Mid-Hudson Summer Days – 6/27 - 7/18

We continue to be amazed at the number of travelers from outside the USA coming as guests to NYC North/Newburgh KOA. Some rent motorhomes on the west coast and come through the Mid-Hudson Valley on their way to Boston and others go the opposite direction. One couple, with two children, actually flew into Dulles in DC and found they were unable to secure a rental RV there. They took the train to suburban NYC where they were able to get a rental from Cruise America then drove to Newburgh for a few days.

On average there are two tours per week into the City. With our KOA serving as facilitator, a minimum of 14 is required to make it financially feasible to charter a bus and hire an approved guide. The KOA doesn’t own the equipment or provide the tour guide. Our first trip to New York City was with a tour group (see the previous post to this blog).

One of the perks of working here is that we get to take the tour at no cost. Since that is the practice, we took advantage of the opportunity to take the bus to Battery Park (first stop) and get off for a self-directed day in The Big Apple on Friday, July 1. We met with one of Martha’s cousins and a niece who is at a medical school in Manhattan. The cousin grew up in Oklahoma and the niece grew up in Georgia.

After leaving the tour group at Battery Park we took off on foot for the National September 11 Memorial (9/11 Memorial for short). After traversing the odd-angled corners and many streets, we approached from the southeastern corner after passing by a church under construction. The Greek Orthodox edifice was the only church destroyed in the 2001 attacks.

We arrived at the Memorial at around 10 AM. As we approached we saw signs reminding visitors that the solemnity of the memorial calls for a respectful attitude. The the two pools and waterfalls are located diagonally from each other. The names of those who died are inscribed on marble walls. The seemingly bottomless waterfall is a stark reminder of the loss of life, that at one moment the lives of many were suddenly changed.

One of the reflecting pools and waterfalls at the 9/11 Memorial.

The quiet surroundings are contrasted but the new World Trade Center

buildings and those still under construction.


A fresh, floral wreath at one of the pools provides a respectful sentiment.

From the Memorial we made our way to St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church near Wall Street. In the the tradition of the time, a fence and cemetery surround the one-block grounds. The building, of native stone, is well maintained. The property was originally surrounded by fields set aside by England prior to the Revolutionary War. The building was erected between 1764 and 1766. The wooden steeple was added twenty years later. It is the oldest church building in continuous use since erection.

We had no idea what to expect upon entry into the chapel. Immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the chapel, located just a few hundred feet east, became a shelter and comfort center for the many people who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts. The old pews became a place for prayer and rest, its fence was covered with posters and snapshots of missing persons, and a kitchen was set up for the many volunteers. Some of those photos and notes have been preserved and put on display within the sanctuary. Another display nearby has been assembled to remember the New York firemen and policemen and other volunteers who served at Ground Zero the weeks following the aftermath. As far as we’re concerned, these homemade displays make for an authentic memorial to that period of New York’s history.

Still hanging from where it was originally placed is the banner

from residents of Oklahoma City. By the way, the plaques

on the wall list the names of donors for the original

construction of St. Paul’s Chapel at Trinity Church.

Today, all the original pews (except those used by George Washington and the governor) have been removed to storage and the chapel has become a center for meditation with chairs replacing the gated pews. (As a reminder, New York City served as the country’s capital for two years, which is when Washington attended services here.)

The Washington family pew in St. Paul’s Chapel at Trinity Church.

The painting of the Seal of the United States is said to be one

of the earliest renditions with the eagle looking strangely

like a turkey, which was Ben Franklin’s preference

for our national bird.


On the west side of the church building stands the Bell of Hope. A gift
from the Lord Mayor of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
It was presented on the first anniversary of the September 11 attack.
The bell was cast by the same foundry that cast the Liberty Bell
and Big Ben. The inscription notes the significant link between
the City of London and the City of New York.

From Trinity Church, we walked to Stone Street for lunch with Vanessa and Kyle. Stone Street is the oldest paved street in Manhattan. It now has the honor of being the shortest street thought it carries no automobile traffic. For lunch, the restaurants on either side of the street set out tables and umbrellas to serve the patrons. We ate at Stone Street Tavern enjoying the open air lunch and mild temperatures on the edge of the Financial District.

Quadra-selfie: Martha, Kyle, Vanessa, and Byron after lunch

on Stone Street in the Financial District.

After lunch, Kyle assisted us in getting on the subway to make our way up to Central Park in Midtown Manhattan and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We took an express train to 86th Street Station which is a few blocks east of the Museum.

Since we needed to meet the bus at 5 PM and we still wanted to walk through a portion of Central Park as well as stop by St. Patrick’s Cathedral before having NY style cheesecake at Junior’s, we only had about an hour to spend in the expansive building. With the weather changing, we were advised to go to the roof for a view of the City and work our way through several areas on our way down. Like any large museum, an hour just doesn’t do it justice. The time did give us a good sense of the permanent holdings, especially the Impressionistic paintings of several French artists, in spite of the brevity.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, many food vendors set up daily

for the opportunity to make a living. The space around the Museum is

allocated and open through a bidding process.

The Medieval Court, as it is called, is located in the center of the museum.

The cathedral-style wing is decorated by an 18th-century Spanish choir screen.

From the museum, we headed south through the southeastern part of Central Park. Our path took us by the Alice in Wonderland sculpture which stands eleven feet tall and cast in bronze.

Alice is surrounded by the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and a few of her other friends.

Just beyond the sculpture is the Lewis Carroll boat pond where a motorized

and remote controlled sailboat can be rented. Also obvious are the
low-hanging clouds on an overcast day.

Just northeast of Times Square and south of Central Park is St. Patrick’s Cathedral
where we stepped in to see the beautiful windows along with hundreds of other visitors.

On one of our free days, we took a drive around the area to our south and west. The loop took us to Museum Village in Monroe and the Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville where we had lunch and a nice tour of the oldest winery in America still in continuous operation. We also had lunch at the restaurant on the property though not owned by the winery.

The Village Museum consists of a number of historic buildings from the 19th Century that were purchased by a collector of memorabilia from the 1800’s. Some of the buildings include a log cabin with a bed of the time (along with an explanation of “sleep tight don’t let the bugs bite”). Other buildings depict the old school days, candle making, broom making, a printing press which is still used today, a hardware store, general store, and a drugstore. All are furnished with items from the period.

The front of the candle and soap shop at Village Museum at Old Smith’s Clove.

Our guide conducted a demonstration of candle making. Participants
took a string, dipped it in the hot wax, then walked around the room
to let the candle cool before dipping in the wax again to build
the layers and size of the candle.


The interior of the general store at Village Museum.

After the morning in Monroe at the Village Museum, we drove to Washingtonville for a lunch and a tour of America’s oldest winery still in operation, the Brotherhood Winery. It was founded in the 1800’s under another name and was later purchased by a religious society. During Prohibition, the winery continued production with “altar wines” for use by the churches that preferred wine over grape juice for use during communion.

Entrance to Brotherhood Winery.


During the tour, guests are escorted into a cellar to see the large casks that were
once used for production. Today, smaller oak barrels are used. Most of the
grapes are grown in other parts of New York then shipped to Washingtonville
for final stages of bottling and distribution.

We have passed the half-way point of our commitment to working at the Newburgh KOA. We still have much more to see while in this beautiful and historic area of New York.