Back in time

Join Maryellen and me as we go back in time on a vacation to Hyde Park, New York… Grab a beverage and a snack for your virtual trip; we packed quite a bit into a short vacation.

April 13: We’re off…

Travel day; lovely drive through the hills and forests of New York. After settling in, we stretched our legs by walking the grounds of the Locust Grove Estate next door to our hotel (the house was not open for visitors). We dined at the fabulous Cosimo’s Trattoria and Bar – fine food in elegant surroundings.

April 14: History lesson…

On Tuesday, we spent nearly the entire day at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Homestead and Presidential Library.

If anyone deserved to be the only president who served more than two terms, it was surely Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt wrenched the country out of the depression, created the social safety net with his New Deal, saved democracy in World War II, and co-founded the United Nations. His life was stunningly consequential, and to see it laid out in a winding, informative exhibit in his presidential library was humbling.

The FDR estate sprawls along the banks of the Hudson River and it encompasses much to see: Springwood (Roosevelt’s home from childhood), the FDR Presidential Library, Val-Kil (Eleanor Roosevelt’s retreat, closed until Summer), the Roosevelts’ burial grounds, and much more. I’m kind-of glad the bookstore was closed or I likely would have spent an hour there and returned with several additions to my bookshelf; the Roosevelt’s history was that fascinating.

Despite its size (35 rooms), Springwood seems unpretentious. The entrance hall provides peeks into lived-in rooms but if you linger, you’ll see glimpses of Roosevelt’s personality and interests as well: taxidermized birds, political cartoons, heirlooms, sailing ship paintings. The expansive library remains poised to host conversation, desk work, or reading by the fire, and the dining room, while furnished with a heavy wood dining set, is sized for family meals. I especially liked the “snuggery” – a cozy domain from which FDR’s mother managed the household.

Upstairs bedrooms told a more intimate story: the president slept alone in his well-appointed room because nurses attended to him throughout the night (and because his several affairs caused a rift in his marriage); Eleanor’s room next door was merely functional; and Sara, FDR’s formidable mother, had the largest room at the front of the house.

While I love old houses, we were more impressed with FDR’s Presidential Library. I expected it to be more library-like, with lots of storage and reading desks, but that part isn’t open to the public. Still, the multimedia exhibit of his life that we perused left me awestruck and grateful for his leadership. Curators created a maze-like hall of placards with pictures, quotes, and artifacts. Along the way, we occasionally encountered small viewing rooms for short news-reel-like videos of important events and several nostalgic dining room spaces where we could sit and listen to FDR’s voice on the radio much like our grandparents must have back in the day. His has been the only working presidential library, and his office is preserved (if walls could talk). While I will grant that since it’s the FDR library, his supporters get to lay out the record in glowing terms, it’s hard to argue with the list of accomplishments.

Franklin Roosevelt’s personal fortitude in rehabbing himself after polio left him paralyzed, his political savvy in gaining supporters to win the New York governorship and eventually the presidency, his visionary leadership in striking a New Deal with the help of Frances Perkins as Secretary of Labor (the first woman ever appointed to a cabinet position), his persuasive communication style in convincing the American people to help the allies, his cool determination in waging multiple war fronts, his unflagging commitment to forming a united nations organization to maintain peace. His reputation is unfortunately sullied by his long-term extramarital affairs, but Eleanor believed in his agenda enough to remain a political ally if not a forgiving wife.

In fact, Eleanor Roosevelt left quite a mark as political figure and influencer in her own right. She redefined the role of first lady, and traveled the country to pulse-check and support the president’s initiatives as well as monitor the swings of public opinion. I am most awed by Eleanor’s accomplishments as a writer! She wrote her “My Day” newspaper column six days a week for twenty-six years, sharing her travels and, more importantly, influencing opinions, policy, and priorities around civil rights, women’s rights, supporting the war effort from the home front, global human rights, and more. She also authored 28 books and numerous other articles and serial columns. After Franklin’s death, Eleanor served as a delegate to the newly formed United Nations, where she played a significant role in establishing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She remains one of our country’s most admired women. We wished her estate had been receiving visitors; we would have loved to soak in some of her spirit as well.

We must know what we think, and speak out, even at the risk of unpopularity. In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are… In the long run there is no more exhilarating experience than to determine one’s position, state it bravely, and then act boldly.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt, Tomorrow is Now, 1963

Absorbing history and wandering the verdant grounds depleted our energies, so we went back to the hotel for a late afternoon respite, had leftovers for dinner, and then took ourselves off to the movies. We wanted to support rom-coms in the cinema – so we watched You, me, and Tuscany – a delightful romp. I was struck in the funny bone by the fact that the theatre’s chairs were not only lay-z-boy, they had heated seats as well!

April 15: A regal mansion and an extravagant dinner…

On Wednesday, we spent the morning at the classically styled Vanderbilt Mansion, where we could imagine being among the select dinner guests of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt, wealthiest of the high society hosts of the Gilded Age. As such, we would have first mingled in the designed-to-impress elliptical entrance hall surrounded by its green marble inset pillars and symmetrically placed doorways. We would have then joined other guests to partake in a 10-course feast in the impeccably appointed dining room (with elaborate coffered ceiling imported from a French castle). We would adjourn for digestif to the lush French-inspired ladies’ salon while the men engaged in drinks and deal-making in the brooding library-inspired men’s den. We would likely have capped the night in the expansive living room where we would have enjoyed games, music, and further conversation.

We could almost scent the light wood smoke, the ladies’ perfumes, the rich aroma of luxury dining, the waft of cigars, the sweet scent of sherry and tea and cakes. We could almost hear the multitone soundscape of gossip, laughter, silverware-clatter, piano, and card games.

The mansion was absolutely palatial. Our eyes darted about, overwhelmed by opulent detail in the imported wood furnishings, thick velvet curtains, gold-framed paintings, delicate antique tapestries, massive Persian carpets, carved stone fireplaces; plaster crown moldings built in multiple decorative layers, ceilings variously and impressively arched, coffered, ornamental plastered, painted, and sky-lighted.

The second floor is just as grand; Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room was fashioned very French and quite regal, including a balustrade around her bed. Mr. Vanderbilt’s room featured darker décor set so that he might take care of business paperwork over morning coffee. Were we to stay, we would not have been disappointed in the size and comfort of guest accommodations.  

But our imagined moments in such august company were ruined by our jarring awareness of the divides just before the Great Depression – grasping robber barons and downtrodden employees, upstairs socialites and downstairs servants, conspicuous consumption and hand-to-mouth living. Perhaps it has ever been so as we call to mind our own time’s wealthy capitalists who seem to have little care for the people and environment that prop them up.

The ambiance of the Vanderbilt Mansion contrasted greatly with what we encountered at the FDR estate the day before. We remembered Roosevelt’s urging: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”  I would much rather imagine being dinner guests of the Roosevelts.

The rest of the day took us to different tables altogether. We lunched in a classic diner, lightly fortifying ourselves in a throwback space. Vinyl booths. Art deco décor. Gold and maroon accents. Dinner was a three-course splendor at a student-run restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America. Dark paneling. Formal table setting. Windows overlooking a garden. The food, impeccable, and professionally prepared, plated, and presented.

Everready Diner and American Bounty (CIA)

In between, we strolled around the Culinary Institute campus, where chefs-in-training study in elevated surroundings – towering brick buildings, dancing fountains, Hudson River views, blooming trees, 42 professional-grade teaching kitchens, a mess hall nee church space with stained glass windows and soaring arches. Our tasting lesson demonstrated the impact of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour ingredients, and our tour showcased the making of bread, cakes, and candies (unfortunately without taste-tests). We were impressed at the visible professionalism of students – in chef uniform (or professional attire), always courteous, clearly valuing their education. Their furture plans were ambitious and inspiring; it made us hopeful about the menus and the restaurants they will go on to create.

Note: We were asked not to photograph students.

After taking all that in, that dinner at the CIA’s American Bounty restaurant made a perfect final course (actually, three courses). For appetizers: savory potato/cheese donuts and a charcuterie board; for dinner: fancy roasted chicken dish for me, beef for Maryellen; for dessert both: a fancy tapioca pudding. How lovely to linger over a meal as a way to wrap up our few days of whirlwind touring. (You can tell we are not exactly foodies; no food pictures or dish details…)

April 16: Serene farewell…

Slightly worn out from all our walking tours and the summer-like heat, we decided our last excursion would be to the Loeb Art Center on the campus of Vassar College. We got the low-down on highlights from a friendly docent named Kim, whose personal story also gave us retirement goals as it was so rich an interesting.

Entering the exhibit space, I was immediately charmed by paintings rendered by landscape artist Henry Gritten, who did a series of Matthew Vassar’s country estate. They were almost impressionistic with their tiny brush strokes and vibrant colors.

Vibrant colors also featured in the extensive Japanese woodblock print collection from the bunmei kaika movement in the late 1800s. The technique requires colors to be pressed separately, layering them precisely on top of each other, so the sharp images are quite impressive.

I also enjoyed seeing some of Georgia O’Keefe’s smaller works, and the wall-size doodle by Joyce Kazloff was strangely mesmerizing.

After that… homeward bound.

Throughout the trip, we talked as best friends do – of memories triggered by our surroundings, of triumphs and travails among family and friends, of the gorgeous Hudson River landscape and unseasonably warm weather, of plans for the future.

“She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.”
~ Nicholas Sparks

So much truth in that quote… Love you, Maryellen! Here’s to more adventures together. And to you readers… thanks for tagging along!