Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast

TAKE A WALK IN THE PARK-STORM KING ART CENTER

2010-09-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Just three miles down the road from our bed and breakfast the artistic splendor and grounds of the largest sculpture park in America has dazled hundreds of our guests. Celebrating their 50th anniversary of a "Marriage of Nature and Art" you can stand in awe at the monumental works of Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Andy Goldsworthy, Maya Lin and others. Twelve new works are being displayed as part of their anniversary celebration. You can even take a tram to get around the park. Storm King is open from 10am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday, with extended hours on Saturdays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There is even a cafe located in the pavillion adjacent to the North Parking Area. http://www.stormking.org

MILLION DOLLAR VIEW-BOSCOBEL HOUSE AND GARDENS

2010-08-31T06:52:00.001-07:00

A jewel of the Federalist Era is located 35 minutes from us. Cross the magnificent Bear Mountain Bridge and drive up picturesque Route 9D and arrive at the sunflower yellow home of the States Dykman.Family. The main house has an intriguing history. The gardens and especially the view are wondrous. The Exhibition Gallery is showing a wonderful display of Currier & Ives lithographs through October 11. They have a great gift shop too. The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival offers great productions. http://www.hvshakespeare.org http://www.boscobel.org/main.html

HUDSON VALLEY ART

2010-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

For over 50 years the Gould family has been creating and exhibiting their art of the Hudson Valley. The nearby BETHLEHEM ART GALLERY was founded in 1957 by John F.Gould, (1906-1996) and his wife Mary. John was a noted advertising illustrator, an instructor at Pratt Institute for 22 years and an art consultant. His three sons have carried on his artistic traditions. William, a retired mathematics teacher, is a great local photographer and a picture framing consultant. Paul has conducted art classes for more than 30 years and outdoor painting workshops in New England, Ireland and Portugal. He also has an art gallery of his own, Hudson Valley Gallery, in Cornwall-on Hudson highlighting Hudson Valley artists. Robert, also a retired math teacher, is the business manager and woks with customers in selecting the appropriate frames for their art.Come visit their galleries on line at www.bethlehemartgallery.com or www.paulgouldart.com or visit in person nearby. Stay at the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast and take 20% OFF any of the Gould family works displayed at our B & B.

BOSCOBEL HOUSE & GARDENS

2010-04-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Thirty-five minutes from our bed and breakfast is the finest example of Federalist architecture in America. Situated on 68 acres overlooking the Hudson River, this neoclassical former home of the States Dykman family is one of the jewels of the Hudson Valley. Besides the house visitors can enjoy gardens and trails. There are also special events such a wine a chocolate tasting with Chef Oliver Kita, costumed house tours, yoga on the lawn and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival among so many events. Visit http://www.boscobel.org/ and then book your stay with us.

WHAT’S COOKING AT THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA?

2010-01-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

For the third year we will be dining at the CIA Diner Series which takes place from now through early April. Carmela and I enjoy the lectures about wine makers, partake in five samples of their brand and then dine in one of the CIA great restaurants and have five more glasses of wine. Some nights wine is not the subject. How about dining as they did on the Titanic without jumping ship?. If whiskey, beer or cheese is your favorite, they have it too. It is wonderful experience and value. Being Irish I usually ask Carmela to be the “designated driver” on the way home to our B & B just an hour South of Hyde Park. Check it out at www.ciachef.edu/restaurants/events/diningseries.asp. Maybe we will see you there and here.

ROCK N' ROLL IS HERE TO STAY

2010-02-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

15 minutes from our historic Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast is Eisenhower Hall Theatre at West Point, www.ikehall.com. Coming on Friday, March 26 a sold gold rock and roll show with Little Anthony & The Imperials and The Drifters featuring Charlie Thomas will sing such hits as "Tears on my Pillow" and "Save the Last Dance For Me". While we are not "Under the Boadwalk," "Please Stay" and have a "Some Kind of Wonderful" time with us. Then Sunday, April 11 Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell come into town, all the way from Philadelphia. Bring your "Run Around Sue" or "Venus" or that special "Wild One" and stay with us after the show.

STORM KING ART CENTER

2010-02-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I joined members of the Storm King Art Center for a Winter Walk. It was chilly and invigorating to see sculpture as reveled by winter light in their magnificent setting. America's largest sculpture park is one of the many artistic jewels of the Hudson Valley. Located three miles down the road from us on 525 acres the works of Maya Lin, Mark di Suvero, Sol LeWitt, Alexander Calder and many others are displayed. Another Winter Walk is scheduled for members on Saturday, March 6 from 2 to 4 pm. If you can't make the next walk, the Art Center reopens the first week of April. Have lunch or a Saturday dinner in their lovely picnic grove. Don't forget the wine. Visit on them line www.stormkingartcenter.org. Then make that reservation to relax with us in a comfortable guest room at the historic Caldwell Bed and Breakfast.

SUNSHINE

2009-12-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

The sun poured into this house this morning. It glowed. Now it has become overcast, yet the house sparkles with the Christmas lights and seasonal decorations. Many ask us if our bed and breakfast is haunted and we reply it is not. Many guest have remarked that is "very peaceful." While the economy is struggling and many people have tragically lost their jobs, we have had the busiest year in our eleven year history. We want to thank all our guests who have stayed with us and have made reservations for future stays. Mention this blog and take $10 off your new reservation. Happy New Year!

NOVEMBER 12 AMERICA A MELTING POT

2009-11-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

“What then is the American, this new man?...He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. He has become an American by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater. Here individuals of all races are melted into a new race of man, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims.” Letters from An American Farmer, 1782 edition

On this day, back in 1813, J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur, a resident of our area for many years, and the man who is attributed to the concept of America as a “melting pot” died. The term has been often challenged and perhaps we really are a “salad bowl.” On the anniversary of his death we at the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast want to celebrate a neighbor who wrote about us and inspires many of us.

J. Hector St. John was born January 31, 1735 in Caen, Normandy France. He landed in New York on December 16, 1759 and ten years later he came to Orange County and bought 200 acres of land, six miles from our bed and breakfast. In that same year he married Mehetable Tippe, a member of a prosperous and prominent Tory family of Westchester.

This property knowN as Pine Hill is located midway between current day Washingtonville and Chester, just after Roe’s Orchards. Hector St. John lived there until late 1778 and left his wife and three children to stay with friends in New York City. While there he was arrested by the British as an alleged sympathiser to the revolution and eventually made his way to England in 1781 when his sold his manuscript "Letters From An American Farmer." He then went on to France.

"Letters" became the first literary success by an American author. In the first part he wrote that in the American colonies a “new man” was be formed where groups from different countries and religious were “melting together.” These phrase inspired peoples for generations. Reading his description of the American Colonial period one can see the term “farmer”, a cultivator of the land, had an Enlightenment connotation. Jefferson called the farmer “the chosen people of God.” The plow in his writing has a mystical or holy symbolism to it. Exuberance, fertility, regeneration are powerful words in his book. Americans were “Masters of their own property and lords of their own soil” Being an American was living in America - plowing the land, facing the wilderness.

In the second part, which is not often quoted, he wrote about the American Revolution. For him it was chaos and disorder, disruption, destruction, hatred. Horrified by the Revolution he had the fictional character of his story go into the wilderness to live with the Indians, not returning to Europe. He went West not East, into the unknown. It is not an end but a continuation, it is a becoming....becoming an American.

He eventually came back to America to find his wife had died and his farm destroyed, but he was reunited with his children. Later he went back to France where he died. Again, we celebrate a neighbor.

2009-11-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

PRIDE OF NEW YORK
At the Caldwell House B & B we buy local and proudly use products produced by New York State farmers and processors: organic products from Blooming Hill Farm in Washingtonville. maple syrup from Remsburger Farm, Peasant Valley, Chobani Greek Yogurt, New Berlin, French toast bread from a Newburgh bakery, fruit and flowers from Roe’s Orchards in Chester and Adams Fairacre Farms in Newburgh, Commodore Chocolate, Newburgh and blueberries from our backyard.

2009-10-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

SPECTACULAR FALL COLORS
Even this late in the season our bed and breakfast is surrounded by a bevy of fall foliage from the local trees to the local hillsides. Bear Mountain, Schunamunk Mountain, Black Rock Forest and Storm King Mountain are filled with with multi-colored trees. Great hiking, scenic driving and farm stands.

2009-10-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY BRUNCH
After sleeping in our dreamy beds at the Caldwell House guests love our great breakfasts. Perhaps you may just want to stay home and have Sunday Brunch in our area. Most restaurants who offer this will have a carving station, custom omelets, waffles, seafood, fruit and danish Here are two of our favorites: Bulls Head Inn: located in a 100 plus year old farm house in a rural setting less than 15 minutes from us. Champagne is included, serving 11:30-2:30 845-496-6758 www.bullsheadinn.com. Another is Torches on the Hudson located on the Hudson River in Newburgh. Brunch is served 10 am to 2pm 845-568-0100, www.torchesonthehudson.com. These are very popular restaurants where our guests enjoy dinner.

2009-10-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

HORSEPLAY
Drive a sulky to the finish line in a 3-D simulator. The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in nearby Goshen, NY has a historic racing ephemera (tickets, programs, scrapbooks, etc.); photographs, works of fine art, jackets, caps and helmets, sulkies, harness and trophies.The original mint condition stable celebrates harness racing's great drivers, horses, races, and tracks of yesterday and today. Take a ride. www.harnessmuseum.com

2009-10-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

BEST OF THE HUDSON VALLEY PARTY
Thursday night, October 15, the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast is one of the many businesses being honored as the Best of the Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley Magazine. The party is taking place at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel beginning at 5:30PM. We have been chosen by readers of the magazine as the Best B & B in the Hudson Valley for the second year in a row. If you call me immediately I can have two admission tickets, a $80 value, set aside for you at the door. Sample over 100 of the best food from the best restaurants, treatments from the best spas, products from the best stores, and services from the best businesses. I hope to see you there.

WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON

2009-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

40 minutes from our Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast you can walk or bike across one of the great rivers of the world .Wow! New concrete panels replaced railroad ties, redesigned railings, modern digital lighting and an elevator have made an 1880 railroad bridge into one of the great parks in America. It is bold and exciting. Connecting the Town of Lloyd in the west and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County in the east for over a mile, the bridge once carried 3,500 train cars a day. Now you can walk and bike across without worrying if you have to step aside for the train. You must see and experience this. www.walkway.org.

PIES, APPLES AND PUMPKINS

2009-10-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

At the Caldwell House we try to serve locally made and grown products, such as maple syrup from Fishkill, French Toast bread and chocolates from Newburgh. We even gather blueberries from our garden. Homegrown fruits and vegetables, fresh apple cider homemade donuts and pumpkins are available at nearby Roe’s Orchards in their red barn in Chester. They have been baking pies since before the Civil War. While they don’t have a website they can be located about six miles west of our bed and breakfast past Washingtonville on Route 94. 845-469-4724 is their phone number. Oh, I can smell the aroma from their pies and taste their juicy fruit! There are many u-pick farms are in the area. Call us for some names.

FALL COLORS

2009-10-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

LEAF PEEPING
One of the great aspects of the Hudson Valley is the beautiful Fall colors. Just look at our home page and see the Caldwell House wrapped in blanket of maple leaves. The trees are turning now and we have several weeks before the peek and a week or two more before they are all gone. Guests save money by staying weekdays at the Caldwell House, when rates are much lower.

2009-10-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

LEAF PEEPING
One of the great aspects of the Hudson Valley is the beautiful Fall colors. Just look at our home page and see the Caldwell House wrapped in blanket of maple leaves. The trees are turning now and we have several weeks before the peek and a week or two before they are all gone. Guests save money by staying weekdays at the Caldwell House, when rates are much lower.

2009-10-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Grapes, Music, Festivals
Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, the oldest operating winery in America, is having their 13th Annual grape harvest festival being held Saturday October 3.It is two miles from our Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast. In their newly updated facility free admission, vendors, wine stomping, food, music, pony rides and, of course, wine tours are being offered. www.grapehavestfestival.com 845-496-5449 Another favorite winery in the area is Palaia Vineyards in Highland Mills, which has live music every Thursday through Sunday; www.palaiavineyards .com. Overlooking the Hudson River in Marlboro, NY is the Benmarl Winery. They are having their annual harvest festival October, 10 and 11, www.benmarl.com. Here's looking at you kid!

2009-10-03T05:14:00.000-07:00

ARMY, WEST POINT, EISENHOWER HALL
We recently broke away from our guests at the Caldwell House Bed & Breakfast and enjoyed seeing the Ronan Tynan show at Ike Hall. Comedy, music drama and great prices can be had at this beautiful 4,400 seat auditorium. The Eisenhower Hall Theatre, located in West Point, New York, is one of the top performing arts places in the Hudson Valley. If you have never seen an event at this setting you will want to purchase tickets in the near future. Whether your interest is in a live show or a musical, there are plenty of opportunities at Ike Hall. Some of the future shows include: Louie Anderson, The Wedding Singer, Stomp, Cirque Le Masque, Kenny Rogers, The Drifters, Frankie Avalon and a Frank Sinatra style singer.They even offer a pre-show dinner buffet Go to IkeHall.com.

2009-10-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL OF ART
If you love art of this period, this very special limited engagement exhibit is a must see. Focusing on the art of Thomas Benjamin Pope (1834-1891) of Newburgh, NY. Includes the works of Clinton Loveridge and Benjamin Champney. Two special evening showings for $25 per evening includes a lecture and wine and cheese reception; advanced registration is requested. Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, 6:30-9PM..Two daily exhibitions $10 per day, Saturday, October17 10AM-6PM and Sunday, October 18 1-5PM. St. John’s Episcopal Church 66 Clinton Street, Cornwall, NY 12518, 845-534-5475, www.stjohnscornwall.org. Fully accessible. Stop by and say hello at our Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast and view a framed copy on canvas of a Jasper F. Cropsey painting.

2009-10-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

Pet Friendly Bed & Breakfasts in Hudson Valley
At the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast we receive at least a call a week about accepting pets, primarily dogs. While we do not accept pets even the “friendly”, “cute” “adorable” ones, we can recommend a few bed and breakfasts that do. Here are some in our area to check out. www.meadowlarkfarm.com and www.glenwoodbb.com Best of luck. Woof. Woof.

Hudson Valley Bed and Breakfast - New Blog!

2009-09-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

We at the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast are excited to announce our new blog! Check back soon for more information about our beautiful Bed and Breakast Inn in the Hudson Valley, New York!