hudson valley Archives - WE TRAVELLER

NYC/Hudson Valley have best forecast for viewing eclipse

We’re almost there.

In just two days, the solar eclipse finally arrives in New York. Are you planning on heading to Upstate New York to view the total eclipse? You might want to rethink your plan after reading the forecasts and go with a view of the partial eclipse instead.

Meteorologists continue to refine their forecasts for the total solar eclipse, and now have a pretty good idea of where the spectacle will be most (and least) visible. Based on those forecasts it looks like the New York City area and Hudson Valley will be treated to clear skies.

Here are the latest forecasts:

Where will the solar eclipse be visible?

Federal forecasters said Saturday afternoon that the best chances for clear viewing of the total eclipse are in northern New England. There is also a possibility of clear viewing from northern Arkansas to central Indiana, the National Weather Service said, “but this is the area of greatest uncertainty due to potential high clouds.”

For the Hudson Valley and NYC in the partial eclipse zone, Monday should see sunny and clear skies, according to the National Weather Service. The temperatures are expected to be a warm 61 degrees, almost feeling like the beginning of summer, which are practically perfect conditions for eclipse viewing.

Sunday and Monday look partly sunny and warm. Friday and Saturday’s high temperatures could reach 48 degrees, with low temperatures expected to drop to 38 degrees.

“Cities like Los Angeles, El Paso, New York City, Boston and Raleigh should all have nice views of the eclipse from start to finish,” according to AccuWeather lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

What will the forecast be in Western and Northern New York?

Unfortunately for folks in the path of totality, clouds may impede viewing “from Texas into

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Travel Destinations from Stewart Airport in Newburgh | Travel | Hudson Valley

If you live in the Hudson Valley, there’s a good chance you’ve wondered if a direct flight is worth the schlep to Newark or JFK or if you’d rather have the ease of parking and painless TSA experience Albany International offers. You’ve probably dabbled in flying out of Westchester County Airport (HPN) even though the terminal feels like a Greyhound station, and the only food or drink available beyond the security checkpoint is from a shop that feels like a rundown minimart that’s always sold out of bacon, egg, and cheeses.

Unless you live in the city or North Jersey and can take public transportation, parking at the city airports is expensive, a hassle, or both. If you live a short, inexpensive cab ride away from HPN, that airport may make sense, but if you’re driving yourself, be prepared to park at SUNY Purchase and get bussed over.

Newburgh’s New York Stewart International Airport (SWF) might be the answer to some of the travel woes Hudson Valley residents experience. SWF has some great new routes on low-cost airlines, and it’s an economical, uncongested, and convenient alternative to the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region’s airports.

click to enlarge

Travel Destinations from Stewart Airport in Newburgh

Courtesy of Port Authority NY/NJ

Destinations from Stewart include Reykjavik, Iceland; Charleston, South Carolina, and multiple destinations in Florida.

SWF is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages all the major city airports, the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the PATH rail transit system, and Port Authority, which is the busiest bus terminal in the world. SWF stands apart from other travel hubs in that it has the convenience and feel of a small, regional airport but offers a good variety of direct domestic and international flights.

“For those tired of the hassles around

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Best travel destinations in 2024: National Geographic’s new list

Guide Hamprey Mweterwa (center on white horse) leads a group on a safari in Kenya’s Borana Conservancy. Visitors to Borana might encounter zebras, leopards, impalas, elephants, and the area’s population of 200 rhinos.

Looking for exciting locations to explore this year? From diving with sharks on Australia’s Coral Coast to rafting the white rapids of West Virginia, National Geographic has some unique ideas for you with its annual Best of the World 2024 list.

The list, released first to USA TODAY on Tuesday, includes top destinations in the world and lesser-known ones. They range from Paris and Niagara Falls to the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia and archeological sites on the Spanish island of Menorca.

Unlike previous years, National Geographic is emphasizing must-do experiences at each destination, instead of just listing out locations. And in another step away from previous editions, the publication has added rankings to help readers prioritize their bucket list.

“I’m so excited about this,” said National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Nathan Lump at an exclusive preview in New York last week. “We’ve really extended it to be bigger than ever before. And we just think that is a really, really great way to serve our travelers who are looking for great ideas all the time.”

Whitewater rafting the Gauley River in West Virginia navigates the longest and deepest river gorge in the Appalachians, a thrilling experience accessible summer through fall.

Lump said the list was being released on Tuesday to coincide with National Vacation Day, the last Tuesday of every January.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Millions of vacation days go to waste every year, and Lump said that he hopes that this year’s list will inspire readers to get out of their comfort zone and explore the world.

The list of the top 20 travel experiences is curated by National Geographic explorers, photographers, and editors. It’s “a celebration” of “travel’s power to transform us and our connections with one another,” the magazine said.

What are the best places to visit/experience in 2024?

Stars glitter above Naveta des Tudons, Menorca’s most famous burial monument, built by the Talayotic culture long before the Roman Empire.

National Geographic’s top travel experiences for the year are:

Horseback safari in Kenya.
Olympic Marathon in Paris.
Ski tour through UNESCO sites in

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New hotels opening in the Hudson Valley and Catskills in 2023

Hotels, lodges, inns, bed and breakfasts, and retreats that are newly opened or coming soon to the region

Jan. 12, 2023

Eastwind will open its third Scandinavian-inspired hotel in New York this winter, in Oliverea Valley.

Lawrence Braun

Find out what’s new in the regional hotel scene with this ongoing list of the latest notable new places to rest your head in the Catskills and Hudson Valley this year. For more tips on how to make the most of your weekends, sign up for our Weekending newsletter.

Know a place to add or recommend? Email us at [email protected] for consideration.

Catskills

Eastwind Oliverea Valley

212 McKenley Hollow Road, Big Indian, NY 12410; 518-734-0553

Perhaps the Hudson Valley’s first notable hotel opening of 2023, Eastwind’s third local property is taking reservations as of Jan. 13, not far from the brand’s other two Scandinavian-inspired places in Windham and Lake Placid. Eastwind Oliverea Valley consists of 30 guest rooms, some in a boutique hotel, others are wood A-frame freestanding cabins of various sizes. Rates vary per room but start around $300 a night mid-week. The Esopus Creek runs along the property, and there’s a pool as well as many amenities: bikes, yoga, foraging and s’mores kits for fire pits. There’s also an on-site restaurant, Dandelion, the first full-service venture outside of New York City from Cipriani co-founder Daniel Cipriani.

eastwindhotels.com

Hyde Park

The Inn at Bellefield by Residence Inn

15 W. Dorsey Lane, Hyde Park, NY 12538; 212-401-4077

Construction began on the first of two hotels at Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park last year and is slated to open in late 2023. It will have 137 rooms and is part of a much larger project

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New year, new road trip: Hudson Valley makes multiple lists of top places to visit in 2023

According to multiple top vacation lists, Upstate New York’s Hudson Valley will be the place to be in 2023.

National publications Travel + Leisure (T+L) and Condé Nast Traveler have named the region as one of the best places to go in the new year. It sits among locations from within the U.S. and around the world.

Both lists highlight the area as a sojourn for the weary urbanite, filled with charming small towns and top notch hospitality with what T+L calls its “quietly glam” aesthetic.

The two reports also suggest newcomer Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection which opened in the autumn of 2022 with its 140-acre resort home to gardens, orchards, a farm-to-table restaurant and farmhouse style spa. And they alert readers to the yet-to-come The Ranch Hudson Valley, an offshoot of the West Coast’s retreat The Ranch Malibu, which aims to open by fall of 2023 as a respite for city dwellers complete with programs to include hiking, fitness classes, massages, and a plant-based diet.

CN Traveler mentions the complete renovation of the 30,000 foot-spa at the palatial Mohonk Mountain House as an addition to the wellness destination the region has become.

Not to be missed is the cornucopia of good food to be found in the Hudson Valley. T+L features dining establishments Merchants Social in Hudson, Stissing House in Pine Plains, Darlings in Tilson, the Catskills Chocolate Co. in Catskill, and Talbott and Arding in their newly expanded storefront in Hudson.

CN Traveler takes readers through a list of restaurants which hope to open next year, including British-based Soho Farmhouse in Rhinebeck, Izakaya Makishi and Chleo in Kingston, Cenadou and La Bastide by Andrea Calstier in North Salem, and lastly Klocke Estate in Claverack with a new apple and grape brandy distillery.

If shopping is your

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