Meandering around the Hudson River Valley
No Dirty Dancing but lots of art and lots to do
The Hudson River Valley and Catskills are known for beauty, 19th Century landscape painters, and Dirty Dancing, but there is even more to recommend the bucolic hamlets that dot both sides of the riverbanks. There are some great antique shops in the area, and we totally scored! We got two 1940s watercolor paintings of women, which fit in well with our Virginia Ahrens drawing.
Additionally, we scored this terrific early 1970s watercolor (below) by Joan Schwartzberg, who apparently did window designs for Bergdorf Goodman.
We were also really drawn to this curious promotional home thermometer for the Mitchell Title Company in Schenectady, NY. There is an integral paper calendar on the back, which dates it as 1955. It feels like it was inspired by the work of Kerry James Marshall, but the only true similarity is that 1955 is also that great American artist’s birth year.
We stayed in Rhinebeck, NY, this year (last year we stayed in Kingston) and there are a couple of good new restaurants, Little Goat and {pretty to think so}. Both had excellent food, but Little Goat definitely won the service sweepstakes. (Don’t be tricked, this “goat” restaurant has nothing to do with Stephanie Izard’s Girl and the Goat empire.)
We also went to the FDR Presidential library in Hyde Park, NY. Did you know he was the first U.S. President to establish a presidential library for his papers? He’s also the only president whose library was opened while he was still a sitting president.
Lots to see in the area, so if you’re heading that way, you’ll find treats and treasures at every meander.