The Skywalk delivers on sweeping views of the Hudson River, and this alone makes it worth a stop…read more The heart of the Skywalk is a pedestrian path along the south parapet of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The concrete walkway features a number of small bump outs to take photos. Signs note that because the path is narrower than 6', masks are required. Bikes must be walked. There are concrete barriers separating pedestrians from the vehicle traffic, but the bridge is a busy thoroughfare with lots of truck traffic, so expect it to be quite noisy. To access the bridge path, there is free parking off the traffic circle at the eastern landing, and there is a small park near the toll booths on the western landing (there is also parking here accessible to eastbound traffic). Restrooms at the Bridge Authority facility on the western landing are closed during COVID (there are restrooms at the Cole site and Olana). The trail also connects the Thomas Cole National Historic Site near the western landing with the Olana State Historic Site on the eastern bank of the river. The trail thus links together the 19th century Hudson River School art movement, connecting teacher (Thomas Cole), student (Frederic Church, who built Olana), and subject (the Hudson). This is a really cool idea, and it's also quite a hike. We clocked the roundtrip from the parking lot on the eastern landing to the Cole site at just over 3 miles. The last leg up to Olana (which we hiked separately) also includes a monster hill. Budget your time and energy appropriately, and bring water and comfortable shoes. You can find more about all three sites here: https://www.hudsonriverskywalk.org/.

It's beautiful! The bridge is astounding and I love that you can walk the entire length. It's…read morepretty long! I walked 2/3 of it with my husband down and back and it was like 1/3 of a mile or something like that!

Lovely spot to go for a walk around the grounds. Sadly, the gardens could use some weeding. The…read moremansion is also closed for renovation. I feel like the gardens were nicer in the 90s when Historic Hudson Valley owned the property. Nonetheless, I am sure Bard will do a great job of keeping up the house. They have some nice trails, which are also being maintained. I highly recommend a trip out there

This place is like an oasis of calm. The mansion is beautiful and it has an amazing history. The…read morearchitecture is a dream that I'm going to use when I build my house. It is the quietest site I ever visited. When you get there, after you park, there's no one anywhere to let you know where to go and what to do. We got there on a day where there were another 9 people roaming around and 3 of them took the mansion tour with us. An older couple was having a picnic, a young lady was walking around by herself and another couple was walking all over the place, creeping out in the mansions windows. The tour guide was well informed so he went on with the story of the place like he was teaching a history class. It was informative a thorough. To visit the inside of the house it will cost you $10 in cash, a person. We have a membership so we didn't have to pay. The tour takes about an hour and you will only tour the first floor. The basement, the second and the third floor are closed to the public. I do recommend you to visit this site if you want to know more of the history of the area.

What a peculiar place to put poor 'ole Rip, on an elbow turn with a swail and no burm to keep the…read moreauto from a tumblin' if it's iced. Rip Van Winkles Awakening is just darn adorable and kinda creepy at the same frame, no matter the angle and I absorbed every one. My Dutch bretherin hit the nips of wicked flaggon a bit too zestfully, as returning to dame Van Winkle mustn't be a desirable situation. And just then an old fellow with hip high galligasketts and a keg upon his shoulder began to call his name and poor 'ole hen pecked Rip compiled only to awaken two generations later. With Wolf, his domestic adherent and partner in lazy days in the wood not answering Rips call and his fowling piece rusted and a worm infested stock - the good natured Rip Van Winkle now remains, once again, still and permanent in time-- looking over the Hudson Valley in the Catskills, (a disjointed member of the nighty Adarondiacs) and here he shall remain.

just amazing the talent and vision of the artist is just to behold…read more just take a drive and enjoy this master piece

We didn't spot the parking area on the west side of the bridge and there was traffic behind us, so…read morewe continued across the bridge and there is a parking area on the east side. It's free parking but you have to cross the traffic at the roundabout and that's always a good time. In place since 1935, this cantilever and truss bridge is 145 feet above the Hudson River below. Plenty of space for pedestrians with a very high curb and that made me feel safe from the traffic. There are a couple of spots with overhangs so that you can step a bit out from the bridge to look at it from the side. Helpful! The bridge joins the cities of Hudson and Catskill, carrying NY route 23. It is a total of 5040 feet from end to end. The toll is eastbound only. There are a number of mounted telephones for suicide awareness. I guess enough people have jumped that they felt the need to put the phones up. On a clear day, the "America's First Canvas" notes make sense. This area got some of the first American landscape paintings by Thomas Cole (1801-1848) and Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900). Before the bridge, of course. [Review 11496 overall, 1276 of 2019.]

It looks like they finally removed the 25mph speed limit on the Greene County side of the bridge…read more That, plus removing toll booths and repaving that stretch of road definitely speeds up the flow of traffic across the bridge.

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it…read morePinball Wizard in a miracle cure! Extra Extra read all about it" (Pete Townsend) When I was a kid, a lot of black and white movies from the 30's and 40's were standard fare for television. A lot of those movies had scenes of young newsboys selling newspapers on the streets yelling "Extra! Extra! Read all about it". Nowadays, the only time you see newspapers being sold on the streets are by homeless people who catch you at a red light or an on-ramp. This unique Newsboy Monument is located on a triangular patch of grass bounded by Maple Street, Silver Street and Newsboy Monument Lane in Great Barrington, MA. It was dedicated on October 10, 1895 by a gentleman named Colonel William L. Brown. Now that makes perfect sense, because he was part owner of the New York Daily News. I read that Brown thought of the newsboys as "unsung heroes" in the success of his newspaper and the industry in general. The passage of the decades and the advances in technology have made this occupation all but extinct. It's a very cool 5' tall bronze statue of a newsboy perched on a 10' high granite base. He is dressed in the style of the day, with a cap, jacket, knickers and very long socks. He holds up a copy of a newspaper in his raised right hand and clutches a bundle of newspapers under his left arm. The statue sits on a fountain that was designed as a watering trough with several fountainheads to quench the thirst of thirsty dogs, horses, and people. A near bronze plaque is inscribed: Newsboy Statue and Fountains Presented to the town of Great Barrington by Colonel William L. Brown on October 10, 1895. Colonel brown was a resident of this neighborhood and part-owner of the first New York Daily News. It was Colonel Brown's wish to create a lasting monument honoring hard-working newspaper carriers. It's a nice piece of history commemorating an era where people learned about the news before radio, TV, and Facebook came along.

In the site of the Watt's DePyster Fireman's Hall in Tivoli, NY, lies this mediocre-sized library…read more Although my brothers have been going in there from time to time, my first time into this library was today. Although I wasn't overly thrilled at seeing the inside, but I know it's someplace to return to if all my former sources of Internet have been taken up and I'm in desperate need. The library may look big when viewed from outside, but it's not when you head inside. From the outside, what you are seeing is actually one of three "departments" inside this 2-story building. When you look inside this library, they don't have many computers, and the computers they did have today, were all full of other people. Overall, the remainder of the library wasn't overly crowded, but was awaiting a book-sale presentation about "Mysterious Creatures" in New York State (near Kinderhook, NY more or less). Anywho, when you look around the library, the walkways are not very wide, and are not suitable for any wheelchair accessibility to get through, and the steps leading into this library prove that there is no other accessibility in. (The back entrance is no better.) Even then, the large print books are merged sporadically throughout the library, and mixed into the regular books according to call number. They are marked however, so don't get this review wrong. Personally, if they designated another single section for just these "special" books, they can be better found for those who have trouble seeing. The weirdest thing was there's another bookshelf filled with a few more books across the alleyway that seemed to contain about 50 books I bet the EMPLOYEE'S DON'T EVEN REALISE are over there. Overall, I wouldn't mind going back there when I need a place just to read, but to actually find a book or empty computer seat to type up documents, you're best off going to other sources.

This is the best library per square foot in America. Staff is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful…read more Yes, it's TINY. It also offers more programs for the community (young, old and in between) than many libraries twenty times its size.

I am sorry to read negative reviews of the Pittsfield Library. I have always found staff to be…read morehelpful, upbeat and personable. The library has a great selection, comfortable spots to relax with a book or magazine and plenty of computers to access. The online reservation program is simple to use. I do agree that there should be a way to check out books in person. Keep up the great service. An excellent public library like ours is essential to our community.

This is about the 'Friends of the...." book sale. As someone…read morelocal who contributes thousands of dollars of books it galls me to see dealers swoop down on these sales and rape the collection. If the library is serious about the sale they would hire some college kids for the summer to list everything on Amazon at 10X the price and cut out the dealers. To get into the sale early as a 'friend' you queue up to get a number. With 25 people standing there the volunteer waited a half hour until the second hand came around to the (unposted) time.

Wow, what a monument. This structure is located in front of Castle Church in Canaan, and is to…read morehonor those Canaan has lost in military conflict. The main piece is a soldier standing above a pyramid of sorts, each side below containing a plaque and a small bench. Facing the brewery below is a plaque for those in WWI, then moving counter clockwise those who were in the Civil War, and finally a nod to the War of 1812. Behind the primary piece is a wall honoring those in more recent conflicts, including WWII, the Persian Gulf, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and Panama. It's a very somber moment when you take in how many lives were impacted in a small Connecticut town, but also beautiful in its design and imposing stature.

As you approach North Canaan on Route 44, you will see this absolutely spectacular monument on East…read moreMain Street. The monument is capped by a statue known as "The Spirit of the American Doughboy", and apparently there are hundreds of these similar statues across the country. The monument shows a World War I infantryman marching forward.. He is well armed, holding a rifle in one hand and a grenade in the other. The statue is mounted on a very ornate multi-sided stone base, and embedded into the stone faces are a series of plaques honoring local soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and World War One. Some of the inscriptions read: This Tablet Is Reverently Inscribed to the Memory Of Those Who Went From That Part Of The Town of Canaan Which Later Became North Canaan, And Who, With Valor and Patriotism, Defended the Flag of Our Country In The Colonial Wars The War of The Revolution The War of 1812 Although time has dimmed the record of their Names, their deeds are held in everlasting Remembrance 1861 - 1865 In Memory Of These Men of North Canaan Who Fought in the Civil War 1914-1918 Honor Roll In Honor Of Those Who Served In The World War