Traveling the Hudson River Valley
AS THE SAYING GOES, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” I visited the Hudson River Valley with no expectations, only what I knew about it through the eyes of painters’ works. I was not disappointed. In the next few posts I’ll explore what I found, and a couple of unexpected adventures along the way!
Traveling on vacation with my husband, we had no set plans. It was one of those times when we wanted to take pot luck – no reservations, no destinations – just the journey. If we had any goal it was to see the river which is the focal point of the area.
We approached the valley from the south, cruised over the George Washington Bridge and headed up the east side of the Hudson. We passed miles of trees and meandered through charming small towns. One of those was Rhinebeck, just one day before Chelsea Clinton’s wedding – the press was ever present as visitors dashed between shops and restaurants.
After purchasing a couple of detailed area maps (which is now well marked:), we visited historic landmarks such as FDR’s home, and more. While stopped at the Vanderbilt mansion, the river really began to reveal itself and we met two plein air painters packing up from their morning session of work. Till then, the railroad and huge trees seemingly had first-dibs on the coastline thereby blocking our view from the road.
Getting more creative, we darted down short streets to reach the water from the road closest to the river. We happened on a great used bookstore right on the river where I found an book on Whistler published in 1905. Just behind the shop was a small park with a beautiful ground level view looking up at the hilly west side of the river. It was then that we realized traveling north up the east side of the Hudson first was a good idea then we could return south via the west.
All-in-all, we visited more than three places per day over seven days. We did a loop from NYC to the southern tip of Lake George and back on the west side to northern NJ. Here is a one minute slide show – just a glimpse of the beautiful sights in the valley. Despite this summer’s misty heat wave the river and mountains were grand:
I had not planned to paint on this trip, but painting I did! Good thing my gear was in the car. Next post, the first of two surprises that offered opportunities to paint, along with a listing of spots I recommend visiting if you travel to the Hudson River Valley. (Please refresh your browser if the show does not display.)
If you live in, near or have painted in the Valley please share your story or recommendations!
Love the pictures. I have never been to the Hudson. With all the history there, it must have been an inspiring time. I don’t paint like the Hudson River School but absolutely love the work of those artists. Also like seeing work done there now in our lifetime. Thanks for sharing this with us!