Briggs' Airstream Adventures: Rain, Rain Go Away.....

Arrived NYC North/Newburgh KOA near Plattekill on June 6. Headed out June 7 to Lyndhurst (about 20 mi. north of NYC), Kykuit in Sleepy Hollow--yes, the one from which Irving Washington's book was named, and the Union Church of Pocantico Hills where a Matisse window and Marc Chagall windows are displayed as the stained glass of the church.

First stop: Lyndhurst was designed by Alexander Davis Jackson, a noted architect in the Hudson River Valley. Built in 1838, Lyndhurst is a premier example of a Gothic Revival home. There are 67 acres including gardens, a conservatory, and a bowling alley. Originally designed by a former NYC Major William Paulding, then owned by merchant George Merritt (designed small springs used in the railroad business), and finally by Jay Gould, financier and railroad magnate.

Lyndhurst - The House

Carriage House

Side View in the Rain

Beautiful Woodwork and Ceilings

Painted Ceilings

Magnificent Stained Glass - Tiffany & Co.

Private Tour (by luck)

Second stop: Kykuit (pronounced Kye-cut). Access to this Rockefeller Estate was through the Philipsburg Manor, a Colonial agricultural estate in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Kykuit is one of the premier Hudson River Valley estates--not the oldest, not the largest, but certainly the most spectacular. When John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil, built Kykuit in its present classical Greek-Roman style in 1913, he was the richest man in the world. Four generations of Rockefellers used this as their spring and fall home. The Governor, Nelson Rockefeller (grandson to JDR) also placed his large collection of modern art including Pablo Picasso's tapestries at Kykuit. No cameras allowed in the art gallery. (A common theme throughout the valley.) A carriage house holds an antique car and carriage collection.