OLA: Being in the New York State of Mind

Joe, Dottie, Bill, me and at a campfire in Rondout Valley at New York's Cartskills

Carol on the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion

It is difficult to tell you stories about our trip to New York. It was a dichotomy of rural and urban, traditional and modern, agricultural and industrial. Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind prefers the former.

Yappy from MegaLink days!

                                       So this will be about the less known part of New York (the Big Apple will be the subject of  the next post) where we camped at the Rondout Valley Resort which is the home park of good friends Joe and Dottie whom we met early in 2010 in Florida. It is in a region of New York State called the Catskills along the Hudson River Valley: pretty, hilly, cool, green, rural, and serene.  Upstate New York, it’s called! And that’s where a friend of 12 years ago, Yappy, who now works in Manhattan preferred to visit with us.

Woodstock with 500,000 in 1969
 with Scott, Carl and Claire today!

And just 45 miles southwest was the site of the pivotal music festival of 1969, Woodstock in Bethel, New York, attended by almost 500,000, graced by about 30 well-known artists  like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Blood Sweat and /tears , Credence Clearwater, etc., and extended to 9 instead of 3 days! There, at the monument built by the owners of the dairy farm where the festival was held (it was an alternate site when at the last minute the city of Woodstock did not issue a license), we met three other enthusiasts: Scott, and Carl and Claire.

Bill at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Springwood in Hyde Park

The place now houses a Woodstock Performing Arts Center, the Museum at Bethel Woods, and the hallowed grounds.  I identify with this flower power community, a rebellion in spirit. I was back in the Philippines, a sophomore in the University of the Philippines, seat of student power, at the time. We were rebelling against the establishment and, as a University Councilor of the Student Council, we had just laid the cornerstone of a piece of university land w called Freedom Park!

Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill in Hyde Park
a couple of miles from Springwood

Martin van Buren's Lindelwald in Kinderhook

The Hudson River Valley is home to many mansions and estates. Martin van Buren’s (8^th president) estate called Lindenwald is in Kinderhook. The homes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only 4-time elected president of the USA, and his First Lady and UN Ambassador, Eleanor Roosevelt are in Hyde Park. The Roosevelt family estate is called Springwood and his retreat, the Top Cottage. Eleanor’s is called Val-kill (kill means river) and the Stone Cottage. As a matter of fact, the stately Vanderbilt Mansion also lies in the Park! All these are now under the care of the National Park Service.

Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park

Walkway on the Hudson
longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world, near Newburgh

Actually, also in Hyde Park is the sprawling, lovely, and unique campus of the Culinary Institute of America. It beckons with awesome residence halls, comfy classroom buildings, and aromatic restaurants and bakeshops. Just a day’s class costs $250 so I can only imagine how much a degree costs, especially if one lives on campus!  Nearby,  on the road back to our campground, we saw a long unusual bridge across the Hudson. We found out it is called the Walkway on the Hudson, the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world (12 miles)!

The Plains, West Point parade grounds, where the bleachers cry out: 'ARMY BEAT NAVY'

Bill and I in front of the West Point Museum

We did not have the time to visit the Rockefeller Estate in Tarrytown  or the Sunnyside Estate of Washington Irving, the famous American poet and author in Sleepy Hollow. We also could not find the chance to visit Albany, capital and at the northernmost part of the state, where the tulip festivals were happening.  But we spent a lot of time in that hallowed place where the officers’ corps of the US Army is developed. Joe, a retired National Guard captain, took us on a tour of the US Military Academy in West Point.

West Point from our Hudson Line train on the way to NYC

Douglas MacArthur among the great generals at West Point

West Point has influenced so much of Philippine History. One of our former Chiefs of staff graduated from there in 1950, became a hero in the EDSA Revolution of 1986 that overthrew the 20-year Marcos dictatorship and became the country’s 12th President after Cory Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos. Under him I answered the call to serve my country and served as Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. 

a view of the Hudson from West Point

We saw the statues of Patton, Eisenhower, and Washington, great American generals  but I was especially drawn to MacArthur who commanded the Pacific Fleet and returned, as he promised, to free the Philippines from Japanese occupation in WWII. They surrounded the parade grounds called The Plains where the graduation of the Class of 2012 will parade in review on Memorial Weekend as part of their graduation ceremonies.

the long gray line at West Point, cadets in review

the West Point Officers' Club

We were first registered at the Visitors’ Center where we viewed short clips of the history and significance of West Point, established in 1802 after the victorious American Revolution against the British. Then Joe gave us a tour of the galleries of the West Point Museum (one of the articles there was the Philippine Surrender Document by the Japanese in WWII). We also had the unique opportunity to dine with officers at the West Point Club, overlooking the Hudson. On Trophy Hill we walked where the American Soldier defended the fledgling country and a Monument in his honor towers over the Hudson.

the artillery at Trophy Hill in West Point

remnants of the chain that blocked the British
 from entering West Point placed at the narrowest portion of the Hudson 

I must admit, Billy Joel is right…the lesser known New York is every bit as amazing as New York City, although in quite a different way! For one, the towns always sleep as soon as it gets dark! 

   

Finding Gems on the Way to Jersey Shore! OLA

Carol reappears with Kozak the Magician after he picked on her all night...@  Atlantic City!

the Hagley Museum, duPont legacy, in Wilmington, Delaware

Dubbed a cultural phenomenon, Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that will return to its sixth season. This very successful show has now been exported to dozens of countries worldwide. I wanted to know what is so special not about the show but about this part of the East Coast. Well, we had the chance but we had to pass through Delaware before reaching the shore.  We stopped in Wilmington, Delaware, parked our home at their Wal-Mart parking lot, unhooked the car, and tried to find, in a day, the town’s gems.

Old Swedes Church in Wilmington, Delaware

the Viking ship at Kalmar Nyckel in Wilmington, Delaware

The Hagley Museum, the original site of the DuPont gunpowder factory, the bedrock of the family wealth built in 1802, is now a non-profit research center on the American enterprise. But we didn’t have the time for the 2-hour tour. We were more intrigued by the traces of the first Swedish settlement in North America in 1638. There is an Old Swedes Church with cobblestones, burial grounds, and a labyrinth. Another is Kalmar Nyckel, an old Swedish shipyard where, docked along the Delaware River, an old Viking ship is being restored. But the biggest gem we found is the over 32-ft Shrine of Our Lady of Peace created by a Wilmington sculptor in 1982. Made of stainless steel, she seems to glow against the blue sky.

Our Lady, Queen of Peace in Wilmington, Delaware

Ning, Ging, Jimmy, Ann, and me and Bill
at Chestnut Lake Campground, Port Republic, New Jersey

Then we continued our trek to the shores of New Jersey where my friend Ann had already arrived at her sister’s house in Somers’ Point.  The Chestnut Lake campground at Port Republic, 30 minutes away from her, had just opened on the day we arrived so there were few RVs and no activities but we had a stunning new picture window of the lake. Ann, her sisters Ning and Ging, and brother-in-law Jimmy came to join us for Bill’s special grilled New York steaks, Ann’s tomato salad, my boiled sweet corn, and Ning’s no-egg yolk leche flan. Good eats and good company!

Cape May Lighthouse at Cape May Point State Park

downtown Cape May

We then executed our plan of covering the Jersey shores. First we went to the southernmost point at Cape May. It turned out that the very day we went was also the birthday of my dear friend May, VP of the Philippines SSS. So we thought of her frequently while we were touring the Cape May Lighthouse and State Park, the neat little Cape May downtown with quaint touristy stores, and the Cape May winery and vineyard. That was the start, Mile 0 of the Garden State (New Jersey) Parkway.

Barnegat Lighthouse, Barnegat, New Jersey

Moffa's Farms' Christmas trees, ready for the bale!

Next we tackled the northern shores with the stunning Barnegat Lighthouse. We also found many Christmas tree farms near the Pinelands National Reserve. The Christmas tree industry is a significant part of the state agriculture, ranked seventh in the nation in the number of Christmas tree growers. There are 1,167 Christmas tree farms, covering 7,628 acres and providing more than 132,000 families with Christmas trees annually!  The first Christmas tree farm was begun in 1908 with the planting of 25,000 Norway spruce near Trenton.  But the the use of artificial trees has been gaining more ground. And a sizable % of homes are not able to put up any Christmas tree at all (that’s a payback project idea!).

Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Ballys rising out of the haze
at the colorful Atlantic City boardwalk, New Jersey

Finally, we went to the Vegas rival, Atlantic City, the playground of the East. The tallest NJ lighthouse, the Absecon Lighthouse, at 172 ft. and 228 steps, stands right at the north side of the city center. It has already been decommissioned as the bright city lights dimmed its effectiveness. On the south side of downtown stands Lucy the Elephant, a six-story elephant-shaped example of novelty architecture, constructed of wood and tin sheeting in 1882. She stands 65 feet high, 60 feet long, and 18 feet wide, weighs about 90 tons, and is made of nearly one million pieces of wood.  It is the only surviving example of the architecture of animal-shaped buildings.

Caesar inviting one and all to his palace in Atlantic City, New Jersey

the Tropicana lobby full of slot machines
in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Finally, we reached the main reason we stopped for 2 weeks in Jersey. The Atlantic City Boardwalk is all the write-ups said it would be…wide and spacious with glitzy buildings on one side and the charming shore on the other, with happy people walking to and fro in the middle! The grouping of Caesar’s, Bally’s, and the Trump Plaza at the center may have been less glittery than their Vegas counterparts but the big fun nevertheless continues unabated. And, of course, we had to go to an Atlantic City show! 

the Miss America Celebrity Walk in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Heather Whitestone's at the foreground

Lucy the Elephant, 6 stories high...south of Atlantic City!

We chose the Kozak the Magician Act (on his 3^rd year there after 5 years in Vegas) and had an hour and a half of jaw-dropping tricks and rib-tickling monologue. This was at the Tropicana Hotel whose casino lobbies were humongous! Outside, the Outlet Mall was squeezed into the city’s center streets, quite unlike any other Outlet Mall. And the sidewalks had another kind of celebrity walk, the Walk of Miss America winners through the years. I was delighted to see one for Heather Whitestone, the deaf Miss America of 1985, who graciously did a benefit show for our Philippine Institute for the Deaf.

Historic Smithville shoppes and ducks in New Jersey

the Village Greene at Historic Smithville, New Jersey

Such are the gems we find in our travels, the treasures we gather, photograph, and write about so that later we can have the second journey. Before leaving we even found another gem of a different shopping mecca, Historic Smithville and Village Green. Back to back around a lake, the shops offered a lot of unusual items, including fancy cinnamon raisin bread that we decided to buy as pasalubong for our friends in New York, our next stop.  So now I understand why the shores of New Jersey are a great place to be. But I still don’t understand why Jersey Shore is the success it is.

our picture window at the Chestnut Lake Campground, Port Republic, New Jersey

Thinking and Getting Inspired in Philly! OLA:Pennsylvania, Part 2

inspired by Rocky at the Philadelphia Art Museum whose steps he used to train and finally win!

Ann and Carol ready to train at Rocky's Steps 

In Hershey, Pennsylvania we became children. In Pittsburgh we were charmed by the former steel capital of the world. But Philly…Philly is special! Rodin’s masterpiece, the Thinker, sits pensive right before you reach the Philadelphia Art Museum, on whose steps Rocky trained to win (a Rocky Statue is at the ground level).  And all around downtown are many reminders that make one think of the greatness of this nation, its history, and its early leaders. One will surely get inspired with fervor!

Thinking with The Thinker, Rodin's masterpiece

The Walking Tour

Liberty Bell, world's symbol of freedom
with the Independence Hall at the background

My American education was most intense in the 2 days we spent in Philly, one by ourselves, and another with friends. Independence Mall is the nexus of the historical places: the National Constitution Center, the only museum of its kind in the world, the President’s Site from where Washington governed the nation for 2 years, Liberty Bell, world symbol of freedom, and the Independence Hall, where in 1776 55 brave men signed the Declaration of Independence and in 1787 39 great men signed the Constitution.

Assembly Room at the Independence Hall
where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed

last resting place of Benjamin Franklin,
Christ Church Burial Grounds

In the immediate vicinity of the Mall is Benjamin Franklin’s simple grave at the Christ Church Burial Grounds. Franklin is the gifted man who discovered electricity, among others. He so influenced the shaping of American thought, serving as a statesman and later diplomat during the critical revolutionary and early government days. Inside his former neighbor’s building is the replica of his print shop (of particular interest to Bill whose career revolved around the industry) near where his home was at Franklin Court.

passage way to Franklin Court, where Benjamin Franklin's home once stood

Carpenters' Hall, site of the First Intercontinental Congress in 1774

Nearby is the Carpenters’ Hall, built by the craftsmen of that period, where the first Intercontinental Congress was held in 1774, paving the way for the American Revolution in 1776. Around the area are three distinguished homes of:  Betsy Ross, the woman who made the first American flag, the Todd House, grandest first lady during the Madison presidency, and the Declaration House where Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. A block away is Washington Square where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honors those who fought in the American Revolution. 

the National Constitution Center, only one of its kind in the world

Declaration House, dwarfed by modern buildings,
where Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence

The Driving Tour

A little further away is the Philadelphia City Hall. At 548 ft tall, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building (weight of the building is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22 feet rather than steel), only a foot shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin. Atop the building is the statue of William Penn, founder of Philadelphia. Up to 1987, all buildings in Philadelphia could not be taller than City Hall. Then a few more blocks along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway are the Rodin Museum and the Rocky steps and statue. 

  

City Hall with William Penn's statue on top

Eastern State Penitentiary Museum

Several more blocks to the north of the Philadelphia Art Museum you will find the Eastern State Penitentiary, an American prison until 1971, now a museum. With a unique wagon wheel design, it redefined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail, emphasizing principles of reform rather than punishment. It was the largest and most expensive public structure ever constructed in its time. Quickly it became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.

St. John Neumann's body under the main altar of St. Peter the Apostle Church

we are left to imagine what went on
 at this cellar of Edgar Allan Poe's home

And another few flocks to the east is The National Shrine of St. John Neumann who in 1977 became the first American male to be canonized (he is only 1 of 7 American saints). Located in St. Peter the Apostle Church built in 1843, his waxed body lies in a glass-enclosed reliquary under the main altar of the lower church, after it was exhumed from the church grounds in 1862. A few more blocks east is the Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site, only one of two homes where he lived still preserved (the other one in New York). This is the home where he wrote most of his significant works and also where he was happiest.

enjoying good food and even better company
at the popular Philly hangout, Reading Terminal Market

Lilet and Loy's unforgettable Amish chicken

The Eating Tour

But we were not just frazzled and bedazzled tourists. The 5 of us (Loy, Ann and I were colleagues at the Institute of Advanced Technology in the Philippines) met at the Reading Terminal Market, famous for its large variety of food outlets, a smaller version of Granville Market in Vancouver, Bill and I thought, but also as interesting. Looking for low fat cheese and nice pates to bring home, we found yoghurt cheese and pate de la champagne at La Salumeria. Loy and Lilet’s Amish chicken smelled like the Filipino lechon manok! Ann and I regretted our orders but Bill was happy with his shawarma and tabouli.

Pat's King of Steaks, home of the original Philly Cheesesteak!

photo doesn't do it justice

Loy and Lilet were making their way to Maryland from New York so after the tour of Independence Hall and the National Shrine, they left.  Loy worked in Philly for 2 years so he knew of these good places to eat. But they were not able to join Bill, Ann, and I at Pat’s King of Steaks where the now very popular Philly Cheesesteak was originally concocted by the Oliveri family in 1930! After a long, history and food (spiritual and physical)-filled day, we brought Ann home to her sister’s at Somers’ Point, only about 30 minutes away from our campground.

House of Betsy Ross, maker of the first American Flag

Todd House, early home of the grand first lady
of the Madison presidency

There were no long good-byes because we plan to meet Ann again probably in October in Arizona where her youngest sister lives and/or December in southern California where her daughter has a home.  On the other hand, in July, Loy plans to join Fides, Bill, and I in Toronto where Marissa and Mon live! Such is the vagabond life of cruisers. But in Philly we were moved with fervor thinking about the greatness of the history of the United States as we now enjoy the fruits of its early leaders’ genius and sacrifice! 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier