I’ll be There With Your Family, If You Make Your Way Upstate (#65 Revisited: Hudson Valley – FDR’s Home/Top Cottage)

Here’s what you need to know about FDR's home tour.  The ranger gave up a little overview outside the house, and then a little more in the foyer/entry, and then basically turned us loose to wander around the downstairs for awhile.

This was FDR’s childhood home; he was actually born here (on January 30, 1882) in a home and farm overlooking the Hudson River. He grew up loving both the river and the valley.  He eventually expanded the property from 110-acres to nearly 1500-acres and planted over half a million trees.

His interest in planting and farming eventually became the New Deal and Civilian Conservation Corps.  One of the first New Deal programs was aimed at helping farmers retain their land, moved families into government subsidized rural communities and provided farmers decent housing, cooperative work and farming, and education.







The CCC provided jobs to unemployed men, age 17-28.  They planted over 3 billion (yes, billion) trees and built over 800 parks.  (Remember Eleanor also established Val-Kill to help farmers and families at Val-Kill at this time, as well. In fact, I suspect, FDR developed the federal programs based on her work at a local level. – ‘Cause she’s a BOSS!)

FDR married Eleanor in 1905 and they resided in both the Hyde Park house and a New York townhouse.  Together they had 6 children (one dying in infancy), whom were primarily raised on the Hudson Valley property.

After FDR contracted polio (in 1921) and was paralyzed from the waist down, the multi-level house was modified to his needs with ramps along short steps.  A trunk lift, installed years before to move luggage, became his access to the second floor.



Y'all!  This room is called The Snuggery, and I think every home should definitely have a snuggery!




They rigged up a ramp down the center of the stairs so FDR could still use the library, and meet hold meetings in the library.  The wheelchair was almost never seen.  He would already be in the library and seated in a chair before a visitor was allowed in the library.






After wander the ground floor for a bit, we climbed the stairs to the second level where we were turned loose again. Rangers at both Val-Kill and the Roosevelt home made it abundantly clear that Eleanor and FDR’s mother, Sara, did not like each other. And this is where I lose a lot of respect for Franklin.  He moved his poor wife into his mother’s house and it was miserable for her. It was no wonder she built her own house and tried to avoid “the big house”.  

To make it all worse – the adults (FDR, Sara, and Eleanor) had their own little bedroom wing, I know he was sickly, and I know that Eleanor didn’t live there full time, but still... He may have been a great president, but I don’t think he was a particularly good husband.  That whole situation was a giant bowl of Nope.

Boyhood Bedroom:


FDR was born in this room:


FDR's bedroom:


Eleanor's bedroom:





Sara's bedroom - it was her wish (since she knew FDR would be leaving the house to the National Park Service) that her master bedroom furniture be moved back to the birthing room once after her death.  This room was then turned into a guest room for several years.

Top Cottage:

Oh you thought the tour of the house was informal.  Well, pull up a seat because it was nothing compared to Top Cottage.  While now Top Cottage is owned and managed by the National Park Service, it was privately owned for over 50 years after FDR’s death. In 2000, the property was turned over to NPS.  There is reproduction furniture in the living room and on the porch, but this is one place where you’re encouraged to take a seat and have a casual chat.

FDR built Top Cottage as a refuge from the mob.  The Hyde Park house had been that refuge for a long time, but with kids, a mom, neighbors who got wind of a visit and dropped by, the telephone, etc. he found it more and more difficult to relax and unwind there.

Although, Hyde Park had been renovated to accommodate his wheelchair, he also wanted a place where he could be physically independent.  Top Cottage was designed and built exclusively for someone in a wheelchair.  There are no stairs on the first floor (to the front door, or porch), no thresholds between rooms so the wheelchair could easily move about house, the porch was extra wide, and the low hung windows provided a perfect view for the host or seated guests. Even the bathroom mirror was hung to be used by a seated person.  An earthen ramp was built off the side of the porch.

FDR was planning Top Cottage primarily as a retirement getaway, but it was used liberally between for private visits with close friends and associates between 1939 and his death in 1945. FDR also invited world leaders to Top Cottage to discuss foreign policy issues in the informal, intimate setting.  The first such visitors were the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway in April 1939.  King George II of Greece followed shortly thereafter.

The most famous visit to the cottage happened when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain visited the U.S. to strengthen ties between countries on the cusp of World War II.  The menu included traditional foods like smoked turkey and Virginia ham, but much was made in the press of his decision to serve the royal family hot dogs.  Even though no press was allowed to attend, the hot dog debacle was front and center.   But the informal picnic, followed by a visit to Val-Kill for a swim, and the formal hospitality at the “big house” was typical of a visit to the Roosevelt’s.  

Other notable visitors included, Chiang Kai-shek, Crown Princess Louise of Sweden, Queen Wilhelmina and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, and PM Mackenzie King of Canada.  These visits were “unofficial” so no formal record of the Top Cottage conversations exists.

FDR also had a softer style of governing and often welcomed cabinet members, congressmen, ambassadors, military leaders, governors, etc. were frequent guests at Top Cottage.

I Arranged the Menu, the Venue, the Seating (#65 Revisited: Hudson Valley – Culinary Institute of America)

I asked (possibly insisted) that while we were in Hyde Park we should eat at least one meal, and two if we could work it out, at the CIA restaurants.  There are 5 restaurants and between hours of operation and the fact that one restaurant was closed on Saturday for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I narrowed it down to two.

  

For lunch, we went to The Apple Pie Bakery Café. 



We got there at the perfect time, the restaurant was busy, but we definitely beat the lunch rush.  By the time we left the place was packed and the line was waaay out the door.  And for good reason, my food was delicious.  

Cort will have to tell you what she ordered, but I wavered between the Roast Turkey Club and the Chicken Salad Sandwich.  I settled on the chicken salad, and let me tell you….it was crazy delicious.  It was lemon-y and refreshing, and on a crazy round croissant kind of bun.  



Cort asked if it was better than the Horsefeathers chicken salad sandwich from the day before.  There was no comparing the two.  They seemed like two totally different dishes, both really exceptional.  We also split an order of sweet potato fries, and the fries were really good, but generally tasted like most sweet potato fries, but let me tell you the dipping sauces (maple-Dijon) was out of this world, I want it on everything I eat from now on, delicious.  The sandwich came with homemade chips, which were marginal, but the actual sandwich and fries….so good.

We both also decided to get dessert. Bakery was in the name, after all.  Nothing on the menu really blew me away description-wise, and I think, Cort ended up getting a key lime tartine fancy something.  



I settled on the APBC Apple Cake.  The description is: “caramel, honey, roasted apple oat cake”.  I was expecting a circular, flat oat-cake – kind of like a oaty rice cake.  When they brought it out not only did my jaw drop, but so did the ladies’ at the next table.  I was not expecting something so eye-catchingly awesome!

My only regret (well, there are 2, actually) about eating at Apple Pie Bakery Café are:

1. We didn’t try the Mac and Cheese.  A nearby table got it and it looked soooo good.
2. Despite feeling super full (and the best kind of sick), we didn’t stop in the take-out bakery and get donuts. 

For dinner, I suggested/decided The Tavern at American Bounty.

This was a hard one, because I wanted to try, basically every appetizer they had. 

• Tavern Chips (hand-cut wit beer cheese sauce), yes please!
• Local Raw Cows Milk Rascal Mac and Cheese (add bacon), yes, please!
• House-made Buttermilk Ricotta (farm bread, CIA grown strawberries, pistachios, mixed greens), yes, please!
• Poutine Fries (Gravy, Cheese Curds), you betcha!
• Garlic Fries (Marjorm, Thyme, Smokey Ketchup), um….that’s a yes!
• American Bounty Parker House Rolls (local sweet butter)….please, please!

We settled on sharing the poutine, and it was so good. (So good we just ate it and didn't take any pictures!)

We both ended up ordering the Fried Chicken (Buttermilk Biscuit, Cole Slaw, B&B Pickles, House Salad).  The waiter came back a minute later and told us that they were in the process of making more biscuits, but it would be about a 20-25 minute wait.  Did we want to substitute a different bread?  Wait for the biscuits?  We chose to wait because I was anticipating really excellent biscuits.  





So they also brought us some spicy popcorn to eat while we waited.  It was a tad too spicy for me, but the poutine was really good.  I kind of wish we’d gone with ordering the poutine, mac & cheese, and one plate of chicken and then split everything, but we didn’t communicate about it before they came to take the order. Sigh, someday I’ll go back and I will have mac & cheese at CIA!

The biscuits were worth the wait, though.  I thought it was super good, but I was also glad that I got the sauce on the side – ‘cause that stuff was spicy! 

For dessert we ended up splitting a Tavern Root Beer Float (add Bourbon-Vanilla Ice Cream), and that was also really good.  

The CIA has this policy posted on the website:

Tipping Policy:

A key component of the education process at the CIA is learning how to deliver outstanding service. Students at The Culinary Institute of America are not permitted to accept tips, in accordance with IRS regulations and the CIA Student Code of Conduct. We thank you for honoring the “no tipping” policy, and for giving our students the opportunity to serve you. In light of this policy, and to keep the student experience focused on education, we have included a 20% service charge on each check. All monies from the service charge are returned to our students through scholarships, support of student activities, and the purchase of graduation jackets.

And let me tell you, they take the first sentence seriously.  We had really excellent service at both restaurants and at the Tavern they comped our poutine and our dessert, despite the fact that we chose to wait for the biscuits and were really like “no big deal” about the wait.

We left, again, stuffed full and I, at least, was really happy with our dining choices.

I’m ‘a Compel Him to Include Women in the Sequel (#65 Revisited: Hudson Valley – Val-Kill)

Look, Eleanor Roosevelt was a boss! I kind of knew that going in, but I didn’t realize the extent of her awesomeness until Val-Kill.

Eleanor was born in 1884, her mother died in 1892 and Eleanor and her brothers were sent to live with her grandmother.  One of her brothers died in 1893 and her father died in 1894.  Her childhood was not happy.  But at 15, she was sent to Allenswood School in England – a boarding school that taught her confidence, independence and a social consciousness.  She called her time there the “happiest time in my life.”  She knew that regardless of holding public office that public service would be a part of her life.

In 1905 she married FDR and for the most part they live with his mother in Hyde Park. Over the next decade she has 6 children, a daughter and five sons.  In 1910, FDR is elected state senator and their official public service begins.

During the 1913 – 1920 FDR is serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  And when the US enters World War I in 1917, Eleanor sets up the US Navy Red Cross Canteen.  After the war, she travels extensively to post-war Europe and supports the League of Nations and World Court.  Women are finally given the right to vote in 1920 and she immediately joins the League of Women Voters.

Through the 1920s she joins the Women’s Trade Union League, builds Val-Kill (as a retreat for her and her two close friends and mentors, Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman.  She becomes editor of Women’s Democratic News and concerned about the trend of farmers leaving rural areas for city jobs, starts Val-Kill Industries.  VKI trained and employed local farmers in their off season, teaching them to be master cabinetmakers.  There is also a pewter forge, and a weaving shop that employees women.  



Oh yeah, she also nursed her husband through polio, helped him rejoin public life, and worked to get him elected as NY Governor for 2 terms. She travels all over New York State and reports back on the conditions to FDR suggesting improvements.  She’ll go anywhere and do anything and you better not tell her that a women can’t or shouldn’t do something.

In 1929 the stock market crashes and the US enters the Great Depression.  FDR is elected president in 1932. Eleanor uses her new position as first lady to champion social and economic justice and civil rights.  She’s criticized for mistakes associated with New Deal projects.   She makes it clear, “I’m the agitator; he’s the politician.”

Throughout the 1930s she joins National Urban League and NAACP. She urges her husband to create National Youth Administration and promotes fairness across gender and race lines.  Val-Kill Industries closes in 1936, but she turns the old factory into a retreat for family, friends, journalists, and the occasional world leader can swim and picnic.  She syndicates her “My Day” column on national issues and daily observations.  She resigns her membership in the DAR when they won’t let Marion Anderson (an African American opera singer) perform in Constitution Hall and instead helps her get a concert broadcast at the Lincoln Memorial.

On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor is attacked and the US enters World War II. She addresses the nation saying, “whatever is asked of us I am sure we can accomplish…free and unconquerable people of the United States of America.” Throughout the early 40s she travels to Britain, South Pacific, Caribbean, and South America to visit US troops, and hospitals.  

On April 12, 1945, FDR dies in Warm Springs, GA.  Eleanor tell the press “the story is over.” (Spoiler alert: it’s not; she’s got a lot left to accomplish.)

WWII ends and President Truman names Eleanor as a delegate to the UN General Assembly, where she serves on the committee for Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Affairs.  She Chairs the UN Human Rights Commissions, and drafts (and the UN adopts) a declaration of human rights. This is Eleanor’s proudest achievement.

Through the 1950s and 60s she hosts multiple world leaders at Val-Kill, visits the Middle East and Asia, urges rapid school integration after Brown v Board of Education, is reappointed to the UN delegation, chairs the President’s Commission on Status of Women, and on November 7, 1962 at 78 years old Eleanor dies, and is buried next to her husband at the Hyde Park estate.

Those are the facts. And she accomplished many amazing things in her time here.  But she was also a vastly complex human being who had personal battles, a falling out with her two best friends, hated (or at least very much disliked) her mother in law, and was overshadowed by a powerful husband. 

She used gas station glasses on her table, and her home at Val-Kill is filled with photos of family and friends.  She wasn’t afraid of going anywhere or meeting anyone (or maybe she was, but it didn’t stop her).  She tirelessly supported equality and human rights. She wrote 27 books. She’s one of the OG Bosses.

I’m a Trust Fund, Baby, You Can Trust Me (#65 Revisited: Hudson Valley – Kykuit)

Listen, it’s pronounced Ky-cut, I need a reminder because even though I’ve been to this place twice, I still want to pronounce it Ky-coo-it. 

We had a very small tour group, just us, and a couple from Connecticut who had dropped their daughter off for a cruise, but didn’t want to just drive back home. They were annoying. The guy, did not understand that the property is a museum and he touched or tried to touch EVERYTHING! 



And he kept making just the weirdest observations or speaking as if her were an expert on something, when he clearly wasn’t an expert on anything except male privilege and mansplaining. By the end of the tour even our guide was like, “we’re done” get back on the shuttle or you’re walking.

But the property is beautiful, and I saw some new and interesting details with such a small group. And it was fun to remember bits and pieces from the previous tour. I also feel like they’ve rearranged some of the furniture, but since no pics are allowed in the house (although guess which tour companions still were trying to take them) I cannot confirm that.  

We'll Never Be Truly Free Until Those in Bondage Have the Same Rights as You and Me…. (#65 Hudson Valley Revisited – Philipsburg Manor)

Now, here’s the thing. Philipsburg Manor and Kykuit share a visitor center, so when I went to Kykuit in 2011 there was about an hour before the tour left and they told me I could just wander around. So, I wandered around to Philipsburg Manor and took pictures until someone was like, “hold up, you need a ticket to be here”….oops.

This time I actually bought a ticket and took the tour. It was mostly really interesting (listen I don’t need to hear a list of 200 bean varieties while you pick around a bowl of beans for examples of all 200).

By the middle of the 18^th century, Philipsburg Manor covered over 52,000 acres along the Hudson River and was built as a milling and trading complex. Adolph Philipse didn’t actually live in the Manor (as a primary residence), it was built for business, and to impress and intimidate the vendors, partners, etc. who visited.



Adolph was one of the wealthiest men in New York and the family was also one of the largest slave-owning families in the North. Apparently, it’s easy to accumulate wealth when you don’t pay for labor.

Small plots were rented by tenant farmers of diverse European backgrounds, but the Upper Mills Quarter was operated by enslaved people of African descent who lived and worked there. They provided the skilled labor necessary to operate the milling complex, bakehouse, farm, and dairy, as well as piloting sloops up and down the Hudson.

Our docent for the house portion actually told the story of the house and farm through their eyes and their lives. There were 5 women who worked in the manor house and she repeatedly said their names (Susan, Abigail, Massy, Dina, Sue) and told their story of the house. It was really powerful.

In 1750, 23 enslaved men, women and children lived and worked at the manor. We know this from the “inventory” lists. When they sold property after Philipse’s death that “property” included an 8 year old boy, whose parents were also enslaved and couldn’t do anything to stop it.

In fact, he was likely purchased because his father was a strong worker, and the new owner believed his son would inherit that strength. Here’s the thing, (and I’m quoting from Elizabeth Kostova’s “The Historian” :

“History’s terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth. And once you’ve seen that truth - really seen it - you can’t look away”.

Especially now, when stories of ICE ripping children away from their parents.  Think about that.  Think about how you would feel. And I definitely don’t need to hear any nonsense about illegal immigrants – these are people, real children of God, and history is real, and once you see it – you can’t look away.

They’ve recently built an Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden to memorialize and “honor, dignify and restore the humanity of enslaved Africans who resided at Philipse Manor Hall”. http://enslavedafricansraingarden.org/vision/





We also toured the mill, and got a demonstration of the still-functional equipment. It has an actual water wheel and everything. I thought I took a video, but turns out…just pictures (unless I can poach some from Cort).

And...I did!

After the mill we talked about beans, beans, beans, and the most interesting part of this section was there was a working farm cat that wandered through and then down to a field where it tried to get a bird or a squirrel.  We were all watching the cat while the lady just kept talking about beans.

Finally, we stopped at the barn, and this part was really interesting. It was fascinating how much science was involved in every part of the farm. The barn for example, was constructed in a place that would maximize wind, and the construction allowed for the breeze to blow straight through.  



This barn wasn’t an animal barn.  Since they were a provisioning depot it was mostly about growing as much wheat (and some corn) as possible so that they could grind it to flour and sail to the Caribbean and trade for sugar, and other European goods. So this barn was a threshing bar.  

The enslaved children were primarily responsible for threshing, first with a flail, and then with a basket (and a wind assist).  The docent demonstrated both and it really is an ingenious method that uses gravity and wind to do a lot of the work.

After the barn, Cort went back to the house garden to take some pictures (I was sitting and resting my back) and the other 4 friends in our group were just kind of standing around chatting to each other.  Right before they left one of the ladies came over and told me that if we were looking to eat lunch there was a great restaurant just down the street called Horsefeathers.  So, that is where we ate lunch, and it was crazy delicious!

#144 Arthur Bryant's BBQ

In Kansas City barbeque is king and prides itself on an anything goes kind of style. You want a bunch of different meats? Ok. You want a tomato, vinegar, sugar, or mustard based sauce? Sure you can get that. There are a bunch of different BBQ places, but when I told the lady at the rental car agency I was there for BBQ, she not only asked if I was going to Arthur Bryant's, but told me I HAD to go to the original location.  Not only already on the agenda, but the entire reason for the trip I assured her.




The List tells me "there's no decor to speak of....but that just means there's nothing to distract you from the signature half-pound of slow-cooked brisket slapped on plain old white bread, with a gritty herbs-and-spices-flavored barbeque sauce and the best skin on french fries in America."

Listen, real-talk here....those fries were marginal.  They were fine, but definitely not in top 10, let alone best in America.

5 things about Arthur Bryant's Barbecue:

1. There is no decor; it is pretty much just a collection of tables, and a school lunch line of meat windows.  There also seemed to be no air-conditioning because it was HOT in there.

2. It was packed.  Even at 2pm on a random Saturday.  I waited in line around 20 minutes to order. 

3. I knew I was ordering waaaaaaay too much food, but I wanted to try a couple of kinds of meat.  I really though about ordering an extra side, but was glad I refrained.  About half of my meal ended up not being eaten.

4. The actual order:  The combo with burnt ends (obviously) and sausage, and fries. Like I said the amount of food was overwhelming.  The burnt ends were delicious.  So, so, very delicious.  I ate pretty much all of that part of my plate.  The sausage was also good, but I was expecting it to be, you know, sausage-shaped, but it was sliced like roast beef.  But it tasted like sausage - it was good, but ultimately too weird for my brain/palate to reconcile.  The sauce, though, well, they have a bunch - but the original was all I needed. I thought it was insanely good.  (Maybe tied with Melon sauce.)

5. While it was very good, I was surrounded in line by folks who had never been there before.  I don't know if they live in the area or were visiting, but as with many of these Local Royalty Restaurants (Pat and Geno's in Philly, for example) - they are legendary examples of a local food genre, but you probably won't see a lot of actual locals there.