Pittsburgh: DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown (September 2013, September 2012)

My spouse and I stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh several times during the fall of 2012 and 2013. Welcome to the ‘Steel City’ and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh Downtown. Set in the heart of the central business district between the U.S. Steel Tower and BNY Mellon Complexes, this hotel in downtown Pittsburgh is within 25 minutes of Pittsburgh International (PIT) Airport. Enjoy our convenient location among Pittsburgh hotels. Walk to many attractions or ride the complimentary hotel shuttle throughout downtown. This Pittsburgh hotel makes a great option for family time or attending one of the city’s conventions or sporting events. Dine at the Bigelow Grille and discover why Chef Anthony Zallo’s restaurant has been ranked in Pittsburgh's Top 25 restaurants by Pittsburgh Magazine. Produce is carefully sourced. You'll find local mushrooms in breakfast omelets, and at dinner, the Market Soup changes by the season, with ingredients chosen from what local farmers are growing. Our hotel in Pittsburgh offers conference services and a 24-hour business center with remote guest room printing. We’re in proximity of Pittsburgh corporations such as PNC Bank and UPMC. Balance business with a workout in our 24-hour fitness center or take a dip in our indoor pool available seven days a week.

Hudson River Valley NY (August 2013)

My spouse and I visited the Hudson River Valley for the second time in mid-August of 2013. We drove from home right to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Historic Site called Springwood, where we spent a few hours touring the house and museum. Afterwards, we drove north a few miles for lunch outdoors at 2 Taste Wine Bar. Then we drove to Poughkeepsie, where we checked into the Hampton Inn and Suites. We enjoyed afternoon cocktails at the nearby Coppola's on 9, followed by dinner at Bocuse at the Culinary Institute of America. In the morning, we crossed the river to do some hiking at the Mohonk Mountain House, which we had always wanted to see. It is a beautiful property, but with meals having to be taken at the lodge, and the high price and minimum stay requirements, we don't envision ourselves staying here in the future (unless we have lots of time and win the lottery!) On our way home, we stopped in bohemian New Paltz for lunch at Bacchus. A great weekend! We love the Hudson River Valley because there is so much to see and do there! We'll be back!

 

Hotel:

• Hampton Inn and Suites Poughkeepsie Link to my review
• Day Guest of the Mohonk Mountain House Link to my review

Restaurants:

• Bocuse at the Culinary Institute of America Link to My Review
• 2 Taste Wine Bar Link to my review
• Bacchus Link to my review
• Coppola's on 9

Activity:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Springwood (FDR) - Do Not Miss the Presidential Library Link to my review

Hudson River Valley: Bacchus (August 2013)

My spouse and I dined for lunch at Bacchus in mid-August 2013. We sat outdoors on the small front deck (they also have a larger back deck) and enjoyed watching the passing traffic and pedestrians. Bacchus offers hearty food, tasty beer and wine, a billiards room, live music, and a warm, neighborly atmosphere. Bacchus is the god of the grape harvest, winemaking, and wine, of ritual madness, fertility, theater, and religious ecstasy in Greek mythology.

Hudson River Valley: Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Springwood (August 2013)

My spouse and I visited Springwood, the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, in mid-August of 2013. The site is run by the National Park Service (NPS), and a park ranger leads you on a walking tour of the property (there are no self-guided tours of the house permitted). Tours depart every half hour during the busy season, so you should not have to wait more than 30 minutes for your tour to begin. There are lots of placards and information material to read while you wait, and you can also view a short 20-minute introductory film. There are restrooms, a gift shop, and a small café called Uncle Sam's Canteen, with both indoor and outdoor seating on the property. (If you want to eat somewhere off-property, the Hyde Park Brewing Company is right across the street, and other options are a short 5- to 10-minute drive away.) Parking is free, but the lot is not overly large. Still, on the day that we visited, there were still a few empty spaces even though lots of people were on-site.

You must walk about one-quarter of a mile from the visitor's center to the actual home, but it is on a paved even walkway. If you have mobility issues, there is a tram to ride the short distance, although they did stress to us that it should be reserved for those who needed it most. The house itself is interesting, because unlike some other historic mansions (nearby Rockefeller Kykuit or Vanderbilt's Hyde Park, for example), the house is not monstrous, so you can actually see how the moderately (not ridiculously!) wealthy people lived. The grounds are gardens are beautiful, so be sure to take a stroll around after the house tour.

Please note that the 2012 film "Hyde Park on Hudson" starring Bill Murray and Laura Linney was NOT filmed on-site at Springwood (it was filmed in the UK), so don't expect the actual site to resemble what you saw in the movie.

The most impressive aspect of Springwood is without a doubt the Presidential Library. The Library was reopened earlier this summer (June 30, 2013) after an extensive multi-million dollar renovation, and it shows! When we entered the lobby, the receptionist asked us if we wanted a map, and we took one, although we wondered why we would need a map to see the library. How wrong we were! The building is huge, and the pathway winds from room to room over two floors of memorabilia, films, photographs, interactive and auditory displays, archives, and collections. You can easily spend many hours reading, watching, and listening to all available materials. In retrospect, we should have toured the house and visitor center, then left for lunch, and returned refreshed to take the library. As it was, after the 1-hour house tour and 2 hours in the library, we had earned a well-deserved (mental) rest!

Related sites include Val-Kil, which was Eleanor Roosevelt's retreat, and Top Cottage, which was FDR's getaway. Top Cottage is currently closed due to budget cuts because of the sequestration. Admission to Val-Kil is priced separately, although there is rumor of a combination ticket that provides access to Springwood, Val-Kil, and the Vanderbilt mansion, whereby if you purchase admission to two of the sites, you get complimentary admission to the third site. We recommend paying for Val-Kil ($8) and Vanderbilt ($8) and getting complimentary access to Springwood ($14) for free, if they allow you. (Rates are scheduled to raise to $18 for Springwood later this year.) We believe that you would need at least 2 days to see all three sites. A complimentary shuttle bus runs between the sites.

We really loved the Presidential Library portion of our visit - it is a must-see!

Hudson River Valley: 2 Taste Wine Bar (August 2013)

My spouse and I dined at 2 Taste in mid-August 2013. They do not participate in Open Table, nor do they accept Restaurant.com gift certificates any longer, but they do take reservations. The restaurant is open for lunch on weekends only (weekdays for large groups and by reservation only) and dinner daily except on Mondays. The restaurant is located in a strip-mall type location, with other stores and businesses on either side. There is plenty of parking in a lot that all the businesses share. A restaurant called Twist previously held this location.

The restaurant has a few tables on their front patio adjacent to Route 9. Each table has its own umbrella, and the chairs are covered with cushions. The patio is enclosed by a decorative chain and surrounded by different flower pots, so someone has invested some time and energy to provide outdoor seating (although it is a little noisy because of the road traffic). Smoking is allowed on the front patio.

The cheese board was excellent, more plentiful and creative than others we have seen (we particularly liked the wine crackers). We also enjoyed the duck sliders, which featured thick slices of duck breast. The interior of the restaurant is attractive, with table and booth seating as well as seating at the chef's counter. The chalk board detail around the booth area was a cute touch! The restaurant offers four different wine flights, along with many choices by the glass and bottle, as well as a good selection of beers and other cocktails. Service was a little spotty, but our waitress was new (possibly her first day), and when she encountered issues, someone more experienced stepped in to set things right.

We had a pleasant meal at 2 Taste, sitting outside and enjoying the weather on a beautiful day.

Hudson River Valley: Mohonk Mountain House (August 2013)

My spouse and I were DAY GUESTS at the Mohonk Mountain House (MMH) in mid-August 2013. We have often spoken of staying at the resort for an overnight or weekend, but have not been able to bring ourselves to splurge on such a luxury. We decided that we would go for a day visit first to see whether we wanted to make that investment.

The roads leading to MMH are well-marked, and we arrived on a Sunday morning around 11:00 am. You must pass through a gate to access the grounds, upon which time we had to explain why we were there. We were not overnight guests, nor did we have a reservation for a pre-paid meal (most meals are buffet, for approximately $60 per person, and must be pre-paid, but include free access to the grounds.) Our other option was to buy a day pass to access the grounds at a cost of $25 per person (for which they do accept credit cards). The day parking lot is located at the entrance to the property, which is approximately 2 miles (or a 10-minute drive) from the main lodge. If you are truly there to hike, you might want to walk to the top, but if you are just primarily looking around, as we were, you can take a shuttle bus. Park your car in the paved lot, and make your way up a wooden staircase (of perhaps 20+ steps) to a wooden platform with a bench where you can wait for the small shuttle bus. It arrives approximately every 15 minutes, and holds about 18 passengers. The shuttle bus drops you at the Picnic Lodge, from which you can take a short 5-minute walk uphill to the lodge and lake. The Picnic Lodge has restrooms (there are also restrooms in the parking lot area, but they seem more like outhouse-type facilities) and a snack bar, plus a covered porch where you can enjoy a drink or snack (open only seasonally, though).

As DAY GUESTS, you are asked to wear a paper wristband, although on the day we visited, we saw guests with wearing three different colors of bands, so we are not sure what each color signified (or maybe nothing!) On your way up to the lodge, be sure to check out the garden center (where you can purchase plants to take home), the maze, and the gorgeous flower gardens. Day guests must agree not to enter the lodge or swim in the lake, but you can walk the perimeter on well-maintained (but not paved) trails, which have plenty of benches and places to rest if you need a break. The path around the lake took us about 30 minutes to walk. You cannot access the swimming beach, and if you peek in, you'll see why - it is SO tiny! But to make up for the lack of chair space, MMH has set up lots of chairs on piers and jetties that surround the swimming area. On our walk, we were able to peek in the windows of the indoor pool (which looked lovely and open and airy), the tennis courts, and the Granary restaurant.

The property is lovely, and if you are interested in outdoorsy activities, there are plenty of them here - swimming, boating, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, golf.

We saw enough great things during our short DAY TRIP to make us want to stay as overnight guests next time!

Hudson River Valley: Bocuse at the CIA (August 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Bocuse at the Culinary Institute of America in mid-August 2013. We had dined years ago at the CIA in Napa Valley, but the campus of the Hyde Park CIA really blew us away! It is a gorgeous property on the banks of the Hudson River, so allow some time to stroll around the grounds and drive around the campus. (The Napa campus cannot compare, although the old Christian Brothers Winery building is lovely.) Check out the bookstore/school store while you are there to see all kinds of interesting cooking tools and cookbooks. Be sure to follow the directions to the restaurants that are provided online. We entered through the wrong gate, and had to take the scenic route around campus. One area of the central campus is under construction currently (and will be for some time, from the looks of it), so getting around that area relies on a traffic-light system, which had us confused a bit. There is plenty of free parking in the multi-level garage; we initially tried to park in a visitor parking lot that required code access, which of course we did not have.

The three major CIA restaurants (Bocuse [which was previously called Escoffier], Ristorante Caterina de 'Medici, and American Bounty) all use the Open Table reservation system now. (Years ago, the CIA used its privately-designed reservation system.) You can also call to reserve a table.

Bocuse reopened in February of 2013 after extensive renovations, and the result is a hip, modern, attractive space surrounded on two sides by windows and the third side of which fronts a glass-fronted kitchen. The restaurant is spacious, and tables are positioned nicely so that you are not crowded by your neighbor. The chef's hat wall sconces were cute but tasteful - my spouse overlooked them until I pointed them out. The restaurant also has a small private dining room (which perhaps holds 10 people). There is no formal dress code for this restaurant - most people we saw at dinnertime were dressed nicely (business casual or dressier), but the man seated nearest to us had on cargo short and hiking boots, so anything goes as far as dress is concerned.

The presentation of our dishes was terrific, the taste was great (some dishes were more delicious and memorable than others), but the service was the part of the meal that needed the most improvement. However, in their defense, you can easily tell that it is the goal of the servers to be chefs, not wait staff, so they are much more comfortable being behind the scenes than speaking to the public. In addition, we visited after their month-long traditional July closing, so the students may have just started the semester mere days before we dined there, and they were probably just finding their "groove". An automatic gratuity of 17% is added to your bill, and you are requested not to tip anything additional, in accordance with school rules and regulations. We will keep our eye on the recent graduates to see in which restaurants they end up working.

The presentation of the appetizers and desserts was truly impressive, but the entrees were more traditionally presented. All courses were a bit on the small side, but this is a French restaurant, and they make up for the portion sizes by offering several types of bread. Some unique things that the restaurant does: one of the dessert choices involves a waiter rolling a cart to your table and making ice cream in a stand mixer using dry ice. Sadly, this dessert must be ordered by two or more people at your table, and only one of us wanted that particular dessert (the ice cream accompanied different cakes and cookies). The restaurant also has a rolling drink cart, where it seemed that waiters were hand-crafting cocktails. The drinks were really reasonably priced - only $5 for beers such as Chimay, and slightly more for glasses of wine. At the end of our meal, we could not decide what was cuter - the delicious mignardises, or the way that they were delivered in a tiny wooden replica of the main CIA building (which we would have liked to take home!). We thought that the game cards on the table were a cute touch - most of the questions were food related. We will keep our eye on the recent graduates to see in which restaurants they end up working.

Overall, we enjoyed a pleasant meal at Bocuse.

Hudson River Valley: Hampton Inn & Suites Poughkeepsie (August 2013)

My spouse and I stayed for 1 night at the Hampton Inn and Suites Poughkeepsie in mid-August 2013. The hotel has 129 rooms, including 8 Whirlpool Junior Suites as well as other types of suites. Rooms ending in 01, 02, 31, and 32 are corner suites, and rooms ending in 03, 04, 29, and 30 are also suites. The hotel has five floors and two elevators, and there are ice and vending machines on each floor except the first/ground/lobby level. The hotel has an indoor pool and Jacuzzi, and there is a small outdoor space with tables and chairs accessible from the pool area. It also has a small fitness center and business center. The hotel offers the standard Hampton Inn breakfast, with both hot and cold options. The hotel provides freshly-baked cookies in the late afternoon. We did not see a pantry area where you could purchase snacks, but it may have been hidden. There are plenty of convenience stores, gas stations, shops, and restaurants nearby, so you can buy whatever you need very close to the hotel.

The hotel is located about 7 miles from Hyde Park, so if you are visiting the Culinary Institute of America, Walkway over the Hudson, the Vanderbilt mansion, or Springwood (the FDR estate), this is the closest Hilton property, and it is an easy drive to those sites on well-marked roads (actually, those sites are ON the same road as the hotel). The hotel shares a parking lot with a Super 8, but this Hilton property seems like a much better choice. A restaurant/bar called Coppola's on 9 is right next door, just a short walk through the parking lot. (We had some drinks in their basement bar, which was a bit of a dive! However, the bartender was very friendly, and gave us good tips on the area.) The hotel has plenty of free parking on all four sides. If you plan to travel north from the hotel, rather than exit onto South Road (Route 9) traveling south (because you can only make a right-hand turn on the divided road), drive through the parking lot at Coppola's and exit on the side street (which might be called IBM Road), which leads you to a traffic light where you can then turn left.

We stayed in Room 403, which was a Whirlpool Junior Suite, the best room category in the house. The layout was a bit odd, though, because the bathtub, separate shower, and vanity were open to the rest of the room (the toilet was enclosed in its own small room). Although this room worked for us as a couple, if two friends were staying together, it would not be possible to take a shower privately. We were a bit concerned about the bathtub in our room - it had an outlet on the wall next to the tub, and it was not a GFI outlet designed to deal with water. The foyer area of our room had a small wet bar area that contained a microwave, refrigerator, and sink. Three sets of towels were provided, along with some basic toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. The room contained a hair dryer, iron, and ironing board. Besides our king-size bed with two nightstands on either side, our room contained a flat-screen TV on a small stand, desk and chair, and a sofabed and glass-topped coffee table. Every room in this hotel had a live plant (we could see them in each window when we looked at the front of the hotel), which is a somewhat homey touch when you are on the road.

We would stay here again if we re-visit the Hudson River Valley area.

Doylestown: Honey (August 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Honey in early August 2013. We called to make a reservation about one month prior to the night that we wanted to dine. The restaurant seems to schedule diners in 15-minute increments, beginning at 5:00 pm. (The restaurant is open for dinner only daily.) This restaurant requires a credit card to guarantee weekend reservations. The restaurant does not have its own parking lot, but there is street parking as well as a parking in the bank parking lot down the street.

Although the restaurant space is small, it is well designed, and diners are spaced apart nicely. There are a few outdoor tables adjacent to the sidewalk, but the indoor space is so attractive and well though-out, that it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to dine indoors. Even the two booths nearest to the front door feature long, white, billowy curtains that can be drawn to provide some privacy from arriving and departing guests. The restaurant has both booth and table seating. Stacked stone walls lined with flickering candles provide a very chic and relaxing atmosphere. Do not plan to arrive early, because there is no bar area in which to wait. (There are plenty of bars and restaurants steps away where you can have a quick drink.) The restaurant manages its reservations tightly, so the odds are that you will not be able to be seated early. However, being from out of town and not knowing how long it would take to drive there, we arrived about 45 minutes early for our reservation, we had a drink in nearby bar, and then received a call from the restaurant to tell us that our table was ready, at least 30 minutes ahead of schedule. It is probably not an exact science serving a tapas menu and not knowing exactly how many dishes each table will order.

The restaurant serves an herb popcorn as an amuse bouche, and we were also offered a small shooter glass of yummy mushroom consommé as an additional treat from the chef. It is a good idea to visit this restaurant with another couple (or more), because there are SO many interesting menu options that you will want to try as many as possible. (We seem to remember our server recommending 2 to 3 items per person.) The wines and beers are all from Pennsylvania. Service was great, and the food was delicious, featuring unique ingredients and combinations and beautiful, interesting presentations. The dishes are not delivered in any particular order, so if you have a preference, specify it. In general, we received one dish at a time, and the pace was just right. We loved the edamame hummus (a unique twist on the traditional chick pea variety), the kampachi tacos, duck samosas, oxtail dumplings, and an awesome sweet corn panna cotta with blueberries and crushed cereal. 


We would jump at the chance to dine here again.

Theatre: Measure for Measure at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (August 2013)

Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, where it was listed as a comedy, the play's first recorded performance occurred in 1604. The play's main themes include justice, "mortality and mercy in Vienna," and the dichotomy between corruption and purity: "some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." Mercy and virtue predominate, since the play does not end tragically.

Measure for Measure is often called one of Shakespeare's problem plays. It was, and continues to be, classified as comedy, though its tone may defy those expectations.
 
Synopsis: 

Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, makes it known that he intends to leave the city on a diplomatic mission. He leaves the government in the hands of a strict judge, Angelo.

In the next scene, we find a group of soldiers on a Vienna street, expressing their hopes, in irreverent banter, that a war with Hungary is afoot, and that they will be able to take part. Mistress Overdone, the operator of a whorehouse frequented by these same soldiers, appears and tells them "there's one yonder arrested and carried to prison was worth five thousand of you all." She tells them that it is "Signor Claudio," and that "within these three days his head to be chopped off" as punishment for "getting Madam Julietta with child." Lucio, one of the soldiers who is later revealed to be Claudio's friend, is astonished at this news and rushes off. Then comes Pompey Bum, who works for Mistress Overdone as a pimp, but disguises his profession by describing himself as a mere 'tapster' (the equivalent of a modern bartender), avers to the imprisonment of Claudio and outrageously explains his crime as "Groping for trouts in a peculiar river." He then informs Mistress Overdone of Angelo's new proclamation, that "All houses [of prostitution] in the suburbs of Vienna must be plucked down." The brothels in the city "shall stand for seed: they had gone down too, but that a wise burgher put in for them." Mistress Overdone is distraught, as her business is in the suburbs. "What shall become of me?" she asks. Pompey replies with a characteristic mixture of bawdy humor and folk-wisdom, "fear you not: good counselors lack no clients: though you change your place, you need not change your trade... Courage! there will be pity taken on you: you that have worn your eyes almost out in the service, you will be considered."

Claudio is then led past Pompey and Overdone on his way to prison, and we learn what has happened to him. Claudio married Juliet, but, as they have not completed all the technicalities, they are still legally unmarried when Juliet gets pregnant. Angelo, as the interim ruler of the city, decides to enforce a law that fornication is punishable by death, so Claudio is sentenced to be executed. Claudio's friend, Lucio, visits Claudio's sister, Isabella, a novice nun, and asks her to intercede with Angelo on Claudio's behalf.

Isabella obtains an audience with Angelo, and pleads for mercy for Claudio. Over the course of two scenes between Angelo and Isabella, it becomes clear that he lusts after her, and he eventually offers her a deal: Angelo will spare Claudio's life if Isabella yields him her virginity. Isabella refuses, but when she threatens to publicly expose his lechery, he tells her that no one will believe her: his reputation is too austere. Instead, she visits her brother in prison and counsels him to prepare himself for death. Claudio desperately begs Isabella to save his life, but Isabella refuses. As a novice nun, she feels that she cannot sacrifice her own immortal soul (and that of Claudio, if he causes her to lose her virtue) to save Claudio's transient earthly life.

The Duke has not in fact left the city, but remains there disguised as a friar (Lodowick) in order to spy on the city's affairs, and especially on the actions of Angelo. In his guise as a friar, he befriends Isabella and arranges two tricks to thwart Angelo's evil intentions:

1. First, a "bed trick" is arranged. Angelo has previously refused to fulfill the betrothal binding him to Mariana, because her dowry had been lost at sea. Isabella sends word to Angelo that she has decided to submit to him, making it a condition of their meeting that it occurs in perfect darkness and in silence. Mariana agrees to take Isabella's place, and she has sex with Angelo, although he continues to believe he has enjoyed Isabella. (In some interpretations of the law, this constitutes consummation of their betrothal, and therefore their marriage. This is the same interpretation that assumes that Claudio and Juliet are legally married.)

1. After having sex with Mariana (whom he believes is Isabella), Angelo goes back on his word, sending a message to the prison that he wishes to see Claudio's head, necessitating the "head trick." The Duke first attempts to arrange the execution of another prisoner whose head can be sent instead of Claudio's. However, the villain Barnardine refuses to be executed in his drunken state. As luck would have it, a pirate named Ragozine, of similar appearance to Claudio, has recently died of a fever, so his head is sent to Angelo instead.

This main plot concludes with the 'return' to Vienna of the Duke as himself. Isabella and Mariana publicly petition him, and he hears their claims against Angelo, which Angelo smoothly denies. As the scene develops, it appears that Friar Lodowick will be blamed for the 'false' accusations leveled against Angelo. The Duke leaves Angelo to judge the cause against Lodowick, but returns in disguise moments later when Lodowick is summoned. Eventually, the friar reveals himself to be the Duke, thereby exposing Angelo as a liar and Isabella and Mariana as truthful. He proposes that Angelo be executed but first compels him to marry Mariana— with his estate going to Mariana as her new dowry, "to buy you a better husband." Mariana pleads for Angelo's life, even enlisting the aid of Isabella (who is not yet aware her brother Claudio is still living). The Duke pretends not to heed the women's petition, and—only after revealing that Claudio has not, in fact, been executed—relents. The Duke then proposes marriage to Isabella. Isabella does not reply, and her reaction is interpreted differently in different productions: her silent acceptance of his proposal is the most common in performance. This is one of the "open silences" of the play.

A sub-plot concerns Claudio's friend Lucio, who frequently slanders the duke to the friar, and in the last act slanders the friar to the duke, providing opportunities for comic consternation on Vincentio's part and landing Lucio in trouble when it is revealed that the duke and the friar are one and the same. His punishment, like Angelo's, is to be forced into an undesired marriage: in this case with the prostitute Kate Keepdown.

Link to the review by The Morning Call here