I had a nice get away with two friends, flying out of New Bern on Breeze into Hartford, CT
We were at the end of the color season, everyone said the leaves would be gone by next week but they were spectacular during our visit.
We headed out to the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, NY where we had a fabulous lunch and enjoyed the grounds as well.
On the way we saw these neat bird houses.
At the CIA I had squash soup and a pear salad. Don’t remember what all the crumbles in the soup were but they added a nice touch.
I was surprised at how large the campus is. And Roth Hall where the 5 restaurants are located, was originally built and used as the novitiate for the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), operating under the name St. Andrew-on-Hudson from 1903 until 1970.
After lunch we headed off to FDRs presidetial library and museum. The first presidential library in the country.
The exhibits in the museum tells the story of the Roosevelt presidency beginning with the Great Depression and continuing through the New Deal and World War II with an emphasis on both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s relationship with the American people.
Remembering that he served 4 terms there is a lot of history to cover. It was a good reminder that he had polio and could not walk by the time he was elected president for the first time. Could it happen today? I don’t know, the opposition would certainly have a heyday with his disability.
There was a whole wall with just a fraction of the letters FDR got every day. Americans responded to FDR’s radio talks with an amazing amount of mail. One of his Fireside Chats could generate some 450,000 letters, cards and telegrams. FDR’s predecessor in the White House, Herbert Hoover, had received an average of 800 letters a day; FDR got more than 8,000.
The museum is easy to get tickets to, the home called Springwood, which is on the same property, not so easy. You can’t buy them online you have to get them in person and they sell out quickly.
The home is not over the top (old money) unlike the Vanderbilt mansion (new money) down the street. During Franklin and Eleanors marriage it was his mothers home that they shared with her.
FDR built his own wheel chair to get around the two story house, since most commercial ones were too big. There is a tiny elevator in the house just big enough for his wheelchair.
Eleanor never felt like she had her own home until she and two friends built a cottage on the property two miles from the family home called Val-kill. The name comes from the river that flows through the property. One (of many) important things that happened there was JFK came to ask for Eleanors support for his run for president. She did not support him at first but by the time he left that meeting he had changed her mind.
For about 10 years Eleanor and her friends ran a furniture company in the buildings that eventually became her home. She sold the furniture nationwide by taking it to High Point.
To me, Eleanor’s story is just as impressive, maybe more, than Franklin’s. After all women did not have the rights we have now.
We heard lots of stories like when the King and Queen of England came to visit they went to Val-kill for a picnic where Franklin cooked hotdogs on the grill for them. Another story from the main house – FDR had a collection of cartoons making fun of King George hanging on the wall. His mother said he should take them down for their visit. He declined. When the King stopped to look them over he quipped “you have some I don’t!”. True? Who knows.
Our guide for the Val-Kill tour was outstanding. These tickets are REALLY hard to get because each tour only takes 12 people, and again, you have to buy them in person on the day of the tour.
I never knew she even had a furniture workshop. It was established in 1926 by Eleanor and fellow activists Nancy Cook, Marion Dickerman, and Caroline O’Day. They employed local artisans and the workshop is the building that she eventually turned into her home.
A couple interesting tidbits from our Roosevelt tour. Franklin intended to be a tree farmer if he had not gone into politics, he planted 300,000 trees on the property along the Hudson river.
For Eleanor she thought her career and influence was over once Franklin died, not so! He died in 1945, and Eleanor became one of the world’s most influential human rights leaders, shaping the United Nations, and continuing major civil rights and political activism.
She became chair of the US Commission on Human rights – led drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 – Received a standing ovation from the US General Assembly for her leadership – Truman called her the “First Lady of the World” for her human rights work – She joined the board of directors of the NAACP and the Congress of Racial Equality in 1945 – Advocated publicly for racial equality, voting rights, and desegregation – Supported Martin Luther King Jr. during the Montgomery bus boycott and wrote about the movement in her My Day column – Remained an influential party leader after 1945 – Campaigned for Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956 – Supported John F. Kennedy in 1960 and was considered the matriarch of the party – She continued her “My Day” syndicated column until her death in 1962 – Wrote books, articles, and gave lectures around the world – Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (1961–1962) and Helped shape early federal policy discussions on women’s rights. She died on November 7, 1962.
By then she was widely regarded as one of the most esteemed women in the world.
We stayed in Rhinebeck at the Mirabeau Spa. What a great location, right in the middle of town just one block from the small downtown. Our room was beautiful, and the spa was great.
I had driven through the town before but never stayed. It’s a tiny town of less than 3000 people but has some nice shops, Including an independent art supply store, we need to keep those in business so I always buy something, need it or not.
They have several bakeries, two wine/alcohol shops just a block apart, and several gift shops.
I was able to add to my collection of signs.
We didn’t eat in the restaurant at Mirabeau, instead we ate at Fosters Tavern, and another night at The Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn. Which traces its roots to 1704.
That meal was outstanding as well.
The area was originally inhabited by Native peoples, including the Sepasco band of the Wappinger Indians. Their trails influenced modern roads. Dutch families starting settling the region around 1686. Henry Beekman acquired a large land patent and brought 35 Palatine German families to establish the early community known as Rynbeck around 1714. It also became known as the “Violet Capital of the World” in the late 19th century shipping thousands of flowers worldwide. The violet remains a symbol of Rhinebeck’s heritage.
We also ate at this cute diner – twice!
And I found more neat birdhouses.
We headed to West Stockbridge. There are several art galleries in this tiny town of 1300. One is Art on Main Gallery, run by the Guild of Berkshire Artists, a room about 10 x 10’, they had these amazing hand bags.
Hotchkiss Mobile studio is there as well, I used to see him at shows in Philadelphia and we caught up with people we both know. I’ll have to go back because there are several pottery studios and some other good looking shops in this tiny town.
Including a sculpture park – Turn Park.
We had a quick visit to Stockbridge, where we sat on the famous porch of the Red Lion Inn, then went up the hill to the Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin show.
So glad we were there while it was still light, the view was beautiful and the hundreds of pumpkins were fun too.
Our flight out of Hartford was at noon and we were home by 3. A nice easy get away I will need to repeat.
Where to next? 2 visits to Charleston in November, then Palm Springs in December. My traveling was curtailed this year so I’m really going to make up for it next! Baltimore – Florida – back to CT, MA, RI – Poland – Michigan – Maine, France?
