Three Days in the Hudson Valley

America’s oldest continually operating hotel since 1766, “the Beek” remains a symbol of Rhinebeck’s Dutch and English heritage and still retains much of its colonial charm and structure. It also is a fixture in American history having welcomed guests such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, Franklin D. Roosevelt (he began each of his gubernatorial and presidential campaigns from the front porch), and Bill and Hillary Clinton. According to Beekman Arms lore, George Washington stayed in what is now rooms 21 and 22 during the American Revolution. After hearing about that, I kindly asked the front desk for keys to take a peek, provided no one was staying there, and he lent them to me.

My CIA educational experience continued in one of the culinary world’s most famous classrooms. Named after France’s greatest chef, Paul Bocuse, the restaurant utilizes modern cooking techniques on classic traditional French fare. The multi-course meal we shared, prepared and served by aspiring young chefs was truly a delight. They showed off their skills first with an apple squash soup with mushroom foie gras ravioli followed with an entrée of strip loin of beef with oxtail bordelaise, marrow-encrusted endive, smashed fingerling potatoes, chanterelles, and gruyére foam ending with a chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream.

Housed in a former 1929 Nabisco box printing factory, the museum, which opened in 2003, is a must see for contemporary art buffs. Encompassing over 240,000 square feet, it showcases the Dia Art Foundation’s collection of Minimalist, Conceptual, and Post-Minimalist large-scale works from the 1960’s to the present. As you navigate through the exhibits, you’ll notice most of them are illuminated by natural light, courtesy of the building’s original skylights. Highlights include Andy Warhol’s shadow paintings; Louise Bourgeois’ imposing “Spiderwoman” sculpture; Richard Serra’s “Torqued Eclipse,” a series of vast circular metal sculptures; and Dan Flavin’s florescent light works.

Housed in a former 1825 Baptist church, this New American restaurant features a casual-style bistro and fine-dining area devoted to the Slow Food movement. Chef/owner Josh Kroner combines classic French techniques with the flavors of Italy, Asia, and the American Southwest using organic, free-range, locally sourced fare. Come in for the Uncle Vinny’s rigatoni dish; and for families with kids, their acclaimed organic children’s menu.

Taking advantage of the 20,000 sugar and red maple trees surrounding their 800-acre Madava Farms property, located 90 minutes north of Manhattan, husband and wife Robb and Lydia Turner create arguably some of the purest maple syrup, which has graced some of the U.S. and Hudson Valley finest restaurants even appearing at President Obama’s Inaugural Lunch. Head inside the “Sugar House” and learn about the processes involved in the journey from bark to barrel combined with tastings of their certified organic syrup varieties - Golden, Amber, Dark, and Very Dark - and a farm-to-table lunch. Wondering about the secret to its great taste? It lies in their advanced reverse osmosis machines that evaporate the water from the sap without heating it.

Art and nature lovers will be at home in this living museum, once the fanciful estate of Frederic Edwin Church, a leading pioneer of the 19th-century Hudson River School of art. Its 250 acres features a grand Persian-style mansion filled with his original sketches, paintings, and studies coupled with a diverse decorative arts collection from his travels around the world. Imagine being in one of Church’s canvasses by hiking on its five miles of trails offering striking views of the Hudson River, Catskill and Taconic mountain ranges.

Longtime friends Jake Cunningham and Tom Crowell have been making Chatham beer since 2007. Using no additives or fillers, just hops, barley, malt, yeast, and water, this dynamic duo creates regional award-winning beers that have found their way in restaurants and bars from Saratoga to Manhattan. Brews not to miss include the Maple Amber, Porter, 8 Barrel, and their most popular, the Farmer’s Daughter, an IPA made with rye malt from a nearby distillery. Feeling hungry? Pair your beer with The Grazin’ burger.

No visit to the Empire State would be complete by visiting a family-owned farm. Agriculture is and will always be a driving economic force and a way of life, especially in the Hudson Valley. Bursting with staples such as apples, grapes, strawberries, cabbage, livestock, maple syrup, and dairy, many farms are proud to show off their operations through county fairs, farmers markets, and open houses. Here in Columbia County, A. Ooms & Sons in Valatie beckons families to a 2,000 acre working dairy and crop farm where visitors can hand-feed Holstein cows (there’s 450 of them), see state-of-the-art robotic milking machines, or climb onto John Deere tractors while learning about the four generations of the Ooms Family that have contributed to the farm’s success since 1950 and furthermore, their farming heritage which goes as far back to 1525 in the Netherlands.