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 |