New York: Gardens of
New York City &
the Hudson River Valley
A Pacific Horticulture Society tour
September 17-23, 2017
Escorted by: Bob Hyland

This tour is now full, to join our waiting
list, please click HERE. or perhaps consider
joining our available 2017 tours to
San Miguel  de Allende, Sea of Cortez, Portland, Provence, Mallorca, or San Francisco

Join Pacific Horticulture for an exploration of New York City and the Hudson River Valley. We'll visit
pocket gardens, the High Line as well as Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Wave Hill. Venturing out of the
Big Apple, we'll stay near historic Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. Our Hudson River Valley highlights
include visits to the Garden Conservancy headquarters, and the Storm King Art Center -- widely
celebrated as one of the world's leading sculpture parks. In chic Westchester County, we visit two
private estates. Continuing north to pastoral Columbia County we'll tour the country garden of the
former garden editor of Martha Stewart Living. Saving the best for last, we visit Innisfree in Millbrook,
NY. Recognized as one of the "world's ten best gardens."  

Sunday, September 17: Independent arrivals and make your
way to the boutique Washington Square Hotel in New York City.
The property has provided a haven for writers, artists and
visitors to Greenwich Village for more than a century. The
stylish hotel rooms have robes, coffeemakers, and free Wi-Fi.
The hotel is located near the campus of NYU and walking
distance to Union Square. . Meet your traveling companions for
a welcome drink and dinner in the hotel lounge.  
Reception, Dinner           

Monday, September 18: Today we board our private coach for a visit to Brooklyn Grange followed
by a tour of century-old Brooklyn Botanic Garden, an urban
garden that traces its humble beginnings from an ash dump to
the very best in urban gardening and horticultural display. We
will enjoy a picnic lunch in the garden. This afternoon we will
take a stroll through Hudson River Park where a granite
esplanade lingers close to the water. Piers, boat houses, a
beach, and canoes and kayaks allow people to touch and
enter the water. We continue to Battery Park. Its beautiful
waterfront and flower gardens make the park a lovely place to
wander.  We end the day at the 9/11 Memorial, the compelling,
contemplative public space honoring the victims of the 2001 terrorist attack.  
Continental breakfast, Lunch

Tuesday, September 19: After breakfast our first stop is the High Line, the acclaimed public park
built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. Our tour
leader is one of the orginal people responsible for its initial plantings.  Next we travel to the Bronx to
visit Wave Hill, the spectacular 28-acre public garden over-
looking the Hudson River and Palisades. Wave Hill’s plant
artistry and intimate gardens are inspirational and world-class.
We will have lunch in the garden cafe. Our last visit is to the
Untermeyer garden.  In 1899 Samuel Untermeyer purchased
the property. For 41 years he transformed the gardens and
greenhouses into some of the most celebrated gardens in
America. He hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to
design new gardens around 1916.  These gardens sprawled
over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson. Upon his death part
of the gardens were acquired by the City of Yonkers. While
the core was intact, much of the gardens were in ruin. In partnership with the Parks Department and
input from Marco Polo Stufano, Founding Director of Horticulture at Wave Hill, Untermyer Gardens
once again dazzles the garden-loving public with its brilliant design. We will check into the Sheraton
Tarrytown for a two night stay. The hotel is in the historical center close to a number of restaurants.  
Continental breakfast, Lunch

Wednesday, September 20:  Today we depart for chic Westchester County. If our request to visit is
granted, we will tour Cantitoe Farm, the working estate and gardens of entrepreneur and lifestyle
expert Martha Stewart. Next we travel to the nearby Mt.Kisco gardens of Michael and Judy Steinhardt
and AP Farm, the gardens of Adam Rose. Mid-afternoon we will tour Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate.
We'll see the main floor of the house complete with its fine furnishings and art; the subterranean art
galleries; and the Inner Garden and West Terrace, with spectacular views of the Hudson River and
the outdoor sculpture collection.  Lunch

Thursday, September 21:  We start our day traveling
to the Hudson Highlands. Stops include Fred Rich’s
garden, Manitoga, the House, Studio and 75-acre
Woodland garden of mid-century designer Russel
Wright (1904-1976), a National Historic Landmark, and
the Garden Conservancy headquarters.  After lunch
we'll visit Storm King Art Center, widely celebrated as
one of the world’s leading sculpture parks with more
than 100 carefully sited pieces created by acclaimed artists of our time. Storm King’s landscape and
ornamental grass plantings are spectacular. Our accommodations for the next two nights are in
charming Rhinebeck at the Delamater Inn.  Lunch                              

Friday, September 22:  This morning we will have a special
visit to Rockland Farm, the garden of Madeline and Ian Hooper,
followed by the country garden of Margaret Roach, former VP
and garden editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Saving
the best for last, we visit Innisfree in Millbrook, NY. Recognized
as one of the “world’s ten best gardens,” Innisfree merges the
essence of Modernist ideas and traditional Chinese and
Japanese garden design principles in a sculpted glacial
landscape. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner with new andold friends at the Beekman Arms,
America’s oldest operating inn.  Continental Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Saturday, September 23:  After breakfast, we will take taxis to the rail station in nearby Rhinecliff
and board Amtrak's Empire Service back to New York City.  The journey along the Hudson River takes
under 2 hours, arriving at Penn Station where guests may connect to Newark Airport via Amtrak or to
JFK via the AirTrain.  Taxi, Uber, or Lyft are available to other destinations in Manhattan.  Note:
Guests will need to take their luggage onto the train as there is no checked luggage service on the
train.  Continental breakfast

TOUR LAND COST PER GUEST BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY:
Based on a minimum of 16 guests: $2595.00 per person for members of Pacific Horticulture Society,
$2695.00 for non-members* based on two people sharing a room. Supplement for single occupancy
of a room:  $875.00.   A maximum of 24 guests can be accommodated.  
*Membership starts at just $28 so if you are not a member, we strongly encourage you to join before
you register for the tour as you can then receive the member price.  You can join online here:  http:
//membership.pacifichorticulture.org/joinrenew

COST INCLUDES:
•        6 night’s accommodation in first class hotels
•        Hotel taxes and service charges
•        4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
•        Motorcoach transportation as specified in itinerary
•        Train ticket from Rhinecliff  to NYC at end of tour
•        All sightseeing and entrances as per the itinerary
•        Escorted by Bob Hyland
•        Donation of $200 to Pacific Horticulture SocietyNew

COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE:
•        Airfare
•        Travel insurance
•        Arrival or departure airport transportation
•        

HOTELS:                             
In Manhattan we will stay at the Washington Square Hotel, enjoying a prime location adjacent to
Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village. The hotel opened in 1902 and was recently
refurbished. Rooms have Art-Deco styled furnishings and all modern conveniences and are sized to
New York standards.  You may wish to come to New York City early, please get your extra night
requests in early as September is a busy month in the Big Apple.  We also have a limited number of
executive suites available at a modest upcharge, please inquire.

The Sheraton Tarrytown is located in the heart of the Hudson River Valley. The hotel has a
restaurant, with a Ruth's Chris restaurant and grocery market nearby.

The Delamater Inn, in the historic village of Rhinebeck, is walking distance to restaurants, antique
shops and stores. We suggest adding a day or two after the tour to visit local attractions such as the
Vanderbilt Mansion, the FDR Home & Library and the Culinary Institute. Please let us know right away
if you would like extra nights as they are subject to availability.  Rental cars may be reserved to tour
the area, please inquire.

PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES --- These tours include a SIGNIFICANT amount of walking, frequent use of
stairs and steeply sloped pathways on uneven or unpaved surfaces.  Some of the places we will be
visiting can only be seen on foot with no other access possible.  Guests with limited mobility MUST
consult with Sterling prior to tour registration.

FLIGHTS --- Our tour begins with a welcome reception and dinner beginning at 700pm on Sunday
Sept 17.  Please time your flight arrival into JFK, Newark, or LaGuardia to allow time for ground
transportation to the hotel.  Our tour ends Saturday September 23 in Rhinebeck, New York.  We will
be arranging taxis to the nearby train station and Amtrak tickets back to New York Penn Station where
guests may connect to rail service to JFK or Newark, or taxi/Uber to either airport as well as
LaGuardia.  Flight departures should be 430pm or later to allow sufficient travel time to the airport.

This tour is now full, to join our waiting list, click Here

To print the itinerary, click Here

Terms and Conditions for this tour, click Here

For reservations and information, please contact:
Sterling Tours, Ltd               
2907 Shelter Island Drive Suite #105-262        
San Diego, CA 92106  CST2023849-40                
Tel: 619 299-3010 x 10   800-976-9497     
www.sterlingtoursltd.com
sterling tours, ltd
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