East Coast Escapade: A Whirlwind Adventure

I caught a red eye from California to JFK in New York but before I left, our flight was delayed 90 minutes due to crew who had not yet arrived at the airport. This and other delays have plagued nearly most of my flights this year – although this wasn’t as bad as sitting on the tarmac in Germany earlier in the year for nearly 6 hours for maintenance issues and then having to go back to the gate because the flight was ultimately canceled. And having to catch another flight the next day.

Timing was ideal to see the changing fall colors in the Hudson River Valley. The inspirational drive passed through forests of orange, reds and yellow leaves. And for the end of October/early November the temperatures were remarkably warm. A highlight was driving around Round Pond on the way up to Poughkeepsie. I popped into an Asian market during my one night there and was pleasantly surprised to find Muscadine grapes, marketed as Swamp grapes. Unlike more traditional table grapes, Muscadine has a wild flavor that I’ve always found attractive, not to mention very thick skins.

From Poughkeepsie (always a fun word to say over and over again while making tracks through New York State) I made the short drive up to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. This beautiful 170-acre campus is located on the banks of the Hudson River. I made a beeline for Roth Hall, home of three of the four restaurants on campus including the Apple Pie Bakery on the first floor and its enticing aromas in the early am. Roth Hall is also home of the Les Halles D’Anthony Bourdain, a space dedicated in Bourdain’s honor with large several large viewing windows on each side of the hallway allowing one to peer into several of the classroom kitchens.

After leaving campus, much to my surprise I drove past a sign advertising the birthplace of Franklin Roosevelt. This was not the first time I stumbled into a former U.S. presidents’ residence and library; in early May of 2020 I randomly stumbled upon Harry Truman’s childhood home and Presidential Library (both were closed but the grounds were open at the time). Unlike Truman who grew up on a farm in a tiny structure in the middle of flat prairie lands, Roosevelt’s family was very wealthy; their estate features the luxurious Springwood country manor perched on a bluff above the Hudson River.

Ever been to Quivet Neck, Massachusetts? This tiny part of Cape Cod (on the bay side) was originally settled in the 1630s. Highlights include a visit to the Quivet Neck Cemetery, the coastline and a dinner at the excellent Scargo Cafe in the tiny community of Denis.

Somehow, I found time to drive out to Long Island. My destination was just past the Hamptons, a well-known food store called Loaves & Fishes, founded in the mid 1970s. The focus of their products is on the very high end of the food spectrum with an artisan deli, specialty drinks and other one-of-a-kind items. Reading old newspaper articles about this store, I can say this place was bougie before that was even a word. And within a 10-minute drive is charming Sag Harbor, at one point home of a significant whaling industry.

And then it was a fun finish to the trip, hanging out in New York City for a few days, conveniently staying within a very short walk of the southern part of Central Park. This time I took the metro to the southern part of the city and rather than taking the metro back, walked slowly, meandering north while exploring a number of sites. These included Wall Street, the World Trade Center, the house that appeared in the television show, Sex in the City (one of the few TV shows I’ve heard of but have never seen) and my first visit to the High Line, an elevated former freight railway line that has been smartly converted to a park.

Some of my travels are geared to stay in one place and are all about relaxation. Other travel, such as this one is geared to see as many sites as possible and stay in constant motion. I’ve always enjoyed the benefits that both styles of traveling offer.

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