Travels in the 2nd half

Pan and the Meneads I was looking for a chance to get out of New York City. COVID had kept me home for three months, but by June, it seemed to be under control in our state. So, I got myself tested (negative), and looked for a place to spend a few days away. I found Saratoga Springs . It offered some really nice walks, and was solidly into its Phase 4 reopening. On my trip, I stayed at the Embassy Suite s in Saratoga, run by Hilton Hotels. It is located in a shopping plaza at the southern end of downtown. I felt very safe in terms of the virus. Everyone on staff was wearing masks, personal distancing was the norm among guests and staff, and the rooms were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between guests. Hilton also offers a “digital key” through its smart phone app, so I had a contactless checkin. The Embassy Suites included breakfast , but instead of the usual buffet, they provided hot breakfast cafeteria style, and cold choices are provided in pre-portioned containers. Salt and Cha...

The 1865 Office Building and Pattern Shop The Hudson River Valley of New York is filled with history. It is also filled with beautiful nature trails to walk. Sometimes these overlap, and a visit to Cold Spring brings just such an experience at the West Point Foundry Preserve . The Village of Cold Spring (50 miles north of New York City) started as a trading post on the Hudson River. It was a place where ships would stop to pick up local produce and lumber and drop off manufactured goods. In the 1820’s, its population of expanded when the West Point Foundry was opened. Cold Spring was a very good place for the foundry. There were local iron mines, forests that provided wood for fuel and charcoal, and a brook that provided power to run the mill. Its established role as a shipping port, and proximity to West Point also were in its favor. The West Point Foundry produced the iron that was used for many things, including the production of the USS Spencer, the first ironclad ship built...

As the COVID crisis continued in the United States, the Hudson Valley of New York started to reopen in June 2020. This offered me the opportunity to get our of New York City and take a road trip. It was a wonderful chance to visit some of the small towns that I haven’t been to in a while, and to see how they have fared through this time. Garrison Landing Depot My goal was to avoid the New York State Thruway, so I stayed on the eastern side of the Hudson, driving north along route NY-9 and its off-shoots. My first stop was in the Hamlet of Garrison. Garrison sits across the river from West Point, and is named after Isaac Garrison, who ran a ferry that crossed the Hudson at this point. Today it has a population of approximately 4300 people and is home to the Boscobel historic mansion. My target was the its beautiful train station. Not the relatively new Metro-North station, but the historic stone station, built in 1982. It is a beautiful Italianate, gothic building that...