A Weekend in the Hudson Valley, New York

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Walkway over the Hudson, Poughkeepsie, NY

 

The birthday party of a friend gave me the excuse to spend a night in the mid-Hudson Valley. When that party was unfortunately cancelled I had the chance to expand the trip to a two day exploration, avoiding the larger tourist attractions, looking for local things to do.

Hessel Museum - Bard College, Annadale-on-Hudson, NY


Parliment of Reality by Olafour Eliasson

 

My first stop was at Bard College’s Hessel Museum of Art. Most colleges and universities host an art museum, but tiny Bard College has two! There is its Bard Graduate Center in Manhattan and the Hessel in Annadale-on-Hudson, about 100 miles north of the New York City. I added this museum to my itinerary because it is hosting Stan Douglas: Ghostlight (through Nov. 30, 2025). Stan Douglas (b. 1960) is an Afro-Canadian photographer with themes of politics and race, and jazz and music throughout his work. His style and process is to make large photographic collages that recreate historic events or tableaus. He uses actors, and historic documents and photographs to plan and shoot his photographs.



Exocus 1975

A Luta Continua 1974

New York City 1 Oct 2021

Hastings Park 16 July 1955

Powell Street Grounds 28 January 1912

Interior of Church at Yuquot

Marble Quarry


Hogan's Alley


Also on display is All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group (through Oct. 19, 2025). This exhibit is dedicated to The Baghdad Modern Art Group, a group of Iraqi artists that formed in 1951 and worked to join modern artistic trends to traditional Iraqi identity. They strove to bring together the  artistic styles of the mid-20th century with Iraqi tradition and heritage.


 

Poster for the 1st exhibition of the Baghdad Modern Art Group

One Thousand and One Nights by Shakir Hassan al Said

Portrait of a Belle by Shakir Hassan al Said

Untitled (Three Figures) by Jebra Ibrahim Jebra

Good and Evil, An Abstraction by Jewad Selim

Seller of Erk Sous by Mohammed Ghani Hikmet

 

The influence of the movement stretched for decades after it disbanded even to the Iraqi artists today.


Pawn by Nazar Yahya

Repercussions by Amer Dawod


Zabriski Falls


Located on the campus of Bard College is Zabriski Falls. Park in a small lot off Blithewood Ave, next to some of the college’s outbuildings. Walk past the school’s water tank, down a smooth path to the Saw Kill. Here you will find a series of cascades ending in a 15 foot waterfall. The falls are a great place to cool off on a hot summer day.






Poet’s Walk Park - Red Hook, NY



The Poet’s Walk Park is 120 acres of meadowland and woods. Its well developed paths wind their way down from the parking lot at River Road, down to the banks of the Hudson River, a change of about 200 feet of elevation over 1.5 miles. The first half of the walk ends at the Overlook Pavilion. This trip is about 0.7 miles each way, with a change of 50 feet, an easy walk. The second half is much steeper, with a loss of 150 feet down to the river over around .75 miles. This part of the park has several places to stop and enjoy the view as you loop around the path.






Victor C. Waryas Park, Poughkeepsie, NY

The Mid-Hudson Bridge, Poughkeepsie, NY


After spending the night in Poughkeepsie, NY, I decided to start with a morning trip to Waryas Park. The park has taken the place of several old industrial buildings, opening up the city’s waterfront. One fun thing about traveling without a plan is being able to change the way you spend your day. When I arrived at the park, I found people setting up for a festival. It turns out that I was there on the day of The Guelaguetza Festival.  This is a yearly celebration of Oaxacan culture and food. There were vendors selling both traditional and contemporary goods popular with people from that part of Mexico, along with food vendors. Musicians and dancers celebrated their day.

















Beacon, NY



One of my favorite towns in the Hudson Valley is Beacon. This small town (13,000 people) has a wonderful Main Street with shops, restaurants and a regular Sunday Farmer’s Market. It is a great place to spend an afternoon.



Glass Blowing at Hudson Beach Glass


Nuts and Bolts

  • Hessel Museum - Annadale-on-Hudson. Free Admission. Open Wed - Sun 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Zabriski Falls - Campus of Bard College, Annadale-on-Hudson
  • Poet’s Walk Park - Red Hook NY. Free Admission. Opens at 8:30 AM every day. Closing time depends of the time of year (8:30 PM May - Sept)
Location: Beacon, NY 12508, USA

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