Day 224 - June 6, 2013: Hyde Park, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and the CIA

We departed early to run with the tide. We like this time of day because it is usually calm and quiet. After watching the commuter trains passing one after another along the shore, we decided that sitting on a NYC train for an hour was probably a better alternative than sitting in stop-and-go traffic on a California freeway. As we approached the Bear Mountain Bridge, we could see the fog layer that was clinging to the top of Bear Mountain and the surrounding hills.

NCY commuter trains running along the shore

Bear Mountain Bridge

Soon West Point came into view, and we got to see this great institution again from the river, much as George Washington might have seen Fort Clinton during the times he spent there. We passed the narrow spot where in 1778 the Continental Army constructed a massive chain with two-foot links that were strung on rafts across the river to impede British warships from getting too close to West Point. The chain was there for four years but was never tested by the British.

West Point from Great Laker

Narrow spot where the Continental Army placed the chain barricade

After passing Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, we stopped at Hyde Park Landing which has two transient mooring balls. We took the dinghy under a narrow three-foot high railway overpass, tied to the small floating dinghy dock, and checked in with the very friendly owner who volunteered to drive us a mile uphill to the Vanderbilt Mansion.

This estate, built by Fredrick Vanderbilt who was a grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt (a self-made railroad magnate and, for a while, the richest man in America by far), is one of the finest examples of the many estates built along the Hudson by wealthy entrepreneurs during the Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Fredrick and his wife Louise spent millions of dollars on this 54-room, 14-bathroom mansion which was only used for a few weeks in the spring and fall. Supported by a staff of 60, they lived and entertained lavishly here.

The Vanderbilt Estate

View out over the Hudson River

It was obvious right away that this was not a family home like the Rockefeller estate, as the Vanderbilts had no children. It felt more like a large hotel with a lobby-like entrance. Clearly this home was designed primarily to impress, and the opulence was overwhelming. Shortly after Fredrick's death, the property was transferred to the National Park Service and is open to the public.

The other great activity for the day was a visit to the Culinary Institute of America, where we took a tour conducted by a student and ate dinner in one of  the five restaurants where the students prepare the food and wait tables. The smells around the many classroom kitchens were enticing, and our meal was delicious and beautifully presented.

Culinary Institute of America

Cooking class underway