My husband, 12yr.daughter and 72 yr. Mother, and I will be arriving in town to attend my nephew's graduation at the CIA cook school the first week of December/2006. We are flying from Chicago to Hartford,CT and then driving over. We want to stay in the Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park Area. We plan to spend Friday in the area attending the graduation and some quick sightseeing and then spend Saturday in NYC sightseeing and then leave on Sunday.

My questions are; any hotel/motel suggestions in the Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park area. (Scenic, nice and clean. Also how long to drive to NYC from Hyde Park? Any suggestions for "must see" in Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park? Will it be too cold to see the Statue of Liberty? If you had one thing to see on a Saturday in December in NYC what would you do? Sorry for all the questions????? Thanks!

You might want to check out the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck. They have a property up the main street which could be good for families. Rhinebeck is an easy drive (and a pretty one) from Poughkeepsie.

We took the train (Metro North) to Poughkeepsie from Grand Central and rented through Hertz which picked us up at the train station. The trip from NYC took maybe 1.5 hours and was scenic as well.

The Roosevelt house is a great tour .

In NYC in December-Rockefeller Plaza complete with skaters and CHristmas decorations. I'd also walk along Fifth Avenue in Midtown and look at store windows.

Do not do the Staute of LIberty - the lines are very long and you can see only the inside of the base - the rest is closed.

If youhave nly one thing to do I wold go to see part of the Met - including the Neapolitan Christmas tree and creche. Check the web site to pick out no more than 3 or 4 departments (since you could spend days there) and try to sign up for a gallery talk if you can.

Depending on how much time you have - also stroll Fifth Ave from L&T (39th St) up to Rock Center (do Top of the Rock, see the tree, the skaters, perhaps drop in at St Pats), seeing Saks windows and continue up to 57th looking all incredible store window displays. (We usually do this after dark - generally after dinner at the Sea Grill - since the lights are so much more vivid after dark.)

Agree with PamSF that the FD Roosevelt house, library, and museum is great. Do not miss that in Hyde Park. Other than that, there are Locust Grove (the Samuel B. Morse site) and the Vanderbilt mansion.

http://www.hydeparkny.us/about.shtml

http://www.morsehistoricsite.org/visiting/gallery.html

There aren't too many hotel options, so perhaps check out PamSF's Beekman arms suggestion. We stay at the Courtyard in Poughkeepsie when we go visit my Aunt who lives in Hyde Park.

The Vanderbuilt Estate in Hyde Park is also a great place to visit. Very opulent.

THANK YOU!! I am printing this out and checking out everything you all suggested. I want to check out that train that takes you into NYC. I had concerns on how we were going to drive there and then get around. Although my husband is used to driving in Chicago, I have heard NYC is the worst. Once again, thank you!

Here's Metro-North (commuter railroad) info:
http://www.mta.info/mnr/index.html

Parking weekends & holidays in Poughkeepsie (and some other stations) is free. The least expensive fare is if you purchase online.

And if you do take the train, the station is Poughkeepsie is actually rather charming. You will arrive at Grand Central. Take some time to look at the ceiling and all.

In Poughkeepsie, I'd stay at either the Marriott Courtyard or the Holiday Inn Express. My daughter graduated from the CIA in 2004 and we stayed at both places often. I'd make reservations soon. You might also want to make dinner reservations (maybe for the night before graduation) at one of the restaurants at the CIA. I recommend either the American Bounty or the Colavita.

I recommend the Marriot Courtyard or Marriot residence inn, both in Poughkeepsie. Both are right on Rt 9, about 10min south of the CIA - easy drive and convenient location.

Have you considered flying into Albany. My guess is you chose Hartford due to Southwest airlines - they also fly Albany, which is a about 45min -1hr closer to POK.

I also second the idea of train (commuter rail, not amtrak) to NYC from Poughkeepsie. It'll take about 90min. POK is the 1st station, so you won't have problem getting a seat. On a December saturday the trains do fill up as you get further towards the city.

1st weekend in Dec the Christmas decorations will be up - Rock center tree lighting is either 1st or 2nd weekend in Dec - not sure which. City streets can be very cold - bring a coat that covers the back side - not a jacket. The expression 'freezing my arse off' isn't an exageration on a cold winter day in ny. You might get lucky though with temps in the 40s to 50.

For hotels, you can also consider Rt 9 in Fishkill. Sierra suites, hilton garden inn, and marriot courtyard. They are about 10min further from CIA - still pretty close though, but right on I-84 from Hartford. You can catch the train to NY at the Beacon station, and since you are driving back to Hartford anyway, you're a bit closer to start the Sunday drive.

There are some charming bed and breakfasts in the Hyde Park area. We have stayed in the Journey Inn, and I think that the innkeepers provide a special rate for events at the CIA.

The rooms sleep two people, but it is only $105 to $140 per room or $165 to $185 for a 2 room suite. Room rates include a substantial 2 course breakfast. Also, you will have a dedicated bathroom (in room or across the hall) during your stay.

This place is easy to find as it is across from the Vanderbilt estate. Also, the innkeepers are really knowledgeable about the local top sights and restaurants, and they have seperate living quarters so guests do not feel crowded. Here is the website:

www.journeyinn.com

There are tons of things to see in the Hudson Valley, as I am sure your nephew will inform you. My favorite not-to-miss places in the Mid-Hudson Valley are:

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Home and Presidential Library
2. Val-Kill Cottage--Eleanor Roosevelt's House
3. DIA-Beacon
4. Town of Rhinebeck
5. Culinary Institute
6. Vanderbilt Mansion

The tour of the FDR home is almost magical, as the tour guides give in-depth and heartfelt insight into FDR's personality and home life. Even though I am not a history buff, I enjoyed being transported to another era. National Parks Pass and Golden Age Passports are honored and the FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt homes.
http://www.nps.gov/hofr/

The tour of Eleanor Roosevelt's home is equally charming. Whether you are politically liberal or conservative, you cannot help but admire and respect this larger than life personality that is Eleanor Roosevelt.
http://www.nps.gov/elro

If you do not have a National Parks Pass or a Golden Age Pass, it might be worth it to you to buy a combo ticket and see the Vanderbilt Mansion, which is known for its Gilded Age design. A stroll around its Italian gardens is worthwhile, but there might not be much to see in December.
http://www.nps.gov/vama/

DIA-Beacon has an important collection of modern art from the 1960's and 1970's collected by Philippa de Menil and Heiner Friedrich. If you love modern, you probably would want to visit here.

http://www.diacenter.org/bindex.html

The town of Rhinebeck is terrific for shopping and eating. There are always new great restaurants being opened by CIA grads. The Beekman Arms is worth a stop because of its history, and they have very good restaurant.

For visiting the CIA, I would defer to your nephew about arranging tour of the place. I would recommend eating at American Bounty, as it is considered their best restaurant.

There are other great places to visit in the Hudson Valley, but I do not know of your time constraints or interests.


I have also visited West Point Academy, which is on the opposite side of the river. It is pretty, but when I was there, you were not permitted to walk around to grounds at Stoney Point. You could visit only with the guided bus tour, which lets you out only to see West Point Chapel.

http://www.westpointtours.com/usma_individual_tours.htm

It is a two hour drive from Hyde Park to NYC. I hear that the train ride to NYC is quite pretty, but you need a car to get to the different places and restaurants in the Hudson Valley.

As for the Beekman Arms, I have heard mixed reviews about the lodging there. But there are some other places to stay in Rhinebeck. Rhinebeck is about 20 to 25 minutes away from Hyde Park. But, it has more restaurants, shopping and nightlife than Hyde Park.

As for NYC, I know your plans are for Saturday. But, on Sundays in NYC, you can park for free on the street. Parking in the lots there can be quite expensive.

If I had one day in NYC in December, I would arrive very early to avoid the bridge or tunnel traffic. I would go to the Met Museum of Art, see their Christmas tree and the rest of the museum, breaking for lunch at one of their great restaurants.

I would splurge on a carriage ride around Central Park, but there might be a long line of tourists to do this. I think that the line for this is in front of the Plaza Hotel. If you are going from the Met to the Plaza, I would drive or take a cab there because of your 72 year old grandmother. However, it might be difficult to get a taxi there that of year.

I would see the ice-skaters in Central Park which has a gorgeous view of the NYC skyline.

I would see as many of the holiday windows as possible. My favorite holiday windows for five years running are at Bergdoff Goodmans, which is at the southern end of Central Park across from the Plaza Hotel.

I would then drive or take a taxi to Rockefeller Center to walk around and look at the skaters and the tree. I would visit St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is a beautiful example of Neo-Gothic architecture.

I would eat supper at nice restaurant nearby, and then see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City with the Rockettes, which your mother and daughter might enjoy.

If you want to see this show, I would highly recommend that you purchase tickets now. This show always sells out.

This NYC schedule is pretty ambitious, especially with a 72 year old grandmother. But, these are things I try to do if I daytrip to NYC in December.

I forgot to post a link for Radio City tickets for the Christmas spectacular:

http://www.radiocity.com/eventcalendar/home#

Oh boy do I miss upstate NY !
Fri you will be at the graduation? so you can drive to Rhinebeck and stay at the Beekman Arms http://beekmandelamaterinn.com/ or their other part of the hotel-Delamater House . There is a great little restaurant called Le Petite Bistro across the street from the Beekman Arms that we just love. There are good breakfast places and lunch places in town as well. A drive along Rt 9 will take you to the Vanderbilt Mansion http://www.nps.gov/vama/ which is such fun, you don't have to pay to go inside for the tour, the grounds are nice for walking. We used to take picnics when we would go up for Apple picking weekends.
Way back in the past, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at the edge of Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie..clean and good for one night, no charm like the Beekman but it does the job. ( for less $ also)
December up there will be quiet.
There is also the town of Hudson http://www.warrenstreet.com/ where you can go antiquing or just laugh at the prices of the junk they are selling (she says snidely and have lunch there, there are a few places that make great lunches.

If I were back in NY on a Saturday, I would go to the J Pierpont Morgan Library.
http://www.morganlibrary.org/
and either have high tea there or at Serendipity

Have fun!

I have a different slant on this. I think you might be wasting too much time with unnecessary travel if you spend Saturday night in Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park

As somebody who is the POK/Hyde Park area often, I do not believe that there are any "must sees" there. I enjoy the FDR Home, but I wouldn't consider it a "must see" and I think that your 12 year old daughter is likely to be bored out of her mind going to most of the places recommended. You will have more than enough time to see the area on Friday.

You should decide how much time you want to spend in New York City. If you plan on spending a full Saturday in NYC, why do you want to spend the night back in Dutchess County. It's going to take you close to 2 hours of driving each way or over 1 1/2 hours by train each way (and the train runs once an hour).

It's means that you're going to spend a lot less time in NYC than you and your daughter would probably like.

Unless money is a real concern, why not see whether you can spend Saturday night in Manhattan or if not in Westchester County. It is a much shorter drive/train to the City from Westchester.

THANK YOU -THANK YOU-THANK YOU!!!!! I NEVER takke a trip without suggestions from all the travelor's at the Fodor's Talk Site AND I have never been dissappointed!!! Now I just have to narrow down all the suggestions which isn't easy to do because it ALL sounds great! A BIG "THANK YOU" to FlyingMaltese. You made it so easy to go to the websites. I never thought of the Radio City Rockettes! What a great idea and what a surprise for my Mom! I know Mom is 72 but she is still very active and healthy! She still works full-time at a title insurance company!!! Once again--THANK YOU ALL!!!!

Thank you tbianco.

Can't wait to hear how the trip went.

Our son lives in Poughkeepsie as a prof. at Vassar College. Can't add anything really to places already recommended from many who are well informed...we did stay once at Beekman and liked it especially for its history. We do love the Hudson Valley and the various mansions which we've seen. And they will have holiday decorations. Have enjoyed West Point, Culinary Institute and more.

Also have been to the Christmas show at Radio City which is a fun thing. Take time just to stroll along the avenue seeing the lights. When it comes to sightseeing in NYC, there is more than time may allow! Yes, I think I would take the metro rather than drive into the City.

P.S. I'm older than 72 and see no problems.

ozarksbill
[email protected]

bumping for future reference

Ozarkbill, What does your son teach?