Day Trips from NYC
 

Need suggestions for traveling by train outside New YOrk. Day trip only...heard Hudson Valley/Cold Spring is easy trip with good shops, food, antiques, etc. Other ideas?

When are you coming? If it's May or later, try the lower Hudson Valley, the Tarrytown area to be specific. And, start with Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate in Pocantico Hills (next to Tarrytown). There are two excellent two-hour tours, one of the home and one of the gardens. And that's just for starters. There are many other sights in the area and it's an easy trainride from Grand Central Station to Tarrytown. <BR>Check out these websites: <BR>hudsonvalley.org <BR>hvnet.com

Howard's suggestions are terrific - here are some others (although I can't speak to how accessible they are by train - we had a car). <BR> <BR>Hyde Park <BR> <BR>- the Roosevelt Library/Home is a wonderful experience <BR> <BR>- The Vanderbilt Mansion - wretched excess, but interesting! <BR> <BR>- The Culinary Institute of America - they have tours on Monday at 4:00pm (double check their web site www.ciachef.edu) and 4 on site restaurants open to the public - I would recommend Escoffier and Caterina de Medici <BR> <BR>Also, if you're interested in antiques the town of Hudson has more antique shops per square inch than I've ever seen - although it might be too far for a day trip. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Kykuit would be a good choice as per Howard's suggestion. You can take a train to Tarrytown and from there a taxi to Kykuit. There might even be local bus service. I seem to recall that a train excursion was also offered. Go to the website suggested by HOward for detailed information. <BR>Elizabeth's suggestion on the Roosevelt home and the Vanderbuilt Mansion is an excellent day trip. YOu could take the train to Pougkeepsie and then it would probably take a taxicab to get you to either or both. They are very close to each other. This past summmer we did Kykuit, Roosevelt and Vandebilt in one day but we did it be car. Couldn't get to eat the the Culinary Institute since all <BR>restaurants were booked. If a rental car is an option you might consider that might be the way to go. Car rentals in the city are more expensive than most places but it might be more cost effective if you were to do all of the above in one day.

A correction on rqf's posting about getting to Kykuit. When you get off the train in Tarrytown, you take a cab to Phillipsburg Manor (a restoration in North Tarrytown), where you pick up the bus that takes you to the estate. It's the only way you can get to Kykuit. <BR>If you want to cover more than one site in a day, I suggest renting a car. Otherwise, it'll be tough getting from site to site. However, if you can do both tours at Kykuit with lunch inbetween, that would take up a good part of the day.