Hunter Mountain Festivals Celebrate Food, Drink, Music

It's not too late to enjoy great music, great food, great wine and beer, and the company of several thousand of your closest friends. I'm talking about the famous summer and fall festivals at Hunter Mountain.

September -- The weekend of September 26 & 27 is the Microbrew & Wine Festival. More than three dozen breweries and wineries are offering tastings. Nearby micro-breweries Red Hook Brewery and Brooklyn Brewery, and wineries inlcude Warwick Valley Winery and nearby Windham Vineyard and Winery.

October -- The famous Hunter Mountain Oktoberfest is simply too popular to cram into a single weekend. It needs two, October 3-4 and the following weekend, October 10-11. Admission is free, part of what makes it so popular.

You can keep up with the latest doings at this popular Hudson Valley all-season reasort on the mountain's own blog -- including updates on the upcoming ski season. The temperature is in the 90s today, and I'm talking about skiing!

Valentine's Day Escapes in the Hudson Valley

Several Hudson Valley hotels and resorts are offering great, romantic Valentine's getaway packages to encourage you to visit and enjoy.

The Ritz Carlton Westchester in White Plains believes 'Love is Here to Stay', which is the name of their getaway. Upon check-in, head for the ninth floor Spa for a choice of treatments, including a couple’s massage or special Valentine’s Day treatments. I like the sound of The Champagne Sugar Scrub. to exfoliates the body and contains antioxidants that provide the appearance of youthful skin, or The Pure Decadence Facial, to help reduce all those fine lines and wrinkles I got by worrying about the economy, the environment, and the election. Now calmed and revitalized, get ready for dinner at BLT Steak, where there's an exclusive chef’s tasting dinner on Sunday, Feb. 15th. Seating is limited and reservations are required.

The historic Thayer Hotel in West Point is offering a special dinner and overnight package for you and that special someone. The dinner is a special four-course extravaganza in the beautiful and elegant Gothic-style main dining room. Afterwards, you and your sweetie can snuggle by the roaring fire in the lobby, after nibbling your way through such decadent desserts as a chocolate heart for two, chocolate tuile with berries and zabaglione or homemade cheesecake with foster sauce. Valentine’s dinner is just $130 per couple. Add an overnight stay with champagne and chocolates for just $329 per couple with breakfast buffet or $369 per couple with Sunday Champagne Brunch.

The Ritz-Carlton and the Thayer are two very different Hudson Valley hotels. The Ritz is brand new and ultra-modern, in the heart of White Plains. The Thayer was built in 1926, on the grounds of legendary West Point and named for Sylvanus Thayer, superintendant of the Academy from 1877 to 1833. It has breathtaking views of the Hudson River, and over the years has hosted a long line of dignitaries and celebrities including General Tommy Franks, General Douglas MacArthur, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy, Her Royal Highness Princess Alsha Bint-Huessen of Jordan, singer Luciano Pavarotti, actors George C. Scott, James Earl Jones and Gregory Peck, the Philadelphia Flyers, and many others.

Whether you choose the Ritz or the Thayer for Valentine's Day, know that you will get four-star and five-star service, even if you aren't wearing those stars on your dress clothes.

Ski Season Packed with Flurry of Fun

The 2008-2009 ski season is off to a successful start, with several big storms pounding the Hudson Valley and making skiers --and ski resort owners -- very happy, indeed.

Belleayre Mountain celebrates the holiday season with $25 lift tickets on Christmas Day, December 25, 2008, and a Hanukkah Candle Lighting Ceremony on Sunday December 28, 2008. The The Holiday Training Camp begins on Monday, December 29, 2008. This camp is a great way for intermediate skiers and riders to get back into shape for the winter.

Reservations are required. Sign up online or by calling 845-254-5600 x2474.

For the second consecutive year, Hunter Mountain and neighboring Windham Mountain are joining forces to offer the Wintercard. The cooperative deal allows for four total days of skiing and riding -- two at each resort -- for $129. That's just over $32 per day. The Wintercard is the result of a partnership with Greene County Tourism. Hunter and Windham are the two largest ski/snowboard resorts in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region, and offer a total of some 100 trails. So there's something to appeal to any levael between them.

And don't forget Plattekill, where there's skiing by day and after the chairlifts close. It's a wonderfully friendly family-owned ski and snowboard resort with some great downhill runs. Such as the double-diamond Freefall, which feels like it ends at the plate glass window of the Plattekill lodge. Slam on the brakes, please! I did.

Photo courtesy Windham Mountain

Wounded Soldiers and Marines go Camping

If there is something that Soldiers and Marines are good at, it is leading from the front and working as a team. These ideals will be put to test when visiting Wounded Warriors are paired up one-on-one basis with STRIDE Youth Athletes for a Wounded Warrior Fall Family Retreat at Moreau State Park in Glens Falls in September.

STRIDE also has Wounded Warrior ski and snowboard programs. The photo you see here is from one of those this past winter.

Glens Falls really is in the Adirondaks, but its water feeds into the Hudson River and therefore the Hudson Valley. More importantly, this is such a worthwhile program that it should be mentioned here -- and supported -- including by Hudson Valley businesses who can contribute money as sponsors, or products such as steaks and sleeping bags that the Wounded Warriors, their spouses and their kids, will need for this weekend.

STRIDE is a unique program, since it unites Soldiers, Marines and other Veterans who have sustained injuries and/or disabilities with some of STRIDE’s youth athletes who also have special needs. So, it's theraputic and supportive for both sides.

It is a first of its kind program nationwide. Each soldier, along with their family members ‘volunteers’ to mentor a STRIDE youth athlete with a similar disability for a weekend of learning together. Soldiers and children are introduced via email and ‘pen-pal’ before camping together, so by the time the event is held, it's more like an extended family than a group of strangers.

STRIDE has been taking youths with special needs into the woods of New York State Parks for more than two decades. The success of that program, plus the growing population of U. S. Military members returning from deployment with permanent injuries, prompted them to add this type of camping event.

Virgin Atlantic Serving Hudson Valley Wines

We all know Sir Richard Branson has excellent taste and is a truly visionary businessman. All good reasons to serve Hudson Valley wines to passengers of his Virgin Atlantic airline. A selection is available to Upper Class passengers.

Hudson Valley wines are being poured for Upper Class passengers at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at London's Heathrow Airport. This is not your ordinary airline lounge, and it's not just because of the HV wines. This lounge has a fabulous bar with talented 'mixologists', a mouth-watering array of things to nibble, including sushi, free internet and Wi-Fi, a roof garden, and even a beauty salon where you can get a quick haircut, mini-facial or manicure -- all complimentary.

Let's get back to the wines. Thanks to the I Love NY program of Empire State Development, which partnered with Virgin Atlantic, a selection of New York wines are being offered through September. One of them is Millbrook Cabernet Franc, from the winery owned by John Dyson, in Millbrook. How appropriate, since Dyson is the man who coined the iconic I Love NY phrase when he was commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Commerce in the 70s

Virgin Atlantic also is offering a selection of Long Island and Finger Lakes wines. Hey, they are good, too. These include a Wolffer Chardonnay and Peconic Bay Cabernet Sauvignon from Long Island, and Dr. Frank Semi-Dry Riesling and Heron Hill Rosé of Cabernet Franc from the Finger Lakes.

Virgin's Clubhouse concierges are telling their guests that when they land at JFK, they are less than two hours from the wineries of the Hudson Valley. Or Long Island. And a bit longer to the Finger Lakes.

George Washington Slept Here

George Washington did more than visit the Hudson Valley -- he lived here for the last six months of the Revolutionary War, and for six months after what he called the "cessation of hostilities".

Gen. Washington commanded the troops from a brick farmhouse in Newburgh, on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. The house was owned by the Hasbrouck family, for whom the nearby village Hasbrouck Heights is named. Appropriately, the name of the street where this house is located is Liberty Street.

It could be the most patriotic thing you do this Fourth of July weekend -- besides flying the American flag, of course -- to visit the house now known as Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site. It's a museum about the Continental Army's activities in the Hudson Valley, plus an art gallery that's mostly portraits of Revolutionary patriots -- only Hudson Valley patriots, no Boston Patriots, with or without football helmets.

It was in this house that Gen. Washington rejected the idea of becoming king after the war. It was here that he created and awarded the Badge of Military Merit, which later became the Purple Heart. And it was from here that he posted letters to State Governors that influenced the writing of the Constitution.

Another important bit of history about Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site -- in 1850 an act of Congress named Washington's Hudson Valley headquarters as the very first National Historic Landmark. How appropriate for the first President of the United States.

United Airlines Features Hudson Valley Restaurants

Hemispheres Magazine, the United Airlines magazine, has discovered the most delicious reason to visit the Hudson Valley -- our wonderful restaurants, many housed in historic buildings dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Each month, the magazine's Global Gourmet feature tempts in-flight passengers with the good taste of a particular city or region. The June issue is a taste of the Hudson Valley. I wrote it.

The Hudson Valley has a bounty of talented chefs who use fresh ingredients from nearby farms, most of which are family-owned, not huge corporate conglomerates. Actually, so are these fine dining establishments -- in many cases the chef is also the owner and lives upstairs or across the road.

There's also a slideshow of Hudson Valley restaurants and destinations on the web version of my "Scrumptious Hudson" article, with images of the chefs and the dishes they create.

So, thank you, UAL Hemispheres, for allowing me to showcase the Hudson Valley for your passengers and on-line magazine subscribers.

Award Winning Hudson Valley Wines

The Hudson Valley Wine Competition has produced some winners to sip and savor.

These wineries are Gold Medal winners --

• Millbrook Vineyards and Winery was the top winner, for its 2006 Cabernet Franc. This fragrant red received awards for Best in Class, Best in Show, and Best Hudson Valley Wine.


• Benmarl Winery, for its 2007 Seyval. Benmarl also won Best of Class and Best White Hybrid for this light, white that's perfect for summer.


• Millbrook also garnered gold for its 2007 Tokai Fruilano, which named Best of Class and Best White Vinifera.


• Adair Vineyards received the award for Best Fruit Wine for its 2007 Peche.

Grapes have been growing in the Hudson Valley since 1677, when French Huegonots planted the vines they brought with them from Europe. That means the Hudson Valley has been producing wine for a couple of hundred years more than California.

Hudson Valley wines -- yet another reason to visit the Hudson Valley.

New Museum About the Legendary Woodstock Concert

The most famous thing in the Hudson Valley in the last 100 years probably was the three-day music festival and love-in simply known as Woodstock. More than a half-million people came to visit, hang out, listen to rock stars including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Richie Havens, and party.

Next year, 2009, is the 40th anniversary of that legendary concert, and the town of Bethel is getting ahead of the celebration by opening a new museum that memorializes the entire decade of the Sixties, not just the 1969 Woodstock whatever-it-was.

It was the Age of Aquarius, psychedelic clothing and drugs, an unpopular war in Vietnam, and the civil rights movement. During The Sixties, we cried over the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, and glowed with pride when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

It's all there, in the Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The museum is part of a $100 million center with a 15,000 seat outdoor performance space, at the site of that huge field on Max Yasgur's farm where the Woodstock festival took place.

But, it will surely become known as the Woodstock Museum. Take a trip back to the Sixties, including a 21-minute clip of the music festival, plus clips of other news events, the fashions, the politics, and the emergence of a new group of musicians from England. The Beatles.

The Woodstock museum -- Just one more reason to visit the Hudson Valley.

Learn About Bears

Are there bears in the Hudson Valley? Of course there are. Are they dangerous? Or just a nuisance?

The answers to those last two questions are -- yes, no, maybe, it depends.

To learn more about these majestic creatures, you should attend a free Nature Education Program, "Black Bears", Friday, May 30th at 7:00 pm in the Discovery Lodge at Belleayre Mountain.

Bears are a central part of the outdoor experience. This program will educate you how to

• protect your trash bins and birdfeeders from hungry bears fresh from their winter hibernation,
• act and react when confronted by a bear.
• co-exist peacefully with this iconic, furry forest dweller.

The program features Department of Environmental Conservation Biologist Larry Bifaro. The man knows a thing or two about bears -- he is co-leader of the statewide black bear management team. His other duties include general wildlife and wetland work in Greene County.

Who knows the formal, scientific name of the bear? No, not Yogi Bear or Winnie the Pooh bear or Teddy bear. A pot of honey to anybody who could name Ursus Americanus.

Bears don't just visit the Hudson Valley -- they live here!

Happy 125th Birthday to the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge opened to the public on May 24, 1883, linking the city of New York with the city of Brooklyn (years later Brooklyn became part of the new, unified New York City).

It is an icon of engineering, and, simply, one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.

So, you must be asking -- what does the Brooklyn Bridge have to do with the Hudson Valley? Plenty.

Its architect, John Roebling, built the bridge with cement from Rosendale, in the Hudson Valley. Rosendale Cement also was used to build the base of the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument in DC, and the wings of the US Capitol building.

Roebling was injured during the 13-year-long construction of this bridge, and the job was finished by his son, Washington Roebling, who married a girl from Hudson Valley.

Emily Warren's parents operated Warren's Tavern in Garrison, which opened in 1761 as a stagecoach stop. Today, it is the Bird and Bottle Inn. Restaurant downstairs, charming bed & breakfast upstairs. Many guests request to stay in "Emily's Room".

The Brooklyn Bridge -- so much a part of New York City -- is one more reason to visit the Hudson Valley.

Hunter Mountain Skyride Opens Memorial Day Weekend

In the winter, it's called a chairlift, and it whisks skiers and snowboarders to the top of one of the best reasons to visit the Hudson Valley.

In the summer, Hunter Mountain, changes the name of this device to Skyride, but it still whisks outdoor enthusiasts to the top of one of the best reasons to visit the Hudson Valley.

The view from the top is a 360-degree picture postcard panorama, so be sure to ride up with your camera.

There are three ways to get back down. You could ride the lift down -- that takes around eight minutes. You could walk back down -- a liesurely stroll takes around 30 minutes, depending on whether you play frisbee with your friend's dog en route, as I did last summer. Or, you could ride your mountain bike down.

The Hunter Mountain Skyride opens for the summer starting July 5, but will be running this Memorial Day weekend from 10am - 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $8 for adults (13 and over) and $6 for juniors (7-12 years). Children 6 and under ride for free!

Hunter Mountain -- and the Hudson Valley -- are a great place to visit in any season.

Visit the West Point Museum

The West Point Museum contains one of the world's largest collections of weapons, flags, uniforms and other military artifacts, from ancient Egypt and Roman times through today. An excellent reason to visit the Hudson Valley.

Look for items from some of the most famous graduates of the United States Military Academy, which is the official name of West Point, including the generals

• Dwight David Eisenhower,
• George S. Patton,
• Robert E. Lee,
• William Tecumseh Sherman.

There is an exhibit of items from the NASA space program, and sections on Native American weaponry, Revolutionary War flintlocks, even a 1916 Dodge Brothers car used by officers in World War I.

The West Point Museum is open daily.

West Point is one of the most famous and most popular sites to visit in the Hudson Valley.

I LOVE NEW YORK

The logo that started it all is back. The iconic "I LOVE NY" campaign has gotten a facelift and new budget sure to bring more tourists to visit the Hudson Valley.

"I LOVE NY' is one of the world's most well-known, signature brands, copied by hundreds of other cities and states.

The new advertising and marketing campaign is expected to help increase New York State tourism from 155 million visitors in 2006 to 200 million by 2020, and boost direct tourism spending to $60 billion annually.

Tourism in New York State supports more than 740,000 jobs, which does not include the souvenir makers who will be churning out zillions of "I LOVE NY" t-shirts, coffee cups, refrigerator magnets, and other chotchkes.

The original "I LOVE NY' campaign was launched 31 years ago.

Here's a tidbit I bet you didn't know -- the slogan was coined by John Dyson, when he was commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Today, Dyson owns Millbrook Vineyards and Winery in the Hudson Valley.

I love New York. I love the Hudson Valley, too.

Learn Cheesemaking at Sprout Creek Farm

Learn cheesemaking on Saturdays this spring and summer at a Hudson Valley farm.

Sprout Creek Farm is a unique teaching farm in Poughkeepsie. The farm raises both grass-fed goats and cows, and has extensive education programs for both adults and kids, to teach us that food does not grow in styrofoam and shrink-wrapped supermarket packages.

The Saturday cheesemaking classes are taught by Colin McGrath, a graduate from the Culinary Institute of America, who also supervises the farm's own production of artisanal goat cheeses. More than 600 pounds of cheese a week is produced from Sprout Creek Farm's herds. The cheeses also are available for purchase at the farm store.

Reservations are required: call: 845-485-9885

Sheep Get Shorn, Baby Lambs Get Shown

Sheep will lose their winter coats at Phillipsburg Manor, the historic Hudson Valley farm and farmhouse in Tarrytown. The animals will be shorn by hand, the same way sheep shearing was done in the 18th century.

This year's annual Sheep-to-Shawl Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Visitors to living history museum Phillipsburg Manor can participate in the process of making woolen cloth, from picking and carding the wool, spinning and dyeing the yarn, to weaving it into cloth. Interpreters in 18th century clothing also demonstrate the labor-intensive process of making linen from the flax plant.

A special attraction for children are nearly a dozen newborn baby lambs born this spring on site, frolicking about the grounds.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit this working farm -- which recreates what farm life was like in Colonial times. It wasn't an easy life. Especially for the slaves known to have lived and worked here.

Philipsburg Manor is the country’s only fully staffed living history museum to focus on the history of northern slavery, especially slavery in New York State.