It's been awhile since Robert and I have taken a vacation, just the two of us. So for Labor Day Weekend, we decided to get out of the city and head up north to beautiful Hudson Valley. I figure I'd shot so many summer weddings in beautiful places near the Hudson river that it was about time that I got to enjoy it a bit for myself, minus the 20 lbs worth of equipment.
First stop is Duchman's Landing Park in Catskill city, where we got to relax right next to the Hudson river. It's also right off of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, which you can see in some of the photos below (as well as in Robert's sketches :)
One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park -- one of the many mansions built and owned by the Vanderbilt family. I LOVE interior design, so it was fascinating to see (in real life!) what "wealthy" decor and design looked like in the Gilded Age. Let's just say... it is intense. Though the house contained 54 rooms and spanned over 50,000 acres of land, the tour guide reminded us not so infrequently that this was one of the smallest of the Vanderbilt homes.
The servants' quarters in the basement were a lot more modest, but not too shabby either!
My absolute favorite favorite part of the trip was the garden on the Vanderbilt property. It was absolutely gorgeous, with amazing little brick structures here and there. Do any of my current/future 2014 brides want to do an engagement session here?! It would be heavenly.
We ended the night with dinner at Helsinki Hudson, in Hudson. I'm sad that I didn't take more photos here during the daytime, as we spent the next day scouring antique shops (there are a lot of them there!). It's an adorable little town with lots of character.
The next morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast cooked by Loretta and Jim, the owners of the bed and breakfast we stayed at. Changing Times B&B was a wonderful little retreat with an endless supply of cookies and other treats waiting for us in the dining room.
Last but not least, we toured the Olana House, a mansion near Hudson designed by American landscape painter, Frederick Church. I enjoyed this house tour even more than the Vanderbilt tour as the guide was exceptionally knowledgeable about the life of Mr. Church, as well as the art scene in New York and the U.S. in general during that time period. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside the house, but I can assure you it is awesome and fascinating and you must see it for yourself :)
Ended the trip with some delicious pie from Green Acres Farm, near our B&B. Um, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I'd say that alone made the entire trip worth it :) Now it's back to the grind in good ol' New York City! Look out for a flurry of summer weddings to hit the blog soon!