POINT BREAK
LINDSAY SUTTON VISITS WEST POINT WHILE ON MANOEUVRES IN NEW YORK STATE’S HUDSON VALLEY
IT’S not every day that you’re grilled by the CIA. Or put under the heat of the FBI. But far from being under suspicion in the world of international espionage, or getting the once-over in Washington DC’s famous J Edgar Hoover Building, this experience is a delectable delight.
The CIA in question is the Culinary Institute of America, the training centre for many of tomorrow’s top chefs. And the FBI is the Food and Beverage Institute, which speaks for itself.
Someone, somewhere, has a great sense of humour – and top marks for publicity skills too.
The foodie version of the CIA is based in New York State’s beautiful Hudson Valley, less than two hours north of New York City itself. Or, to keep on theme, the ‘Big Apple.’
You can get there by train, starting with the wonderful experience of Grand Central Station, with all its arches, tracks, bustling concourses, markets and food stations.
The journey is almost straight north, with panoramic views of the Hudson River as you zip along to a place called Poughkeepsie. Then a taxi will take you on to the CIA. Better still, hire a car and enjoy a few days in the Valley to see all the attractions of Old America that are on offer.
The 18th Century buildings of the Revolutionary period are in abundance; the 19th and 20th-Century mansions of the rich and famous are there too – those of the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts are not to be missed – and the scenery is spectacular.
But to wrap up with the CIA, the institute is the pinnacle of culinary achievement, and is open for tours. It has four fully operational restaurants where the visitor can book in for a top-class meal, prepared and served by students, under the watchful eye of their tutors.
The aim is to cover costs, so three-course meals come in at around £40, plus generous tip of course, and just £5 for a bookedin tour, escorted by a keen and knowledgable student.
The three-year course is carefully crafted to cover cooking, serving and business skills. It has paid internships in the restaurants, and three career fairs each year, with 400 potential employers arriving to recruit the students. It’s a win-win situation.
The Hudson Valley was a divine inspiration to an art movement that gave a young America a massive confidence boost. It’s just as inspiring today.
Familiar names and places trip off the tongue, such as Rip Van Winkle Bridge across the mighty Hudson, which flows north to south from upstate New York to Manhattan.
Rip Van Winkle was one of the most popular short stories by author Washington Irvine, who also penned The Story of Sleepy Hollow, which is the place in which he is buried in Tarrytown. Apparently, he enjoyed something akin to rock star status in his day. Thousands attended his funeral.
Also buried there is Scottish steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, whose grave is marked by a simple Celtic cross, unlike the lavish memorial to William Rockefeller and his Standard Oil partner John Archibald. Another tycoon, railroad ‘robber baron’ Jay Gould lived on the Hudson in a fascinating Gilded Age mansion.
The main New York railway line went past his property, but since it was owned by a rival, he sailed down the Hudson to his Manhattan office in a private yacht rather than pay a fare to his adversary.
Next up is America’s most famous military academy, West Point.
It’s a tourist hotspot, commanding an imposing position over a bend in the Hudson, where ‘The Great Chain’ was hung across during the American Revolution, to stop British ships moving inland. It’s museum has George Washington’s pistols and Napoleon’s sword and great military figures learned their craft here, such as Civil War generals Ulysses Grant and Robert E Lee, right up to World War Two heroes Dwight D Eisenhower and Omar Bradley.
Up from Poughkeepsie is the Hyde Park home of the man credited with saving America from America itself, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his wife Eleanor, a major force in her own right. You can even see the very chair from which FDR broadcast his reassuring fireside chats to the nation during the grim times of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The house, grounds and the library are must-visit places.
In the nearby Catskill Mountains is the home of Thomas Cole, founder of the hugely influential Hudson River School of Art during the 1830s and 40s. Depicting the awe-inspiring wilderness, it was the first time America had asserted its sense of identity.
On every front, it’s worth travelling the hundred miles or so north of hectic New York City. It really is a breath of fresh air.
Famous author Washington Irving served as the U.S’s ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846