Metro-North Lets You Take the Controls with Help from Enterprise Rent-A-Car
When you take the train to visit Dutchess County this spring, you can arrange to be met with an Enterprise rental car, or by an Enterprise representative who'll drive you to your rented automobile. Imagine - taking a scenic train ride along the majestic Hudson River, then touring beautiful Dutchess County in a freshly washed, fueled-up rental car, ready to whisk you to your ultimate destination!
Metro-North customers who wish to rent a car call the Enterprise location servicing the train station at which the vehicle is needed.
Booking instructions
are offered on a per station basis on
Metro-North's website
to guide you through the process. You provide the booking code, arrival time and station information, and the trip is completely arranged.
Returning the car is also simple. Drive it to any participating station, place a special tag on the windshield, leave the keys in a secure drop box, and you're done! Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers daily and hourly rates, and Metro-North customers receive a 5% discount.
Participating Dutchess County stations are Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg, and Beacon, all on the Hudson Line. There are 23 total stations, selected for their convenient, adequate parking, as well as proximity to an Enterprise office.
The largest U.S. rental car agency, Enterprise offers hybrid vehicles. If you're a Metro-North rider who doesn't own a car, take advantage of this convenient new program!
Private Chef Meals at Hyde Park Bed & Breakfast
Le Petit Chateau, located at 39 West Dorsey Lane Hyde Park, offers brand new specials Sundays through Wednesdays! Book a suite that includes a Private Chef Dinner or Private Chef Lunch. All rooms include full gourmet breakfast prepared by nearby Culinary Institute of America chefs, plus a working fireplace, French wine in the afternoon, and artisnal cheese plates, with cheese produced from area dairy farms.
Le Petit Chateau's special room rates mean you can enjoy the Champagne room for $195 compared to a weekend rate of $280; the Bordeaux Suite for $185, compared to the weekend rate of $235. Or check out the private chef lunch and demonstration midweek for only $135 per couple or private chef dinner and demonstration midweek for $150 per couple. Great savings offered to kick off spring so don’t miss out!
Reservations can be made at
info@lepetitchateauinn.com
or by phone at 845/437-4688. Visit Le Petit Chateau online at
www.lepetitchateauinn.com
.
New Books
Thinking about what to give as unique gifts this spring? Check out some recent books for moms, dads and grads!
"The Making of FDR: The Story of Stephen T. Early, America’s First Modern Press Secretary," by Linda Lotridge Levin. Prometheus Books. 538 pages. $27.95.
Linda Lotridge Levin, Journalism Department chair at University of Rhode Island, creates a detailed profile of Stephen T. Early, a vital FDR administration staffer in her biography "The Making of FDR".
Early was President Roosevelt's press secretary, and he redefined the daily briefing function with media innovations such as newsreels and radio. He created new dynamics in the relationships between the media and the White House and changed the way presidential news was disseminated. He created FDR’s famous “Fireside Chats”, broadcast live from Springwood, the family estate in Hyde Park now open to visitors.
"The Hudson: America's River," by Frances F. Dunwell. Columbia University, 400 pages/80 illustrations $74.50 or $29.95
Frances F. Dunwell presents a rich portrait of the Hudson and of the visionary people whose deep relationship with the river inspires changes in American history and culture. Lavishly illustrated with color plates of Hudson River School paintings, period engravings, and glass plate photography, The Hudson captures the spirit of the river through the eyes of its many admirers. It shows the crucial role of the Hudson in the shaping of Manhattan, the rise of the Empire State, and the trajectory of world trade and global politics, as well as the river's influence on art and architecture, engineering, and conservation. Royalties donated to conservation of the river.
“Bannerman Castle,” by Thom Johnson and Barbara H. Gottlock. Both writers offer island tours as members of the Bannerman Castle Trust, which works with NYS to protect Pollepel Island, a part of the Hudson Highlands State Park. Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. $19.99.
“Hudson River Bridges,”
by Kathryn W. Burke, includes a look at bridges and those associated with them, including FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Rockefeller and the Harrimans. The book reviews the politics and processes involved, discusses the economic impact and even the actual bridge construction. Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. $19.99.
Here’s a book we helped the authors research:
"A Visitor's Guide to Colonial and Revolutionary Mid-America," by Foulke & Foulke. Covers NY, PA, NJ, DE and MD. $18.95. Available now at Van Wyck Homestead Museum in Fishkill. If you want a copy and museum is closed call 845/897-4348 or 896-6003.
The Dutchess County Farm Fresh Link
Look for our season announcement about this summer’s Farm Fresh tours! We partner with Metro-North Railroad to offer you One-Day Getaways from New York City. Get away for the day and experience farm-fresh food, produce, milk, wine, wool and more! Weekends June 14 – Oct. 19.
Farmfresh.DutchessTourism.com
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April is New York Wine Month
More than 160 restaurants and 200 wine stores throughout New York State are celebrating New York Wine Month in April by offering their customers hundreds of fine New York wines from 92 wineries. The restaurants and stores are listed by region on a dedicated web site,
www.NewYorkWineMonth.com
.
Spring is a perfect time for tours and tastings at your area wineries; or, purchase a bottle of New York State wine to serve with dinner from your favorite liquor/wine store. Visit
www.dutchesstourism.com/wineries.asp
and
www.DutchessWineTrail.com
for listings of area vineyards.
New Exhibit at the Children’s Museum
There is no better time to be a kid, especially with all the events and activities happening at Poughkeepsie's Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum.
The museum recently opened a new exhibit, RiverTown. Check out its colorful storefronts and kid-size shops, celebrating the diversity of the cities along the Hudson River. Each has a play area where kids can learn about other cultures. They also have a brand new toy Store, the Lime Gazelle! After closing for remodeling, the gift shop/museum store has reopened as Lime Gazelle. It's now a satellite for the Lime Gazelle Toy Story in Greenville, New York. With a new look and oodles of new merchandise, Lime Gazelle boasts a wide variety of toys.
Visit their website for a list of spring time specials events and programs, including the ever popular Skylab Planetarium show! Take some time for the young ones and bring them to the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, located at 75 North Water St. in Poughkeepsie. It's open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm. Log on to
www.MHCM.org
or call 845/471-0589.
Dutchess Rail Trail
The Dutchess Rail Trail, a 12-mile linear park stretched through the heart of Dutchess County, is underway! The trail begins at Morgan Lake on the Town/City of Poughkeepsie border, cross through the towns of LaGrange and Wappingers Falls, and ends in East Fishkill with a trailhead in the Hamlet of Hopewell Junction.
Don't forget the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Park (HVRT),our first linear park, built in phases since 1996. The fourth phase connects the last seven miles from the Village of Millerton to the Columbia County line. When completed, the HVRT will extend from the Wassaic Train station all the way to Copake Falls in the Taconic State Park.
Check out the newly launched website dedicated to project updates, including maps, construction phases, and even sponsorship opportunities.
www.Dutchesscountytrails.com
.
The Historic Horton House Opens to the Public
A "new" historic site is now open to the public - and that is a rare happening! The Joseph Horton House, (c.1752) in Wappingers Falls, offers Colonial tours of the pre-Revolutionary war homestead of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Horton.
Your visit is educational as well as heart warming. Truly experience Dutch-Colonial America, because it's okay to touch the many antique artifacts as you take in the home's18th century architecture and elegance. You'll smell and taste Mrs. Horton's mouth watering Dutch cooking, while appreciating Mr. Horton's beautiful tenor voice.
Tour packages are offered afternoon and evening. Many antique artifacts are throughout the home, making it the ultimate Colonial experience. Packages include a Dutch meal, and participation in old-time projects such as candle making, sewing, spinning, cooking or soap making. End the day listening to Mr. Horton’s inspirational singing. Each experience lasts 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours.
The Horton House offers tours for many or just a few, both children and adults. This is a great place to hold a party, whether a birthday or bridal shower. The home offers Colonial catering, served buffet style, with casual seating indoors or outdoors, weather permitting. For information: 845/463-3088 or
www.HortonHouseFamilyCenter.com
.
New Observation Tower in Rhinebeck
This fall Ferncliff Forest opened their new 79-foot fire tower! This tower stands in the middle of the unspoiled 200-acre preserve, providing a chance to view the stunning scenery and appreciate the history of the land, from the Native Americans to the Astor family. This International Derrick Fire Tower traveled up from Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Ferncliff Forest is located just off of Route 9 in Rhinebeck also provides campgrounds for outdoors lovers! Climb to the top and view the enchanting Ferncliff Forest. Log onto
http://ferncliff_forest.villageofrhinebeck.info
.
Powerhouse Theatre Unveils New Works This Summer
The Powerhouse Theatre opens its doors for their 24th season, with many exciting shows debuting. This 2008 season includes new musicals, plays, and comedy acts by some of America’s most well renowned artists. The Powerhouse Theatre season, at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, runs from June 27 through August 3.
This summer, writer and actor Eric Bogosian debuts his new play 1+1 as a Mainstage production. Creators of the 2007 Tony-award winning best musical Spring Awakening, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, present their latest musical Nero. A new musical by David Rossmer and Dan Lipton, Notes from MariAnne also debuts. You won’t want to miss the one-man show, The History of Me by Saturday Night Live writer Alan Zweibel. Dael Orlandersmith unveils her new work Horsedreams.
Subscription tickets only may be purchased online at
http://powerhouse.vassar.edu
starting May 21, 2008. Subscription and single tickets may be purchased online and at the Powerhouse box office after June 4, 2008 or call 845/437-7235 or 437-5599.
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