K/S party Friday night. I remember when there would be fifty!
So it was almost with a sigh of relief that we boarded our Uber for the ride to the BWI train station. We’d used Uber instead of the light rail because, while taking a quick ride to Michael’s on Thursday, we were told that the light rail trains might be going slower because of some trouble with the tracks. We didn’t want to miss our train to Poughkeepsie!
And the reason it was such a problem is because the light rail wasn’t the only system having trouble with their tracks. Amtrak was working on some lines in New York, so instead of arriving in Penn station and only having to change trains, we had to change stations! So we rushed to the taxi queue and took a (somewhat) quick ride to Grand Central. Then, finally, we were on our way to Poughkeepsie.
Poughkeepsie is the “large” city in the area, so the only one with a train station, but Hyde Park is only a few miles away, so it was a short ride to the Roosevelt Inn, a lovely, old quaint place, but with all the amenities one would need. By the time we unpacked, evening was coming on, so we ordered dinner and then settled in for the night.
The next morning we were on our way to Hyde Park.
The first thing that caught our eye as we entered the Visitor Center was a large mosaic inlaid on the floor. It’s a pictorial mosaic of Hyde Park as FDR would have known it. It was created by Olin Dows for his book, Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park.
Luckily, we had showed up in time for the first tour of Springwood. But right outside the Visitor’s center, FDR and Eleanor sit to greet you. And whoever else wants to sit there!
Springwood was the birthplace and home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is the only place in the United States where a President was born, maintained a lifelong connection, and lies buried.
Bought by James Roosevelt, FDR’s father, in 1866, the property was about 640 acres at the time. During both James’ and FDR’s life, the property was expanded and the house enlarged. At the time of FDR’s death, the property had been enlarged to encompass about a square mile and a half.
Because of the heat, we were only given a tour of the downstairs. That included the living room/library, music room, dining room and kitchen.
Going around to the back of the house, a bench is is situated at the top of the bluff overlooking the Hudson River.
Once we left the house, we were on our own. But our first stop had to be at FDR’s gravesite.
It’s in the rose garden, and, per his instructions, is very plain. He’s buried nearest the marble gravestone, which he designed himself. Eleanor is buried in front. Fala is buried near the sundial behind the gravesite, along with a second dog, Chief, a German Shepard.
Heading in the direction of the Library, was Freedom Court. Along with busts of FDR and Churchill is the “Freedom from Fear” sculpture. It’s two human figures, one man, one woman. The figures are cut from pieces of the Berlin Wall. The sides that faced west are covered with graffiti. The sides that faced east are bare.
Our last stop is the FDR Museum and Library
There’s too much in the museum to name, but it does an excellent job of covering FDR’s life, before and during his presidency. To see everything takes hours, as, along with the exhibits, there are videos covering the same information but in more depth. I did snap pictures of the replica of his desk and the actual car he drove.
The next day we made our way to Val-Kill.
There are two homes there, Stone Cottage and Val-Kill cottage.
The Stone Cottage is only sparsely done inside, so the main interest is Val-Kill cottage. The tour takes you through all the ground floor rooms, which include the living room, dining room and Eleanor’s office.
After the tour we explored the grounds. It’s a truly lovely place, and I can understand why it came to be the family’s favorite spot for picnics and parties. Especially as the Val-Kill, which is a combination of its original name, “Fall Kill,” which means “valley stream” in Dutch, and its English translation, runs right along the Stone Cottage.
Afterwards, we took the shuttle back to Hyde Park for another look around Springwood and FDR’s gravesite. With the day coming to a close, we headed back to our hotel room to pack for our journey to Ticonderoga the next day.
Part 2: Trek to Ticonderoga
Things only went downhill from there. Both slash panels were sparsely attended, and I think there were eleven of us at the K/S party Friday night. I remember when there would be fifty!
So it was almost with a sigh of relief that we boarded our Uber for the ride to the BWI train station. We’d used Uber instead of the light rail because, while taking a quick ride to Michael’s on Thursday, we were told that the light rail trains might be going slower because of some trouble with the tracks. We didn’t want to miss our train to Poughkeepsie!
And the reason it was such a problem is because the light rail wasn’t the only system having trouble with their tracks. Amtrak was working on some lines in New York, so instead of arriving in Penn station and only having to change trains, we had to change stations! So we rushed to the taxi queue and took a (somewhat) quick ride to Grand Central. Then, finally, we were on our way to Poughkeepsie.
Poughkeepsie is the “large” city in the area, so the only one with a train station, but Hyde Park is only a few miles away, so it was a short ride to the Roosevelt Inn, a lovely, old quaint place, but with all the amenities one would need. By the time we unpacked, evening was coming on, so we ordered dinner and then settled in for the night.
The next morning we were on our way to Hyde Park.
The first thing that caught our eye as we entered the Visitor Center was a large mosaic inlaid on the floor. It’s a pictorial mosaic of Hyde Park as FDR would have known it. It was created by Olin Dows for his book, Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park.
Luckily, we had showed up in time for the first tour of Springwood. But right outside the Visitor’s center, FDR and Eleanor sit to greet you. And whoever else wants to sit there!
Springwood was the birthplace and home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is the only place in the United States where a President was born, maintained a lifelong connection, and lies buried.
Bought by James Roosevelt, FDR’s father, in 1866, the property was about 640 acres at the time. During both James’ and FDR’s life, the property was expanded and the house enlarged. At the time of FDR’s death, the property had been enlarged to encompass about a square mile and a half.
Because of the heat, we were only given a tour of the downstairs. That included the living room/library, music room, dining room and kitchen.
Going around to the back of the house, a bench is is situated at the top of the bluff overlooking the Hudson River.
Once we left the house, we were on our own. But our first stop had to be at FDR’s gravesite.
It’s in the rose garden, and, per his instructions, is very plain. He’s buried nearest the marble gravestone, which he designed himself. Eleanor is buried in front. Fala is buried near the sundial behind the gravesite, along with a second dog, Chief, a German Shepard.
Heading in the direction of the Library, was Freedom Court. Along with busts of FDR and Churchill is the “Freedom from Fear” sculpture. It’s two human figures, one man, one woman. The figures are cut from pieces of the Berlin Wall. The sides that faced west are covered with graffiti. The sides that faced east are bare.
Our last stop is the FDR Museum and Library
There’s too much in the museum to name, but it does an excellent job of covering FDR’s life, before and during his presidency. To see everything takes hours, as, along with the exhibits, there are videos covering the same information but in more depth. I did snap pictures of the replica of his desk and the actual car he drove.
The next day we made our way to Val-Kill.
There are two homes there, Stone Cottage and Val-Kill cottage.
The Stone Cottage is only sparsely done inside, so the main interest is Val-Kill cottage. The tour takes you through all the ground floor rooms, which include the living room, dining room and Eleanor’s office.
After the tour we explored the grounds. It’s a truly lovely place, and I can understand why it came to be the family’s favorite spot for picnics and parties. Especially as the Val-Kill, which is a combination of its original name, “Fall Kill,” which means “valley stream” in Dutch, and its English translation, runs right along the Stone Cottage.
Afterwards, we took the shuttle back to Hyde Park for another look around Springwood and FDR’s gravesite. With the day coming to a close, we headed back to our hotel room to pack for our journey to Ticonderoga the next day.
Part 2: Trek to Ticonderoga
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Date: 2018-07-23 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 12:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-23 03:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 12:11 pm (UTC)Glad you liked the photos. It's a lovely place, and I had a great time!
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Date: 2018-07-24 10:45 am (UTC)It sounds and looks like a fascinating place. You clearly had a good time. Although I'm sorry to hear Shore Leave was such a disappointment.
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Date: 2018-07-24 12:13 pm (UTC)And, yeah, that's a bummer about Shore Leave. Who would have ever thought?
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 12:42 pm (UTC)Sadly, Shore Leave doesn't surprise me.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-25 11:30 am (UTC)It does seem as if all conventions are losing stream, but I'm not sure why.
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Date: 2018-07-27 08:35 am (UTC)Roosevelt's house looks great - I love the mosaic, especially. Sounds like you managed a good time despite bumps along the way.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-27 12:03 pm (UTC)Hyde Park was magnificent. Springwood, the Library, Val-Kill, it was all so interesting and beautiful. I'd really love to see it again some day.