The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
New York State of mind
Exploring New York and the Hudson Valley, where food, drink, culture and natural beauty abound.
They say you sometimes have to speculate to accumulate, and it’s an adage that seems to fit perfectly here. With Christmas just around the corner, many Scots might consider a return flight to New York a step too far and a box on the bucket list forever destined to go unchecked.
Until now, that is. Granted, the 3,257-mile trip from Edinburgh is not exactly a short hop across the pond, but Norwegian Airlines’ direct route from Auld Reekie to New York’s Stewart International Airport means the United States has never been closer.
What’s more, visitors can not only explore the city that never sleeps for a fraction of the cost of other operators, but Stewart’s location also means that bargain hunters and sightseers can embrace the beauty of New York beyond the Big Apple itself.
Having flown into both Newark and JFK on previous trips to Manhattan, it’s a refreshing change of pace to fly into the Hudson Valley – an ideal base to explore Orange County to the west of the river, Dutchess County to the east and, of course, New York City, which is only 70 miles south of the airport.
Indeed, Midtown Manhattan is very accessible via a bus service from the airport or, if you prefer, a train into the city from one of many locations on the line running south.
Santa’s on his way of course, but anyone who wants to give him a helping hand yet avoid the hustle and bustle of NYC itself is certainly in luck when you consider one of the world’s largest malls is just 50 miles north of the city and within a short drive or shuttle bus trip of Stewart International Airport.
Woodbury Common is a shopper’s paradise and boasts more annual visitors than all of the New York area’s professional sports teams and the US Open combined.
Little wonder, as it plays host to more than 240 unique retailers from A-Z and caters for all ages. Top sports brands like Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma and Under Armour can be found in the mix alongside Coach, Superdry, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap Outlet, Disney, Tom Ford, Dior, Molton Brown, Givenchy, Breitling…
The list is almost endless and, with up to 75% off marked prices, you are guaranteed more bang for your buck.
When I visited at the end of September, one of our number procured themselves a Coach bag – which, I’m reliably informed, can cost up to £1,000 in Glasgow – for little over £100 and a pair of Oakley shades for a similar discount. If you do the math, as the Yanks say, a trip to Woodbury will cover the cost of your flights and then some.
“It’s all about providing a memorable customer experience,” said David Mistretta, general manager of Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.
And to his credit, that experience is now second to none. Dine-in and/ or grab-and-go options are scattered around the mall for those who want to keep their shopping stamina up, but the real attention to detail can be found in things like valet/premium parking, phone charging stations, WiFi, lockers for those who want to dump their luggage while shopping, and quirky loungers spread throughout the 910,000 square feet of shopping heaven for those who want to take a load off.
But New York is not just about marvelling at Manhattan’s skyscrapers or manoeuvring around one of the world’s best outlet malls.
There’s so much to do in the area that the biggest difficulty is drawing up a feasible wishlist of where and when you want to go.
Getting a base to explore from is no problem whatsoever, with a plethora of inns, hotels and suites dotted all over the place. The Homewood Suites by Hilton, literally five minutes from the airport, and the Hyatt House in Fishkill were just two of the many venues we visited where a warm welcome, a reasonably-priced room and a sizeable
square footage is assured. That phrase ‘getting more bang for your buck’ again immediately springs to mind and if you’ve been to America before, you’ll know the kind of accommodation you can get for a fraction of what it costs here.
Lodging out of the way, the Hudson Valley really contributes to America’s “land of opportunity” motto.
You don’t have to get too far away from New York City before the landscape changes, and there are scores of quaint little towns and villages offering a haven away from the chaos of the bright lights further south.
You get a real feel for what ‘ordinary’ Americans call home – and why weary city dwellers regularly flock north for some respite.
But thereare also some cracking attractions that will suit all tastes.
Those who like a tipple might not immediately think of New York as a hotbed of breweries, vineyards and wineries, but places like the hippievibe Palaia Winery – which offers live music alongside unique local wines, craft beers, cider and spirits – and the altogether more polished Millbrook Winery – which has won countless awards – are experiences to savour in more ways than one.
Art lovers will also revel in the world-famous Storm King Art Center, also a stone’s throw away from Stewart, where visitors can immerse themselves in a 500-acre outdoor museum where visitors experience large-scale sculptures and site-specific commissions under open sky.
And history buffs will not be disappointed, either, with the area home to the Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
It not only offers a fascinating look at where America’s only four-term President called home, literally, but features special interactive exhibitions, immersive audio visual theatres, and rarely seen artefacts that convey the dramatic story of the Roosevelt era and the Second World War.
All in all, the Hudson Valley area is steeped in history, natural beauty, culture and a burgeoning food and farmers’ market scene, and there’s never been a better time to visit.
A caveat exists in that Norwegian’s direct, affordable transatlantic flights from Edinburgh to New York are scheduled to cease at the end of March 2019, meaning time is of the essence in that respect for anyone whose appetites have been sufficiently whetted.
Having said that, while that particular door is about to close, the fact you can take advantage of ludicrously low fares from a host of other UK hubs postMarch should mean a trip to New York from Scotland is no longer a flight of fancy.