The Boomer's Guide to Travel Sites inSpring Lake, New Jersey and Vicinity

This summer, our son shared a weekend house in Manasquan, New Jersey, with some of his college friends. A few weeks ago, we visited him there. We had been used to spending time at the Southern Jersey shore at places like Stone Harbor, Avalon and Ocean City, where my wife had once worked one summer as a waitress at the Flanders Hotel, on the Boardwalk. This was our first experience with the northern Jersey shore. We were pleasantly surprised at the many travel sites located there..

Located about an hour and a half from New York City and accessible by NJ TRANSIT train from Penn Station, Spring Lake is a very suburban-like beach community.  In the middle of town is a lake with a small wooden bridge for walking across the lake.  The beach itself is quite wide and when we were there in the middle of August, only partially occupied.  There is a long boardwalk and a swimming pool in a community center along the boardwalk with a small number of drinks and food items available. Beach tags are required and there are watchers at every set of steps onto the beach. In addition, there are lifeguards all along the beach.

We stayed in the Spring Lake Inn,  732.449.2010, a circa 1888 inn, which reminded me of the Vermont inn run by Bob Newhart in his second television series. There is a large front porch, with inviting seating arrangements. Off the small lobby is the dining area with tables set up for the breakfast that is served from 8 to 10 each morning. The morning we had breakfast, it consisted of wonderful French raisin toast and bacon. Also available are the usual sweet rolls and fruits, bananas and oranges. In the afternoon, there are pitchers of tea and lemonade as well as homemade cookies available in that room. The Inn provides beach chairs and towels and an outdoor shower for returning beachgoers.

Our room was the Sunrise room. Although not exceptionally large, it had plenty of light for the third floor and a spacious bathroom.  From one window, we could see a sliver of the ocean.

We ate several times at the Parker House, locaated in nearby Sea Girt, 290 1st Avenue Sea Girt, NJ 08750, (732) 449-0442,  which is somewhat of an iconic restaurant. It is a large building with a wraparound porch, where we ate lunch on two occasions. The food was quite good and the servers were knowledgeable.  On our first trip,I had the steak sandwich which was filled with meat and a hamburger the second time we ate there. Both were served with crisp thin fries. According to our son, the Parker House has an excellent raw seafood bar, which is very reasonably priced.  In the evenings, the restaurant  has disc jockeys and sometimes live music.  It is a hopping place for sure.

Manasquan where our son stayed looks  a little more like a beach town. The houses, which are in places three deep are built almost right up to the dunes. The evening we walked there, it was quite vibrant, with children playing outside there homes and a band playing oldies on the beach.  It looked like a fun place to stay.

We enjoyed our stay in this part of the Jersey Shore (the MTV series of the same name is filmed nearby) and will definitely return.

The Boomer's Guide to the Best Brunch in New York City:Sarabeth's

You know that many of us boomers are foodies.  One thing most foodies are on the search for is a good, satisfying brunch.  No, not the kind where you basically serve yourself cafeteria style.  No, I'm referring to those where you order from a limited brunch menu and are served by the wait staff. Nothing is more sought after.

While visiting our son last Easter in New York City, we found what we think is the best brunch in the city, Sarabeth's.  While it has several locations throughout the city, we visited the restaurant located on the Upper East Side near our hotel, the Marmara which is located at 301 E. 94th Street, 1-866-599-6674.   In fact, we learned of it from the desk clerk at the hotel.  When we asked her, "Where is the best brunch in the city?", she answered without hesitation, "Sarabeth's".

Just a few blocks away at 1295 Madison Avenue, between 92d and 93d Streets, 212-410-7335, Sarabeth accepts reservations but does not require them.

We each started with the Pickled House Bloody Mary, which was suitably spicy.  For brunch, I had the fat and fluffy french toast.  It was crisp and served with fresh strawberries. My wife had the spinach and goat cheese omelet.  I am not a fan of spinach, but when I had a taste, it too was excellent.  Our son had the classic eggs Benedict, with Canadian bacon, hollandaise sauce and chives. Seeing how quickly, he cleared his plate, I knew it too was excellent.

In addition to the restaurants, Sarabeth's also makes various types of preserves made solely of fruit. My favorite is the blueberry cherry, but there are many varieties available. Go to the website at www.sarabeth.com to see all the wonderful preserves you can buy. These can be bought by calling 1-800-PRESERV and can also be purchased at several stores (my wife has found the preserves on sale at TJ Maxx). So, if you can't get to New York for brunch, see if you can find the preserves at your local store.  It will be well worth the trip.

The Boomer's Guide to the Culinary Institute of America

Before we leave the Hyde Park area, I wanted to share with you our experiences with the Culinary Institute of America ("CIA"). Located just a few miles down Route 9 from the Roosevelt homes and the Vanderbilt mansion, the CIA is well worth a visit. Founded it in 1946 originally in New Haven, Connecticut, it bills itself as the "World's Premier Culinary College."  www.ciachef.edu, The school was moved to a campus along the Hudson in 1972.

 

 The school offers two and four year programs in all aspects of the food service business for buddingchefs, maitre'ds and restaurant managers.  Every few months a new class enters and is given intensivehands on training.  All of the students work in the five restaurants on site as servers as well as kitchen  personnel.  They are then graded on their performance by their professors .

 

We were able to dine in two of the restaurants, Ristoranate Caterina de'Medici and American Bounty Restaurant. Caterina is an Italian restaurant of the highest order.  Although we had no reservation, we were seated immediately.  The highlight of our dinner was the raviolini.  It was superb, with a melt in the mouth consistency.  We had a reservation at the American Bounty and were very impressed with the mussels and frites appetizer among other fine dishes.  The service in both restaurants was impeccable and of the sort you would find in the best New York restaurants.

 

If you are in the vicinity, by all means stop in at the CIA for dinner.  You will not be disappointed.

 

Travel

The Boomer's Guide to West Point

The United States Military Academy is the training ground for our Army commissioned officer corps. Founded by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802, it sits on the site of a Revolutionary War fortress that was taken by the Americans on January 27, 1778 It has a commanding presence over the Hudson River Valley and its strategic importance is immediately apparent.

West Point is located 50 miles north of New York City on Route 9W.  It is available for private tours. www.westpointtours.com. Those tours begin at the visitors center located just outside the main gate.  Photo ID is required to purchase a ticket and upon boarding the shuttle bus.

Our tour guide on our one hour tour (two hour tours are also available) was a very knowledgeable teacher from a nearby school district.  As luck would have it, the guide's son, who will be a third year cadet at the Academy was also on the bus. We learned that third year cadets are called "cows"; first year cadets are plebes, second year cadets are yearlings and fourth year cadets are called "firsties."

The initial fortifications at West Point during the Revolutionary War were developed by a Polish engineer, Thaddeus Kosciuszko. A monument to Kosciuszko is located near Clinton Field. It was his defensive strategy for West Point that the infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold, had offered to provide to the British because Arnold felt he had not been given adequate credit for his role during the battle of Saratoga. Arnold escaped to England and his British contact, Major Andre, was hanged.

Architecturally, one of the most impressive buildings on campus is the non-denominational Protestant chapel. (There are also Catholic and Jewish chapels on campus).  The chapel is in the Gothic style and can seat some 1500 people.  In addition it is said to have the world's largest pipe organ in a religious setting. According to our tour guide, some 100 weddings are held there each year. Cadets are not permitted to be married while at the Academy so there is a rash of weddings immediately after graduation.

"Duty, Honor, Country".  Those were the words spoken by General Douglas MacArthur, a 1903 graduate of the Academy, upon his acceptance of the Sylvanus Thayer Award.  Those words basically sum up the philosophy instilled in the cadets at West Point. One other word characterizes those cadets, men and women, who pass through this hallowed campus and it is craved on a bench over looking the Hudson Valley:

As our tour bus was leaving  the campus, our tour guide pointed to a building and said that was the building where intelligence experts had reviewed some of the documents taken from Osama Bin Laden's compound when he was killed. 

At the completion of our tour, we stopped in at the Thayer Hotel, just inside the main gate.  The hotel is named for Sylvanus Thayer, one of early superintendents of the Academy, who was responsible for  the engineering emphasis of the curriculum.  We had an excellent buffet lunch in MacArthur's, a restaurant in the lower level of the hotel with outdoor space overlooking the campus and the Hudson Valley.

The Boomer's Guide to the Vanderbilt Mansion

Although Hyde Park is most closely associated with the Roosevelt family, just down the road from FDR's Springwood on Route 9 is the Vanderbilt Mansion. The mansion was built as a seasonal vacation home in the late 19th century for Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt of the Vanderbilt family that owned the New York Central Railroad.   It was designed by the famed architectural firm, McKim, Mead & White. Stanford White, who helped with the furnishing of the interior of the mansion, was later murdered by Harry K. Thaw in 1906 because he was having an affair with Thaw's wife, actress Evelyn Nesbit. The subsequent trial was known as "The Trial of the Century" and resulted in Thaw being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

The mansion was designed in the beaux art style and is said to be a perfect example of the gilded age mansions built by the robber barons. Less grand than the Vanderbilt mansion in Asheville, North Carolina, the Biltmore, it is located directly on the Hudson River and offers magnificent views of the river and the distant Catskill mountains.

The Vanderbilt Mansion was donated to the United States in 1940 and is designated as a National Historic site.  Because it is run by the National Park Service, your Senior Pass will allow you free admission to the Mansion. The grounds themselves are open to the public without any tickets or passes. It is a must see if you are in the area.

This completes our series on Hyde Park.  Next up is our visit to West Point.

Travel blog

The Boomer's Guide to the Roosevelt Homes: Val-Kil

Located about two miles from the Roosevelt estate, Springwood, is the fieldstone retreat of Eleanor Roosevelt, Val-Kil.  Loosely translated, Val-Kil means waterfall stream. FDR had the cottage built in 1924 for Eleanor and her two friends, Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman.  Val-Kil is a National Historic Site run by the National Park Service. Unlike FDR's retreat, Top Cottage, Val-Kil is accessible by private automobile or the Roosevelt Ride shuttle. As a National Historic Site, you may use your Senior Pass.

Tours of Val-Kil are offered on the hour.  Before the tour begins, be sure to see the short, 15 minute video shown in one of the adjacent buildings. It provides an interesting and informative background for the woman known as the "First Lady of the World."

Although it was a retreat for Mrs. Roosevelt and her female friends, FDR frequently visited as well. Often he would drive his specially outfitted Ford convertible up the dirt road known as the Roosevelt Farm Lane to Val-Kil. 

In addition to being a restful retreat for Mrs. Roosevelt, Val-Kil was also the site of a business operated by Mrs. Roosevelt and her friends known as Val-Kil Industries.  Craftsmen were hired to make small furniture and other decorative items. Today, some of them are reputed to be quite valuable.

Val-Kil was simply decorated and much of the original furniture is in place, particularly in the modest dining room.

If you are interested in more information about Val-Kil, Springwood, Top Cottage or Hyde Park, visit www.HistoricHydePark.org or phone 1-800-FDR-VISIT.

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The Boomer's Guide to the Roosevelt Homes: Top Cottage

In addition to his Springwood estate in Hyde Park, just a few short miles away, was Franklin Roosevelt's retreat known as Top Cottage. FDR spent many days in this idyllic spot on a hill with the Hudson River Valley visible through the trees in the distance from his back porch. He had intended to use it as a place to write and think after his presidency but made many visits to it between 1939 and his death in 1945. It was specially designed to accommodate his wheelchair long before the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although he never spent the night there, he would often entertain guests including King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (the "Queen Mum") in a famous visit that included a picnic lunch on the back porch which included hot dogs!

Top Cottage is now operated by the National Parks Service and is available for tours only three times a day via shuttle bus from the Henry Wallace center located at the Roosevelt Library and Museum near Springwood.  The tour guide we had the day we visited was named Charlotte and was quite knowledgeable and charming. She had us all sit on chairs on the back porch and contemplate the lovely environment.  It was a mindfulness moment,