Catskills
I did a scenic drive through the Catskills. The awesome part of a scenic drive is that it is incredibly scenic. The bad part - not a lot of photos. It really was amazingly beautiful and here are some of the photos I did snap.
I stopped at the Point Lookout Inn for lunch, and had a really incredible grilled cheese sandwich, while taking in the view of 5, count 'em FIVE, states: The Hudson Valley, New York; Green Mountains, Vermont; White Mountains, New Hampshire; Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts, The Connecticut Valley.
Toward the end of the drive guide I was headed to Prattsville, NY to see Pratt Rock and some cliff carvings. The main road was closed, so I took a detour. As I drove through a little corner of the town to get back on track I was thinking it was kind of a dumpy little town. Everything had an uncared for, dilapidated look. There were shutters, doors, and porches all skiwampus, no grass, and huge piles of trash EVERY WHERE.
As I continued through the town it got worse and worse, everything just not-quite-right, and I started to think maybe this was more than general not well kept-ness. And then, I saw this: 
When I got back to the hotel I Googled Prattsville; it turned out that this tiny town had been nearly destroyed by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. Now, down in Philly, we mostly made fun of the big to-do over Irene, but man, seeing this first hand. It made me sick. These poor people were trapped in a raging flood, with all the bridges washed out. It was definitely educational, but not a high point on which to end the day.
Hudson Valley - continued
Saturday I drove to the Hudson Valley and toured the Rockefeller's Kykuit. On Sunday, I drove to Hyde Park and toured Frederick Vanderbilt's estate. This estate is the most complete and well preserved property from the "Gilded Age" the was the time period that the Newport Mansions were constructed. New money gazillionaires were trying to look like old money, and they built, and built, and built like crazy. This property tour was pretty much the best I've ever been on. The property is held by the National Parks Service (in fact, it was the 7th acquisition of NPS), and was deeded to NPS by Frederick's heir. Because it was occupied almost until donation, and it was left as-in for the 18 -24 months after Frederick's death it was left almost exactly in tact. The niece was left money to maintain the estate, so the original servants continued to work the property. Many of those employees were hired by the NPS and continued in there job responsibilities. They were also extensively interviewed about the workings of the house and property, the life-style, etc. A wealth of first hand information not usually preserved. The biggest reason this was such a great tour was that a- the guide was knowledgeable and excited about the subject matter, and b-there were a total of 3 people on the tour. This meant that we got a lot of personalized time and attention, lots of extra information and behind-the-scenes tidbits. It was absolutely fascinating. Frederick built this estate as a country retreat and it should be noted that it was the smallest and least grandiose of all the properties built by the Vanderbilts. He lived there seasonally with his wife until her death, and then he became a full-time resident. At the time of his death he held more wealth than all the other Vanderbilts put together. He hated the spotlight and was often described as reclusive. His family had been part of a huge public trial/spectacle when his grandfather left 95% of his wealth to Frederick's father, the other siblings sued. During this time, Frederick also got married, the family didn't endorse the marriage (she was quite a bit older, was divorced, and was divorced from Frederick's first cousin) and he was estranged. In fact, so bitter (or maybe just over-the-terrible-family-ness) about the estrangement, the lawsuits, and the press Frederick left his fortune primarily to his wife's niece, and to several servants, and miscellaneous other beneficiaries but not one was named Vanderbilt. Despite the estrangement, there were nephews who absolutely believed that Frederick would feel compelled to leave the money to them as to continue the Vanderbilt name, fortune and legacy. They were devastated by his will.
One of the things that really struck me while listening to our guide give us the background on the family, society, and the time period was that 95% of the country's wealth was controlled by about 1% of the population. This had led to a devastated economy (The Great Depression, anyone?) and a restless middle-class. FDR was president, and he was looking at the most challenging period in American history. (Any of this sound familiar?) FDR created jobs (by creating federal work projects, roads, dams, etc.), began socializing health care (medicare, medicaid) and retirement (social security), and establishing estate tax (especially on the wealthy). FDR (who was actually Frederick's neighbor) raised the income tax, and established the estate tax. At the time of Frederick's death the estate tax was the highest it has ever been. He paid just around 50%.
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley turned out to be just a quick drive from Philadelphia, definitely a location that could be visited in a day, and I may go up once more next spring. It was absolutely gorgeous weather, 60s, perfect. Although, almost everyone else on the tour was bundled up in coats, hats and gloves (east coast weather wimps!) it really was just a touch too cool in long shirtsleeves. I was very glad I hadn't worn a coat - it would've been way too warm. My first stop was the Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate in Sleepy Hollow, New York. It was a more modest estate than something like the Newport Mansions, but was still incredibly ornate. I found it interesting to note that it was actually occupied by Rockefellers (Nelson being the last) until 1979, and family members still live on the estate. Our guide was telling us that she saw the eldest remaining Rockefeller walking the estate a few weeks ago. Her first thought as she saw him approach was, "Oh, no, that guy doesn't have a ticket!" and her next was, "Oh! That particular guy doesn't need a ticket!"
The sculpture at the end of the walkway used to be turned so standing there you could see the palisades through the cut-out, but during Snowtober, a branch fell on it, and turned in slightly. Since the estate is closing for the winter they left it to be sorted out during the winter restoration period.
The Couch House. When you are this rich, you need someplace to store all those couches; right, Cort? ;)
East Hampton
I originally thought I could cross off East Hampton in a day trip, but I am so glad I decided to spend a night there, primarily because it always takes 5000 hours to drive anywhere the even peripherally involves New York City. The highlight of my drive to Long Island was going down the BQE (that's the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway for you westerners) and suddenly BOOM! the entire Manhattan skyline is out your window, from the famous downtown skyscraper skyline, to the Chrysler Building and a washed-in-pink Empire State Building it was AMAZING; it was also the only place that we never came to a complete stop so I didn't get a picture. You'll just have to take my word for it (or brave the BQE after dark). Oh, also, it rained most of the way, just as an added bonus.
Saturday dawned nice and sunny. The weather reports were calling for mid-60s, but windy, and windy it was. When I started planning my trip I was looking up some stuff that (not rich, but still fancy) tourists could do in the shoulder season of October. I discovered the Pollock-Krasner House and just like that, I had the cornerstone of my itinerary.
The drive from the hotel to East Hampton didn't take quite as long as I thought it would so I did a lot of driving around. I stopped at two beaches:
Very Punny, Indeed!
I couldn't believe how blue the sky was, how perfect the clouds were. It was gorgeous, but also windy. The waves were really crashing at Indian Wells.
Despite being famous as a beach community, I was utterly shocked by how woodsy the Hamptons are. In my mind, I always envisioned the beach communities of the west coast, and to see these beautiful beaches and huge house surrounded by trees was kind of strange.
After the beach it was off to the main event. It was truly just a fantastic experience. They let you walk around the studio over the actual floor stained from Jackson Pollock's work. It is a powerful experience for any art-lover. Just so you don't get to overwhelmed by your coolness at being there, they make you wear these goofy little shoes so you don't actually ruin the floor. After Pollock's death, his wife, Lee Krasner, moved her studio into the barn and continued working there for another 28 years. The paint on the walls is her; the paint on the floor is him.
