Cadets, Culinary Arts, and Headless Horsemen

After bidding Peter and Andrea farewell, we returned by train to Croton-on-Hudson, a lovely village 35 miles north of Manhattan. Using Croton as our base, we toured the US Military Academy at West Point, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and Sleepy Hollow, the setting for Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle.

Situated at a strategic "S" bend high above the Hudson River, West Point was originally built as a Revolutionary War-era fort to protect the Hudson from the British. In 1802, Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be made to establish an academy at the site to train US army officers, making West Point the oldest of the five military academies. The campus is beautiful, with scenic views of the Hudson to the north and south.

West Point Parade Ground, Baracks, and Chapel

Looking North Up the Hudson From West Point

Food continues to be a highlight of our Loop, so we dined with the student chefs at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY. Macaroni and cheese with candied bacon and mustard greens took first prize with our taste buds, and it was fun watching the chefs-in-training as they worked.

CIA

CIA Mac and Cheese

Legends and lore run deep in Sleepy Hollow, NY, the village made famous by the stories of Washington Irving, America's first author. Irving's most famous short stories, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, are set in the area. The dreamy landscape of Sleepy Hollow reminded us of Mississippi's kudzu forests, and we enjoyed touring Sunnyside, Irving's home, and seeing the sights of nearby Tarrytown. According to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown was so named by local wives because of their husbands' tendency to linger too long in the village pubs and taverns on market day, though historians say otherwise.

Sunnyside, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Sunnyside Tour Guide