New York City & The Hudson Valley

Day 1 – Welcome to New York City!

Optional transfers from our departure points will have us at LAX this morning for a scheduled nonstop flight arriving in New York City this evening. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule to coordinate a flight arrival time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the hotel. We’ll board a deluxe motorcoach and continue to our stately, Manhattan hotel within walking distance of Times Square and the Theatre District.

Day 2 – New York City

This morning we’ll join a local guide and tour inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, walk through Rockefeller Center and take a short walk in Central Park to see Strawberry Fields – the tribute to John Lennon. This afternoon we’ll continue past the Empire State Building, Flatiron Building and Greenwich Village enroute to Little Italy and Chinatown. We’ll pay our respects at the National September 11 Memorial before returning to our hotel late this afternoon. This evening, take advantage of our hotel’s location within walking distance of the Theatre District. For your convenience, you may purchase your ticket(s) to a Broadway show through Good Times Travel approximately 60-90 days prior when a listing will be provided.

Day 3 – New York City to Hudson River Valley

This morning we’ll follow the Hudson River north to Sleepy Hollow, and join a local guide to explore this legendary town that inspired Washington Irving’s, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. See the site of the wooden bridge where the Headless Horseman was most frequently encountered and the Old Dutch Church, the oldest existing church in New York. See the Headless Horseman Statue and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Washington Irving and other New York royalty are laid to rest. Visit Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, the romantic riverside cottage designed by America’s “Founding Father of Literature.” Enjoy time at leisure for lunch on your own Tarrytown, the charming village straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. We’ll visit Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate, a Classical Revival-style mansion built in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in America at the time. A guided tour will showcase the interior and the beautifully manicured grounds featuring formal gardens, fountains and sculptures overlooking the Hudson River. Enjoy an included dinner at a locals’ favorite before beginning a four-night stay at a Poughkeepsie hotel. (Dinner)

Day 4 – Hyde Park, Poughkeepsie

This morning we’ll join a local guide and tour Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, the Gilded Age mansion that features 54 rooms, a perfectly symmetrical Italian-inspired formal garden and a “Millionaire’s View” of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains! Tour Locust Grove Estate, the historic country estate that was home to Samuel F.B. Morse, artist and inventor of the telegraph and Morse code. This 40-room, Italianate mansion features an outstanding collection of antique furniture and paintings, 180 acres of historic gardens and a visitor center with exhibits focused on Morse’s paintings and telegraph equipment. At Walkway Over the Hudson we’ll take a walk on the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge, providing dramatic, panoramic views of the Hudson River Valley. Enjoy an included dinner at a locals’ favorite. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 5 – Philipstown, Newburgh, West Point

This morning we’ll join a local guide and visit Boscobel House and Gardens, a restored Neoclassical mansion on the banks of the Hudson River that showcases perhaps the finest collections of decorative arts and New York furniture from the Federal period. The view from Boscobel is perhaps the most dramatic view of the Hudson River in the entire Hudson River Valley. In Newburgh we’ll board the Pride of the Hudson and cruise through history and the majestic beauty of the Hudson River on a 2-hour narrated sightseeing cruise with included boxed lunch onboard. This afternoon we’ll visit the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where we’ll journey through American military history amid spectacular landscapes while on a guided tour of the nation’s premier leadership institution and home to the largest public collection of military artifacts in the western hemisphere. These are truly hallowed grounds – where American heroes like Generals Patton, Eisenhower and MacArthur lived and graduated. We’ll visit the West Point Museum, take in the awe-inspiring view from Trophy Point, see the Cadet Chapel and Michie Stadium – home of Army Football. Enjoy an included dinner at a locals’ favorite this evening. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6 – Hyde Park, Rhinebeck

This morning we’ll join a local guide and visit the Culinary Institute of America, the world’s premier culinary college. As part of “the CIA Experience,” we’ll go behind-the-scenes into this world of food and participate in an interactive tasting where we’ll explore the science of taste. Enjoy an included lunch at one of the student-run, faculty-led teaching restaurants. At the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, a ranger-guided tour of Springwood will showcase where FDR was born and later lived as a four-term President. Walk through the dining room, kitchen and library, scene of several of FDR’s “fireside chats.” Enjoy time at leisure exploring the FDR Library & Museum, featuring the desk he used in the Oval Office and his 1936 Ford Phaeton (with original hand controls). Pay your respects at the graves of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in the Rose Garden. We continue to Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Val-Kill, to see where Eleanor Roosevelt lived and earned the nickname, “First Lady of the World.” Enjoy time at leisure for dinner on your own in the charming village of Rhinebeck this evening. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 7 – Lyndhurst Mansion, Journey Home

This morning we’ll tour Lyndhurst the 1838 Gothic Revival mansion once owned by railroad tycoon and Gilded Age “robber baron,” Jay Gould. This National Historic Landmark stands as a reminder of the great wealth that amassed in the Hudson Valley in the 19th century. After an included lunch, we’ll continue south to New York City for a scheduled nonstop flight returning to Los Angeles this evening. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule to coordinate a flight departure time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the airport. Back in Los Angeles those guests with pre-arranged transfers will be returned to their respective drop-offs. (Breakfast, Lunch)

While we make every effort to operate our tours as outlined in the itinerary, we ask for your patience, understanding and flexibility and to retain a sense of adventure while traveling with us. Situations may arise that necessitate changes to the itinerary. Should we need to adjust the itinerary either prior to or while on tour, these changes will be communicated to you and only done when absolutely necessary.