This past weekend, we took a brief break from some epic spring cleaning to check out The Garden Conservancy‘s first Open Days event of the year in the Los Angeles area.

Held all over the United States each year between March and November, Open Days allow you to snoop around other people’s backyards and/or find landscaping inspiration while simultaneously raising money to provide and preserve garden spaces across the country. It’s a fun, romantic and altruistic outing, whether you’re traveling in a different city or simply exploring your own. Traditionally a mapped route of six private homes in one area that open their outdoor spaces to the public for one day, Open Days provide a unique opportunity to experience a neighborhood through its plantings, design, architecture and history. The volunteers who work these special events can generally answer questions about the people who own the homes involved, tales of the buildings and homes that surround it, why certain design decisions were made, what to call that purple flower over there, and stuff you’ll probably only think to ask once you’re surrounded by absolute floral magnificence.

Open Days gardens range from homey affairs to sprawling estate layouts, English country to low-water plantings, and it’s fascinating to see how truly gifted gardeners incorporate fountains, pools, waterfalls, patios, sculpture, lighting and a myriad artistic details into their designs. For garden and travel lovers like us, it’s also just plain exciting when we discover exotic plants we’ve never seen before.

These are some glimpses of this past Sunday’s Open Days event in Pasadena, California. Be sure to check out the entire Open Days schedule to see where you might catch some cool gardens in your area — or on your next vacation.

_______________________________________________

Open Days are held around the U.S. between March and November,
on Saturdays and Sundays between (generally) 9am and 5pm.
No reservations are necessary, and all tours require self-driving.
Each Open Days event provides a starting point address where you can pick up a map of the day’s gardens.
Tickets can be purchased online in advance, or in person at any stop along an Open Days route.
Ticket prices: 6 for $25 US for non-members, or 6 for $15 US for Garden Conservancy members.

Travels With Two

The Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut

I’ve had New England on the brain lately, missing my East Coast childhood trips to see cousins, family friends and historic sites.

Aside from a wedding near Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport, we’ve never traveled to the region together. It’s long been on our to-go list, under the vague heading of autumn leaves, pumpkins and scenic drives.

But why wait until Fall? When I heard that the Mark Twain House & Museum (a well-loved stop along one of those trips from my youth) designed a 6-day itinerary that takes you from one literary landmark to another, I just had to share. It sounds like a wonderful way to get out of the office and inspire yourself to do some traveling…and some reading.

Day 1: NYC to West Hills, New York

West Hills, New York is a 45-minute drive from New York City, but in case the prospect of driving in the city doesn’t thrill you, consider taking a train from New York City’s Penn Station to Huntington, New York (the closest station to West Hills) and renting a car there. However you choose to get there, here are directions to your first stop.

Walt Whitman Birthplace & Interpretive Center. Walt Whitman was born at this farmhouse in West Hills, New York in 1819. Newly restored, the home is a New York State Historic Site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Interpretive Center exhibits: 130 Whitman portraits, original letters, manuscripts, artifacts, recordings of his voice on tape and more. On the site you can find guided tours, an audio-visual show, the museum shop and bookstore, and a picnic area, allowing you to make a big ol’ day of it.

Walt Whitman's Birthplace, West Hills, New York

Day 2: Hartford, Connecticut

Mark Twain House & Museum. This is the birthplace of Mark Twain’s most famous characters, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. From the infamous billiard room where Twain did all his writing (and cigar smoking), to unique exhibits, educational programs and community events, Twain’s Hartford home is a unique destination for readers and history buffs of all ages. Don’t miss a chance to loll together on the round velvet settee — it’s very Showboat meets New England high society.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House. Mark Twain’s famous next door neighbor and the author of the best-selling anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe believed (quite correctly) that her words could make a difference. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center connects Stowe’s issues to the contemporary face of race relations, class and gender issues, economic justice and education equality. A Gothic Revival home built in 1871, the house includes Victorian-style gardens, the Katharine Seymour Day House (a grand mansion adjacent to the Stowe House) and a visitor center with changing exhibitions and a museum store.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Hartford, Connecticut

Day 3: Lenox and Pittsfield, Massachusetts

The Mount Estate & Gardens.  The Mount is both a historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions of Edith Wharton (one of my all-time favorite writers). Best known for The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, Wharton described the lives of New York’s upper class (and the disappearance of their world in the early 20th century) with both humor and empathy. This gorgeous property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who, in addition to being deeply fabulous, also happened to be an authority on European landscape design. The Mount is a stunning reflection of Wharton’s love of the literary arts, interior design and decoration, garden and landscape design.

The Mount Estate and Gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts - photo by Kevin Sprague

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead. Arrowhead is a National Historic Landmark located in western Massachusetts. Melville purchased this historic farmhouse in 1850, and it remained the home of Herman’s large, chaotic family for more than 13 years. Herman found refuge in the second-floor library, where he wrote his most famous novel, Moby Dick, three additional novels and many short stories.

Day 4: Amherst, MA and Concord, Massachusetts

Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and the Evergreens. The Homestead, where poet Emily Dickinson was born and lived most of her life, and The Evergreens, home of the poet’s brother and his family, share three absolutely beautiful acres of the original Dickinson property in the center of Amherst, Massachusetts. The Museum offers guided tours of the houses as well as a self-guided audio tour of the outdoor grounds.

Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts

The Wayside: Home to Hawthorne and the Alcott Family. The only home owned by Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, and Twice-Told Tales, The Wayside is now a historic landmark. Before Hawthorne lived here, the house belonged to the Alcott family, who had named it Hillside. Here, Louisa May Alcott and her sisters lived much of the childhood described in Little Women.

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. Just minutes from Wayside, this circa-1690 house was a later home to the Alcott family; this is where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her classic novel, Little Women, in 1868.

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts

Authors Ridge at Sleepy Hollow. Perched on the uppermost glacial hill in the cemetery, Authors Ridge features the graves of Henry Thoreau (1862), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1864), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1882), Louisa May Alcott (1888) and her father, Bronson Alcott (1888). This popular spot proves that the company you keep does in fact matter, even after you’re gone.

Day 5: Concord, Massachusetts

Ralph Waldo Emerson House. Though open to the public, the Emerson House is still furnished with the writer’s memorabilia and keepsakes. Here, Emerson lived most of his adult life, wrote his famous essays “The American Scholar” and “Self Reliance,” and died in 1882.

Walden Pond. Set on 400 acres, Walden Pond – where Henry David Thoreau lived from 1845 to 1847 – is a State Reservation and National Historic Site. Thoreau’s experience here inspired his book Walden, credited with helping to inspire awareness of and a deeper respect for nature. Today, visitors can enjoy hiking, meandering, swimming and guided tours.

Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts

Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters. This National Historic Site preserves the home of Henry W. Longfellow, one of the world’s foremost poets. By the by, the house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston (July 1775 – April 1776). In addition to its rich history, the site offers unique opportunities to explore 19th century literature and arts. (Oh, and it’s very, very pretty.)

Day 6: Boston, Massachusetts

Boston by Foot. Take a walking tour of the homes and haunts of Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Alcott, Longfellow, Henry James, Charles Dickens and more. (1 ½ hours, $12 US per adult)

Boston...by foot

And by all means, take us with you.

____________________________________

See also
TWT Travel Binder: New York
TWT Travel Binder: Connecticut
TWT Travel Binder: Massachusetts

Travels With Two

We recently returned from a gorgeous Fall weekend in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, where:

-The air is clear and cool
-Woodsy back roads run along wide, stony creeks
-Deer and butterflies frolic around marshy ponds in soft meadows
-Thin, lacy trees are just starting to turn red and gold

And there we stood, lingering outside of a local real estate office…dreaming of a parallel life.

Our Catskills catalyst was the wedding of Adam’s college roommate, Joe, a truly wonderful guy. Joe met Lucy speed-dating in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, and the duo have been adventuring together ever since (e.g., they once biked from New York to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…without anyone chasing them).

I had to chuckle at the coincidence of a Yom Kippur-weekend wedding in the heart of what remains a haven for for observant Jews. The Catskills used to be full of Jewish-only resorts like real-life Grossinger’s (owned by some of my distant cousins) and Dirty Dancing‘s fictional Kellerman’s; by the mid-1960s, most of the big resorts were in decline, and almost all were closed by the mid-’80s.

Clearly, though, there are still lots of Jews attracted to the Catskills’ woods and mountain air. On our three-hour drive up from Newark Airport, we saw signs of a lingering kosher presence all over the Hudson Valley.

Fly into Albany and you’ll have a much shorter commute to the Catskills (about an hour), but the three-or-so-hour drive from Newark allowed us to clear our heads after a few grueling work weeks in a row. Having arrived at the airport at dawn, we were in no hurry; we picked up our little rental car and treated ourselves to a meandering path (I-85 -Route 42 -Route 47) beside a series of creeks and meadows, into the heart of the Catskills Forest Preserve.

Along Route 42, in particular, we passed through Sullivan County and the historic town of Neversink, regionally famed for its vibrant “barn quilt” plaques. There isn’t much to do around these parts but pull over and drink in the scenery; since this little hamlet is dry, you won’t find (or really need) anything stronger.

You'll find barn quilts, creeks and lacy forest around Sullivan County

We made it up to our Ulster County lodgings too early to check in, so continued along Route 47 to Route 28 to grab a late breakfast at Sweet Sue’s in Phoenicia. Can we talk about pancakes for a minute? They’re the specialty of the house at this 20+ year-old local favorite, so (despite the fact that I’m none too tolerant of wheat), we split two of the biggest, tastiest, fluffiest ‘cakes that anyone’s ever seen. If the gajillion kinds on the regular menu don’t do it for you, try whatever’s seasonal — and don’t plan to eat again for many hours.

Stuffed to the gills, we wandered the village Main Street past a one-room library, a general store or two, and astonishing views of tree-covered mountains. Cozy little antique houses line the side streets and the Esopus Creek trickles at the head of town. The air smelled sweet, people smiled at us, the leaves were just beginning to blush orange around the edges…

Can you blame us for standing in front of a local realty office and fantasizing about cottages/artist’s retreats/farmhouses that cost 1/3 or less than our little house in L.A.? (*Sigh*)

While actually living in Phoenicia isn’t a realistic option just now, we liked the look of the Phoenicia Belle (a Victorian B&B) and the idea of an inner tube float down the Esopus, a ride on the Catskills Railroad, and as many meals as possible at Sweet Sue’s.

Phoenicia, NY: home of apples, river tubing, pancakes and a piece of our hearts

On the day of the wedding, while the bride, groom and many others went for a three-hour hike along the Giant Ledge Trail, Adam and I escaped to Phoenicia’s Emerson Resort & Spa for massages and lunch. (We tend to pride ourselves on sound decision-making.)

The resort is a long, sprawling compound set against a forest backdrop, and its (oddly incongruous) four-star Ayurvedic spa features an antique Rajasthani wood-carved doorway and stone Hindu statues. Everything’s clean and fancy, and there are steam rooms and saunas in the locker rooms and a co-ed hot tub on the outdoor deck. However, the treatment-room walls could use some soundproofing (from, say, children running and yelling through the spa), and if you want deep-tissue, be sure to specify when you book; our massages were soothing, but we left with the same knots we brought in.

Post-spa, we headed next door to the resort’s Catskills Corner Country Store, which features the world’s largest kaleidoscope (a paid attraction in a small theater) and an amazing warren of rooms stuffed with everything imaginable, and all for sale. This is not the place to bring your shopaholic partner if your goal is to get outside in the autumn sunshine.

We skipped the shopping and went for lunch at the Coffee Bar here, which offers gorgeous sandwiches, salads, homemade quiche, soft pretzels, cupcakes and locally-made ice creams. We opted to eat indoors, surrounded by a small gem of a bookstore with tons of tomes on the Catskills and Hudson Valley.

The Emerson Resort & Spa in Phoenicia, and its bookstore/coffee bar

The town of Woodstock (yes, that Woodstock) is about 12 miles from Phoenicia, and turns out to be several bustling blocks of independent boutiques and restaurants, a few B&B’s and a lot of fine clapboard homes with fluffy little gardens. Several stores capitalize on the town’s Summer of Love past with tie-dye shirts and peace-sign memorabilia, but it’s kept a bit on the QT that the actual festival happened several miles away on a farm field in Bethel, New York (now the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts). Today’s Woodstock is a lovely little New England-y place for a stroll and a gourmet snack; for the latter, we’d choose C’est Cheese, our winner for best name ever.

The town of Woodstock...not the actual site of the festival

Not too far from Phoenicia, along Route 47, the Lost Clove Valley Road is a traffic-free microcosm of the whole area. If you need a break from all other people except for each other, turn off, pass the Buddhist compound (replete with stupa), and spin up into the quiet woods. We’d at first thought the road was devoted to Lost Love, but it luckily turns out it’s just missing a “C.”

Along Lost (C)love Valley Road

Our home for the weekend was also the wedding location: the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian.

Everything here looks just right — the glass-enclosed porch, the big ol’ barn, the tranquil ponds, the window boxes full of flowers, the babbling brook — but know that the main house is no place for a romantic weekend. A glorified dorm, you’ll end up sharing the half-heated hall baths with a dozen other people; the tiny, spare rooms have no closets, and the rock-hard beds with starched sheets are just plain awful.

But before you skip the Full Moon entirely, remember that the location is stunning and the food’s delicious. For a more adult, civilized getaway here, try to book the solitary yurt or any one of the private cottages.

Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY

We had a wonderful time reuniting with old friends and meeting some new ones. The wedding itself, held in a meadow at the far end of the property, was full of humor and grace. (Before the ceremony, I took a few minutes to cast stones of atonement [for me] and good wishes [for Joe and Lucy] into the creek.) Later on, we’d dance the night away in a huge tent to the best wedding band we’d ever heard…and make a wish to come back to the Catskills in autumn someday.

Hopefully, Joe and Lucy would be up for joining us.

Setting the wedding scene at Full Moon

___________________________________

See also

TWT Travel Binder: New York

Travels With Two

Long time no talk…but that’s just because it’s been a long time since I’ve had consistent wi-fi.

Costa Rica has many things – lush jungles, howling monkeys, screeching frogs, crashing waves, endless palm orchards, dramatic thunderstorms – but satellite coverage when it’s cloudy?  Not so much.  So, I’ve contented myself with being on vacation and taking lots of photos.

After a week of beautifully preserved nature without crowds (besides the wedding  party for Adam’s cousin Minona and her new husband, Peter), it’s hard to get my head around the fact that tomorrow Adam and I will each be in one of the largest cities in the world…just not the same city.

As of last night, we‘d arrived in San Jose, the last stop on our Costa Rican trip and itself a bit of a culture shock.

Yesterday, we awoke to the sights and sounds of, well, howling monkeys, screeching frogs and crashing waves amidst a lush jungle on the remote, southern Osa Peninsula.  The eco-lodge El Remanso proved to be the highlight of our drive down the Pacific Coast, and I’ll be sharing it (and the whole trip) with you starting late next week.

We reached San Jose via a gorgeous but turbulent/nauseating one-hour flight from the Osa’s Puerto Jimenez airport, and after a short Nature Air van ride (with Otto the ultra-helpful driver) to our shabby downtown digs, the Hotel Don Carlos, we once again found ourselves in a land of concrete and clear-cut civilization. San Jose is full of grime, faded glory, vibrant murals, wrought iron porticoes, aggressive traffic, smokers, hagglers, and a little elegance.  It’s made for an atmosphere-readjusting transition between the back of beyond and halfway home.

Adam is headed home to Los Angeles today at a reasonable hour, and will spend the weekend throwing a tennis ball for our neglected dog.  After an easy, happy nine days of togetherness in a foreign land, I sadly won’t see his face again until next Tuesday night.

At the crack of dawn this morning I’m off to New York City and TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange), a travel bloggers’ conference that, in its second year, now has big-name sponsors like American Express, public relations agencies footing the bill for cocktail parties, and seminars on everything from monetizing blogs to shooting video to making connections with PR reps. In addition to a reunion with ¾ of my fellow #belizetrip bloggers, there’ll be almost 300 people at this shindig.

Excited to meet folks I’ve heretofore only known through blogs and social media, I feel like I’m going to cyberspace summer camp.

In New York, where I’ll be frolicking around my alma mater (NYU) and staying at the nearby Cooper Square Hotel (a building that my Aunt Lisa, an NYC local, decries as a blight on the face of historic preservation), I’ll have more wi-fi than free time…

…so, please check out my Twitter (#tbex10) and Facebook pages for updates, be sure to take a look at our photos from Costa Rica — and I’ll see you around here next week!

Travels With Two

We have a lot of connections to New York.

Adam’s paternal uncle’s family lives in uptown Manhattan on the westside,
and one of my maternal aunts lives downtown on the east.

Adam’s college roommate is in Brooklyn,
while my oldest friend lives in Port Chester, 45 minutes outside the city.

I myself split my college years between Syracuse University and NYU.

Adam’s paternal aunt and uncle are based in Ithaca, and much of his mom’s family lives up near Syracuse.

Adam’s maternal uncle and aunt own a small and perfect island in the Thousand Islands,
on the St. Lawrence River up near Canada.

But with all of our travel to New York over the years, we still haven’t made it to
the Hamptons or the Finger Lakes wine country.  Good thing it’s a long life.

Here are some resources to help you plan your own “travels with two” to New York.

Travels With Two
Posts on New York

NEW YORK STATE GUIDES
New York State Tourism Guide
New York Magazine
Frommers
Fodors
Concierge.com
Globe Trekker

_______________________

NEW YORK CITY

Travel Agents & Tours
Discover New York – Kit Garrett

Guides
Time Out New York
National Geographic Traveler
Travel + Leisure
Conde Nast Traveller
Concierge.com
Anthony Bourdain: NYC
Anthony Bourdain: Manhattan
Articles
NGT: On Foot Map: Steppin’ Out Below 14th
Budget Travel: Trip Coach: New York City
Conde Nast Traveller: Puttin’ On The Dog
Travel + Leisure: World’s Most Romantic Places to Propose: Central Park
Travel + Leisure: 50 Romantic Places: NYC
Travel + Leisure: 10 Best Romantic Hotels in the U.S.: The Lowell
Travel + Leisure: 10 Coziest U.S. Day Spas: Cornelia Day Resort
Food & Wine: Big City Value Eats: NYC
Travel + Leisure: Chef Couples: Chanterelle, NYC
Travel + Leisure: Chef Couples: Sfoglia, NYC
Travel + Leisure: Chef Couples: Payard, NYC

_______________________

BROOKLYN
Guides
Conde Nast Traveller
Samantha Brown
Articles
Travel + Leisure: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

_______________________

THE HAMPTONS
Guides
Conde Nast Traveller: Hamptons
Conde Nast Traveller: Bridgehampton
Articles
Conde Nast Traveller: The Hamptons
Conde Nast Traveller: America’s Best Beaches: The Hamptons

_______________________

THE CATSKILLS
Guides
Conde Nast Traveller
Articles
Budget Travel: Road Trip: The Catskills
New York Magazine: Go Organic in Saugerties
New York Magazine: Heart-Stopping Adventure in Kaaterskill Falls
New York Magazine: Get Your Adrenaline Fix at the Shawangunks

_______________________

HUDSON RIVER VALLEY
Guides
Travel + Leisure
Anthony Bourdain
Articles
NGT: Historic Places Rated: Hudson Valley
Travel + Leisure: Hudson’s Latest Act
New York Magazine: Seneca Lake

_______________________

THE FINGER LAKES
Articles
National Geographic Traveler: Finger Lakes Drive of a Lifetime
Travel Channel: Romantic Spa Vacations: Mirbeau Inn & Spa

_______________________

THE ADIRONDACKS
Articles
Travel + Leisure: America’s Best Summer Getaways: Adirondacks Road Trip
Conde Nast Traveller: Whistle-Stop Tours: Amtrak’s Adirondack
Conde Nast Traveller: Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Cooking Light: Adirondack Park, NY
New York Magazine: Winter in Lake Placid

_______________________

THE THOUSAND ISLANDS
Articles
Cooking Light: New York Seaway Trail

Have a New York tip, story, or blog post you’d like to share?

Travels With Two

There’s a sad tale to be told in the Thousand Islands, one of hearts and death and a great mansion abandoned.  

It’s the story of the finest summer home ever (partially) built in these parts: Boldt Castle. 

By the early 1900s, George C. Boldt was arguably the most famous man in the Thousand Islands.  A millionaire in a tax-free time, he was proprietor of The Waldorf-Astoria and testament to a solid formula:  Hard work + marrying for love + meeting the right people = success.

As a teenage Prussian immigrant with empty pockets, Boldt came to America by himself in the 1860s and began landing menial gigs in New York and Philadelphia hotels.  He impressed his betters as he rose in rank; while steward at the prestigious Philadelphia Club in 1876, he made a particular impression on young Louise Kehrer, daughter of the club’s owner.  Boldt and Kehrer married soon after, and became a formidable pair of hoteliers. 

Some years later, as owner of Philly’s elegant Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, George befriended one of America’s richest men, William Waldorf Astor…and created a place for himself and Louise in Manhattan’s high society.  

But one small side of Boldt Castle's main house

In 1893, Astor asked the Boldts to help design and run the ubër-grand Waldorf Hotel, erected on the site of the gajillionaire’s former Park Avenue home.  In 1897, Astor’s competitive cousin John Jacob Astor IV opened his own Astoria Hotel next door, and leased it to George.  It was profit-sharing George who linked the two structures to form The Waldorf-Astoria, creating the then-largest hotel in the world, and Louise who made it a hub for the city’s most prestigious social events.

The grand entrance of Boldt Castle's main house

By this time, many of New York’s elite were spending their summers up north in the Thousand Islands, yachting on the St. Lawrence River and building massive Beaux Arts mansions along Alexandria (“Alex”) Bay.  George followed suit, envisioning a spectacular gift for his beloved Louise, whom he called his “beautiful princess.” 

The Boldt Castle Yacht House

The Boldt Castle Boathouse

Boldt purchased Heart Island and set out to create a fairytale castle as a monument to his indispensable wife.  He, Louise and their two children spent four successive summers in the property’s original 80-room, um, cottage, later moved in sections and reassembled as the nearby Hart House Inn.  Meanwhile, Boldt employed 300 workers and $2.5 million in the seemingly-impossible construction of a six-story, 120-room stone behemoth with tunnels, electric power, elaborate gardens, and a truly enormous yacht house.  

He intended Boldt Castle as a gift for Louise on her 42nd birthday, Valentine’s Day 1904.  But one month shy of this date, his dream ended with a shock:  

Louise died of a heart attack.

George sent a simple telegram to his construction crew, telling them to stop their work.  Anguished until his own death in 1916, he would never set foot on Heart Island again.

For 73 years, the unfinished Boldt Castle compound stood empty and unfinished, prey to vandalism and punishing area weather.  The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority purchased it in 1977, and has since turned it into the area’s greatest tourist attraction.

Boldt Castle today is still a work in progress (its upper floors are peppered with graffiti and dust, and the children’s fanciful playhouse is under repair), but its romantic grounds are a popular site for weddings.

To us, it seems a star-crossed place to start a long life together…but we can appreciate the dream. 

Boldt Castle Visitor Information
More of our photos of Boldt Castle

Related posts:
Thousand Islands: More Than Just Dressing
Thousand Islands: Finding Warmth in Clayton
Thousand Islands: The Other Kingston

Other “castles” of the Thousand Islands:
Singer Castle
Carleton Island Villa

Travels With Two

We recently returned from the Thousand Islands, a chain of more than a thousand islands between upstate New York and Ontario, Canada along the St. Lawrence Seaway…and discovered anew that there’s a lot to do in the small 1800s-era town of Clayton, New York.

That is, once you’re done lounging by the wide, deep river for hours on end, gazing at the water and thinking about nothing at all.

Our five-day, early July trip to the Thousand Islands was awash in thunderstorms, which threatened to cancel the multi-island fireworks that make the Fourth such a joy up here.  Instead, fortune smiled upon a clear night with a full moon and lots of Roman candles exploding from hither and yon.  There were even a couple of  rosy sunsets and sun-stippled afternoons, but an equal measure of horizontal lightning cracked across the St. Lawrence River in the wee black hours.

Most surprising was the cold.  On our previous trips to this area, a light sweatshirt was plenty of cover, but on this trip we regretted not having rain jackets…and even fleece. In search of warmer clothing, we took our first trip in ten years to the bustling downtown of Clayton.

Clayton, an antique-lovers’ paradise steeped in island culture, is set in the self-proclaimed “geographical center of the Thousand Islands”; it’s in fact 7 miles west of the 1000 Islands International Bridge.  A bustling lumber and shipbuilding hub throughout much of the 1800s, the 1873 arrival of the railroad brought tourists to Clayton, and it’s remained popular in the Thousand Islands ever since.

Much of its present charm rests in period architecture, independent shops, and a conscious decision not to dwell on the fact that it’s simply a small town in a region few people outside the mid-Atlantic have even heard of.

Some Clayton highlights:

The Thousand Islands Museum (312 James Street), the perfect place to catch up on 150 some-odd years of area history.  See how Clayton’s original citizens dressed, kept house, hunted, fished and amused themselves during punishing winters that many summer people still, quite logically, flee. 

Freighters (310 James Street), the spot for substantial, organic-cotton sweats for men and women adorned with either “The River,” Irish-themes, or a tasteful heron logo.  Look no further for stylish and warm clothes when the local weather turns.

The Antique Boat Museum (750 Mary Street), where you can learn about local shipbuilding and the unique, handcrafted St. Lawrence Skiff, the area boat of choice in the 19th century.

Gold Cup Farms & River Rat Cheese (242 James Street), for the eponymous white cheddar and other products from area farms.  In addition to a fair-sized Amish community, the Thousand Islands are home to a thriving agritourism industry.

Corbin’s River Heritage (534 Riverside Drive), the best place in town to find a souvenir of your trip; this store specializes in books, prints, maps and more on the Thousand Islands region. 

Rest yourself at the Lyric Coffee House (246 James Street) for a spot of lunch, gelato and more in a refurbished 1914 movie house.

LOGISTICS:

If you’ve made it up to the Thousand Islands, don’t miss Clayton.  Renting a car in the Thousand Islands is well advised (ideally from the airport in either Syracuse or Toronto), and in Clayton there’s plenty of street parking or in the large public lot on James Street.  If you’d rather just sail on in, dock your boat at the Clayton Marina (where rentals, as at most area marinas, are available), or arrange for a ferry or private charter through Clayton Island Tours.

Related posts:
Thousand Islands: More Than Just Dressing
Thousand Islands: The Other Kingston

Travels With Two

We can’t wait to get back to the Thousand Islands in July…

Where are the Thousand Islands, you ask?  Well, on the St. Lawrence River between upstate New York and Ontario, Canada.  There are actually more than 1000 islands here, but we’re not counting.

Unplugged from much of the modern world, this is the perfect summer spot to turn off your cell phone, kick back in a wooden deck chair, open a book you’ve long neglected, and listen to the river slap the dockside…’til the fireflies come out twinkling.

To the uninitiated, mention of the Thousand Islands only invokes a pale pink salad dressing.  A staple at the area’s former Herald Hotel (now the Thousand Islands Inn), the dressing long ago found a fan in summer resident George Boldt, who had it added to the restaurant menu at his hotel, New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. 

But there’s more to the Thousand Islands.

Known to Iroquois tribes as Manatoana (Garden of the Great Spirit), this 50-mile stretch was discovered by French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534, long traveled by Canadian fur trappers, and re-discovered by wealthy East Coast vacationers in the 1870s.  Many of the homes, inns and hotels here are Queen Anne and Arts & Crafts architectural gems.   

There are thick forests of wind-molded pine and maple trees, lighthouses perched beside deep teal water, and blessedly cooler temperatures than wherever you are.   White folks tool around the river in Chris Craft speedboats, have clambakes, and play cards on screened-in porches ringed by summer lilies.  They fish and swim during the day, then plunk down dockside at 5pm to drink gin and tonics and watch tourist steamboats drift by, reminiscing about their college days…with their college friends. 

In order to qualify as one of the Thousand Islands, a chunk of land must remain above water 365 days a year and support two living trees.  However, several islands, like Wellesley, Hill and Wolfe, are large enough to support small townships and national parks.  

While most smaller islands are privately owned, there are lots of places for visitors to stay:  Hotels, campgrounds and cottages.

Getting here can be a journey, so it’s best to plan on a visit of 5 days or more.  There used to be commercial flights to the small airport in nearby Watertown, New York, but these days the closest hub on the New York side is Syracuse (1.5 hours); it’s a 3-hour drive from Toronto.

Major hubs, like Watertown and Clayton, have marinas with parking lots where you can leave your rental car, and there are also bridges and ferries that can get you and your car across the St. Lawrence.

The Thousand Islands are an important place to us…but more on that by summer’s end.

Travels With Two