KYKUIT
Land prices were at a historic low in 1893 when John D. Rockefeller bought his first 400 acres in the Pocantico Hills (meaning water rushing over rocks) north of Tarrytown. Stunning views of the Hudson River and surrounding
hills and mountains drew the oil magnate to an area he described as "a place where fine views invest the sould and where we can live simply and quietly". The estate expanded to 1,600 acres by the 20th century and 3,000 at its peak. 
For the first decade, Rockefeller lived in and remodeled the modest home that had come with the property. When the residence burned down in 1901, the family built a hilltop mansion two miles from the Hudson, called Kykuit ("lookout"). It was designed to maximize sunlight in winter. It is six stories high, with 40 rooms.
Rockefeller's son, Junior , commissioned William Welles Bosworth, a landscape architect who crafted one of the finest surviving examples of beau arts gardens found in the United States. Wisteria was blooming while we were there. A hedge is trimmed to mirror the profile of Hook Mountain in the distance. A table and stools in the form of mushrooms are set back in a overhang.
Made of rough-cut stone, the Grotto features a Guastavino tile ceiling and Moravian tile floor.
Nelson, Junior's son, added a bowling alley. His collection of modern art rivals the MOMA. My favorite were a dozen Picasso tapestries hung in the galleries, and sculpture works by Calder. 
"The Bathers" a series of six figures Picasso originally made of driftwood, were cast into bronze and set against a backgroud of white pine.
UNION CHURCH OF POCANTICO HILLS
The church featres stained glass windows designed by Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall to serve as Rockefeller family memorials.
Just days before Matisse died, he completed the design for a rose window honoring Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, found of MOMA.
The series of one large and eight small windows, completed in 195, are the only church windows Chagall ever created.
LYNDHURST
This is the former residence of financier Jay Gould. It was built in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis.
The mansion with its asymmetrical lines, reflects the Gothic Revival style. 
It was raining which gave it a "gothic " feel....
It was raining which gave it a "gothic " feel....Gould was the 3rd to own the mansion after New York City Mayor William Paulding and businessman George Merritt.
The garden is on 67 acres are as striking as the ornate rooms inside. 
Gould built the largest private conservatory in his day, while his daughter, Helen Gould Shepard, later designed the circular rose garden that still blooms today. 
Gould was an American railroad developer who had an inflation-adjusted estimated net worth of $71billion.
Gould could have coined the term "entrepreneur", or during the Gilded Age he was a "ruthless robber barron"....how quickly terms change. He started as a bookkepter for a blacksmith, then he bought half interest in the blacksmith shop; later sold it to his father, and used the money to survey and create maps of Ulster County, New York. 
At one time he partenered with James Fisk in a attempt to corner the gold market, and increase its price. 
in 1856 he published "History of Delaware County", and started a tanning business . Gould began investing in the railroad industry in 1869 . He tried to bribe a representative of a European firm to help take over the Erie Railroad. 
The man he gave $1million bribe was an imposter, and cashed the stock and fled. Gould starated to buy the railroads in the Midwest and West. He had control of four wetern railroads, including the Union Pacific.
BEAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
Formed in 1910 as a reaction against the propose relocation of Sing Sing prison from Ossining, the smaller but well-developed Bear Mountain sees as many visitors per year as most National Parks.
Bear Maount Inn was "the" place to stay in the 1920's New York. Prospective guests had to complete an application and provide a personal recommendation for the privilege of spending the night (only in New York).
BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE
Common wisdom said it would take the Bear Mountain Hudson River Bridge Company 30 years to build a span across the narrowest part of the Hudson- it was expecgted to be the longest suspension bridge in its day.
Engineers finished in 20 months, and the first crossing over the river opened to traffic in 1924. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river at this point.
WEST POINT
A few miles north of the Bear Mountain Bridge, the Hudson flows through its narrowest and deepest stretch, creating the strategic military position of West Point. In revolutinary times, American forces strung a 40 ton chain 500 yards across the river to keep the British at bay
. After the colonial victory, President Thomas Jefferson believed the young nation needed to build its own military capability and wean itself from dependence on foreign expertise.
He signed the United States Military Academy into law in 1802.
The first curriculum produced civil engineers, who went on to build much of the nation's transportation infrastructure.
Military excellence was tested during the Civil War, when graduates including Rober E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant fought against each other. 
Note the EMS group in the back. A young boy had an allergic reaction and had to go to the hospital.
His grandmother looked on......
Note the EMS group in the back. A young boy had an allergic reaction and had to go to the hospital.His grandmother looked on......STORM KING ART CENTER
The nonprofit Storm King was founded and opened to the public in 1960, thanks to the efforts of the late Ralph E. Ogden and H. Peter Stern, co owners of the Mountainville-based Star Expansion Compnay.
The initail gift of what is today the Museum Building
and its surrounding property was made by the Ralph Ogden Foundation. 
Louise Nevelson "City on the High Mountain, 1983"
Ursula von Rydingsvard "For Paul" 1990-1992.
Isamu Noguchi "Momo Taro" 1977-78. When he saw this piece placed here, he watched a little girl crawl out of the hole on the large stone, and he cried, and said that this is the place he was happy to see his work. 
Manashe Kadisman, "Suspended" 1977
Andy Goldsworthy "Storm King Wall"
Originally 300 acres and expanding to 2100 acres, the museum expanded to a sculptor center, placing sculpture directly in the landscape. The acquisition of David Smith's 13 works began the placement of major pieces in the landscape.
Louise Nevelson "City on the High Mountain, 1983"Ursula von Rydingsvard "For Paul" 1990-1992.
Isamu Noguchi "Momo Taro" 1977-78. When he saw this piece placed here, he watched a little girl crawl out of the hole on the large stone, and he cried, and said that this is the place he was happy to see his work. Manashe Kadisman, "Suspended" 1977Andy Goldsworthy "Storm King Wall"Some of the works were designed especially for the park - "
The Arch" one of Alexander Calder's "stabiles", measures 56 feet high. "
The Joy of Life" a monumental piece by Mark di Suvero weights 20 tons and stands 70 feet tall. 
Two Planes", by George Rickey.
And in the famous words of George Washington "IT's far better to be alone, than to be in bad company"...............and one that would be applicable today" Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism".....thataboy George!!!!
Two Planes", by George Rickey. And in the famous words of George Washington "IT's far better to be alone, than to be in bad company"...............and one that would be applicable today" Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism".....thataboy George!!!!
