a ride along the hudson river

The river changes all the time, and when you take the Metro Hudson train from Manhattan either at 125th Street or Grand Central, you’ll see it in all its splendor. Watch as you travel; it’s a perfect winter scene. If you have to walk through all the cars to get a seat by the river, it’s worth the effort. Perhaps there’s an artist in you waiting to be discovered, and perhaps the river will uncover it. Trying to make a decision? Think only of the river’s beauty as you ride along, forget everything else. That grand river changes from stop to stop. Closer to Manhattan it flows slowly, continue on and it’s rushing, then suddenly there are large blocks of ice all askew on the Hudson’s surface. What a grand site. It leaves a lot to the rider’s imagination. Let nature work its magic on you.

Poughkeepsie is the last stop on the Hudson Line. When you get off at any one of the towns you can either take a $5.00 (usually) taxi ride to the main area, or, if you want to walk, ask someone to direct you to the main part of town, depending on the town, buses are not always around. There are times when it’s nice to stay around the river, and that depends on the design of the town. You might want to get off at Cold Spring, or Beacon for the galleries, antique shops, charming restaurants or to simply take in a new place. The trains run fairly often as you’ll see on the Hudson Line schedule. No need to rush though. If you’ve bought a ticket to one destination and want to go to another, then just get off and explore. And the bonus – you begin to shake off the stress of the big city. Feeling more relaxed yet? Notice no one is rushing? You’ve left all that behind. Ah, take a big deep breath and enjoy. Perhaps you’ll see a B&B, and who knows, you’ll decide to walk in and stay the night. No toothbrush, no toothpaste, no stress – just an exquisite feeling of freedom. www.mta.info/mnr