Hancock Shaker Village
We visited the former Shaker commune Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass. It was an active Shaker community from the late 1700s until the middle of the 20th century. The community’s peak was in the …
Architecture / Art / Authors / Books / History
A Few Sites along the Lower Hudson River in New York
Nestled right along the Hudson River in Tarrytown, N.Y., sits Washington Irving’s Sunnyside home. The home, purchased as a small stone farmhouse in 1835, sits on 10 acres, and is a mixture of Dutch Colonial …
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Thomas Cole was a founder of the Hudson River School of American Painting and is widely regarded as the father of American landscape painting, yet he was born and raised in England. He came to …
Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio
The Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio in Lenox, MA was an unexpected delight. It was the home of George L. K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, two abstract artists we had never heard of; yet, the …
Untermyer Park and Gardens
The Untermyer Park and Gardens in Yonkers, N.Y., are the 43-acre remnant of Samuel Untermyer’s original 150-acre estate, “Greystone”. It is situated on steep land rising from the Hudson River, and as such has glorious …
United States Military Academy (West Point)
On our travels up the Hudson River we stopped in to the United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point. Though the West Point Museum was closed, the Visitors Center was open and had …
Letchworth Village and Cemetery
Letchworth Village was not actually a village per se, but a (now-closed) residential institution for the physically and mentally disabled. Located in Thiells, N.Y., the facility opened in 1911 and served all ages, from newborn …
Woodlawn Cemetery
400-acre Woodlawn Cemetery was founded in 1863, and now has more than 310,000 interments. Located in the Bronx, N.Y., the non-sectarian cemetery is meticulously maintained, and has absolutely gorgeous mature trees (there are walking tours …
Architecture / Books / Museums
The Armour-Stiner Octagon House
The Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington, N.Y., is an absolutely stunning architectural delight. It was built in 1860 as a summer home for financier Paul J. Armour, and was originally just two floors with no …
Leonard J. Buck Garden
The Leonard J. Buck Garden in Far Hills, N.J. came on my radar as “one of the premier rock gardens in the Eastern United States”, and after our research for Japan Day back in 2020, …