#130: Hudson Valley (Page 676, 2nd Ed pg 839)

August 11, 2012:  The Hudson Valley is the stretch of land next to the 314 mile long Hudson River.  We chose to visit Hyde Park, home of "the other CIA" (Culinary Institutes of America).  Unfortunately, we were there on a Saturday and the place pretty much shuts down on weekends, but we still had fun roaming the beautiful campus and shopping in their gift shop.  Parking is free and it's definitely worth the visit - especially if you are there M-F and can check out one of the student-run restaurants.

Hyde Park is also home to the FDR home, library and burial plot.  Here is the grave of FDR and his wife.  The grounds are lovely.

And here is his home.  Parking here is free.  There is a charge to enter the library or home, but roaming the grounds is free of charge.

Verdict:  A beautiful area, but No, not a "must do" before you die.

#129: The Catskills (Page 671; 2nd Ed pg 836)

August 11, 2012: Woodstock is the Catskills' most famous area/town and also the place my friend Mindy most wanted to visit.

Woodstock is covered with little bohemian/hippie type shops and we all soaked in the peace, love and tie-dye!

Verdict:  We had a delightful afternoon here, but No, this is not something you HAVE to do before you die.

#128: The Adirondacks (Page 670; 2nd Ed pg 835)

August 10, 2012:  The Adirondacks is the largest park in the continental United States covering ~6 million acres.  We settled on Lake George as our destination.  We walked all around the town.  The "main street" has countless shops, restaurants and ice cream shops.  There are also boat rides you can take out on the lake.  We chose the Minne-Ha-Ha Paddlewhell Cruise.  It was a one hour cruise and cost $12.75.  

Verdict:  Yes.  I LOVED Lake George and absolutely could have stayed a week or two exploring as much of the park as possible.  However, it is expensive to stay here during the summer.  We paid $180/night for our motel and it was a total dive.  

#127: Saratoga Springs (Page 688, 2nd Ed pg 849)

August 10, 2012:  The famous Saratoga Race Course was built in 1864 and is open to the public for horse races for 6 weeks during the summer.  For just $3, you can enter the race course and view the races.

I went to the races with my friends Mindy and Mariellen and it was the first time any of us had been to a live horse race.

Ready for the races to start!

Warming up...  The races go all day long until ~6pm and run a different race every 30 minutes.  Very fun to watch!

Verdict:  As you can see from our pictures, we were there on a rainy, muddy day.  So, maybe if we were there on a sunny day and maybe if I was totally into horse racing, I would feel differently, but while we did have fun and while I'm glad we had the experience, NO, this is not something you need to do before you die.

#126: Finger Lakes (Page 674; 2nd Ed pg 838)

August 10, 2012:  I went with a couple friend to Upstate New York and visited the Finger Lakes.  We stayed in Geneva right by Lake Seneca, the largest of the 11 Finger Lakes.  There is a delightful walking path around the lake.

Verdict:  Beautiful lakes, towns and walking paths.  But No, not a "must do" before you die.

#74: Museum Mile (Page 686)

Sept. 3, 2010: Dave and I went to NYC to see the US Open, but we went a day early because I really wanted to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met"). Here is Dave in front of the beautiful building.

A View from the top floor

One of my favorite Renoir paintings

The roof (this bamboo structure was a pice of artwork on display on the roof -- you could even get tickets to climb up this piece of art!)

Beautiful view of Central Park and the City from the roof of The Met.

Breakdown: Price: Technically, it's free. (Gasp! Something free in New York??) However, they do suggest a $20 donation per person. But whatever you can afford (even if it's nothing), they let you in! There are 12 exhibits on the first floor as well as a cafeteria. There are 14 exhibits (everything from Japanese Art to Musical Instruments to Islamic Art and European Paintings) on the second floor. And then.... there is the Roof Garden. The Roof Garden was so cool. There is a bar and a gorgeous view! However, it's only open May - October.

Verdict: I do appreciate art, but, as I've said before, I'm not a die hard museum lover. So, I think I probably could have died happy without having gone to The Met. Having said that, I'm still glad I went and it was a very impressive museum with an amazing collection.

#73: Historic Downtown New York (Page 684)

July 2003: The view of Historic Downtown from the top floor of the American Express building...

which also happens to look over Ground Zero. This is what it looked like one year and 10 months after the attack. Fortunately, I did see the WTC buildings prior to the attack. I went to NYC during the summer of 1992 or 1993 (I can't remember now) and have a picture of myself (in a Disney T-shirt tucked into white shorts, which is why I'm not posting the picture!) with the WTC buildings in the background. We climbed the Statue of Liberty on that trip as well.

Verdict: Everybody has to see Downtown New York at least once - because you have to see the Statue of Liberty! (Ferry service is available from Battery Park to the Statue and Ellis Island). But, for me, it's kind of a "been there, done that" place. I frequently go to NYC, but now that I've seen the WTC (before and after), the Statue of Liberty, etc., it's not a place I want to go back to again and again, but Times Square, Central Park, etc. are places I could do over and over again. So, do it once, but then if you go back to NYC, you can skip this and spend your time on the millions 0f other things to do in the vicinity!

#72: New York City (Page 677, 2nd Ed pg 841)

July 2005: Rockefeller Center

No trip to NYC is complete without a Broadway Show! We saw Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate.

Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.... yum!

May 2008: Dinner at Club 21

The Plaza

I happen to be married to a man whose favorite (American) city is NYC. And, we happen to live just 4 hours away from NYC. Thus, in the 5 plus years we have been married, we have been to NYC probably a dozen times. And we have loved every single time! There is so much to do, see, experience, etc. We love, love, love NYC!

Verdict: Absolutely! You MUST experience NYC in your life!

#71: Cooperstown (Page 672; 2nd Ed pg 837)

July 1991: My family took a vacation to upstate New York. Cooperstown was one of our stops because we are all HUGE baseball (Chicago Cubs) fans. Cooperstown is supposedly where the game of baseball was originated by Abner Doubleday (and thus, the name of the ballpark in Cooperstown) and is also home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
This picture is from July 31, 2005 when Ryne Sandberg (one of my all-time favorite baseball players) was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. Unfortunately, I wasn't there.....

But I was in Chicago in July of 2007 when Ryne Sandberg (who became Manager of the Peoria minor-league team) was in town. So, while this picture isn't of Cooperstown, I just had to put it with this post :)

Verdict: If you're a baseball fan like me, then yes, this is a MUST do! If you're not a huge baseball buff, do it anyway. Cooperstown is a delightful town!

#7: East Hampton (pg 673; Listed as The Hamptons in the 2nd Ed, pg 840)

So, I've always wanted to go to "The Hamptons", but always figured it was way out of my budget. Well, with a little research, I discovered that if you go off-season (we went November, 2008 over Thanksgiving), it's actually quite affordable! Granted, you won't be donning a bathing suit and sun-bathing, but you can still experience many of the charms East Hampton has to offer. For example, the Montauk Point Lighthouse......
Or, if you watch the Food Network, you can visit Barefoot Contessa's home, where Ina Garten lives and where her show is filmed.

Or you can walk in and around the many windmills

And, since you are in The Hamptons, after all, you never know who you might run into (notice Steven Spielberg walking to the right behind Lacey)

And the mansions lining the beach are, well, breathtaking.

And, of course, the beach itself. Even if you go off-season, the beach is a wonderful place to spend the day just walking and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Verdict: Page 673 of 1000 Places to See Before You Die. And yes, I agree. You've got to check it out at least once just to see what all the fuss is about and, if nothing else, to see how the "other half" lives. :)