The Ritz-Carlton, Herlizya, Israel - photo courtesy of Schnur Associates

From Boston to Paris to London, the New York mainstay, The Ritz-Carlton, keeps expanding outward and moving forward. The company, whose establishments in Battery Park and Central Park seem to be monuments, will look to Israel for its latest endeavor.

Next month they’ll be opening The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Herzliya, their “first-ever Kosher luxury residences.” The first in Israel, The Residences is Ritz-Carlton’s 77th establishment worldwide. The Ritz-Carlton currently has hotels in 25 different countries, as west as the U.S. and as east as Japan.

Designed by Rani Ziss, the famous architect whose resume includes spearheading the renovations of New York’s Plaza Hotel, and New York-based Studio Gaia, who in the past designed the interior of the W hotels in Seoul and Mexico City, The Residences, styled after a “luxury marina lifestyle,” has its own marina and is on the Mediterranean waterfront in the opulent city of Herzliya. The city is also the center of Israel’s own “Silicon Valley,” Silicon Wadi.

The Residences, though, are not your normal hotel. The 12-story central building is a five-star hotel on its bottom six floors, but on the upper six floors are 82 vacation condominiums.

“Residents,” or owners of properties in the top half of the building, are allowed 180 days per year in their respective room, and, of course, have access to the Ritz-Carlton’s roof-top pool, fitness center, and restaurant. Properties range in price from $1.3 million for one-bedrooms to $15 million for penthouses.

To learn more about The Residences click here.

I flew to Los Angeles with a big backpack filled with trail mix, granola bars, chocolate, cheese and a tent. My father met me there and drove me down to Campo at the Tijuana-California border. He left me at the fence, dust puffing from his tires like drab clouds.

There was a border monument marking the southern terminus of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail—a trail that fades in the mist and lush of northern Washington then ends in Canada. I would walk the length of the country.

I walked north from the Mexican border fence; the trail was well marked with rusty signs and scattered with lazy rattlesnakes baking in the sun’s warmth. I was eating a green apple, I remember, when I nearly stepped on the first one. I shrieked and ran south a hundred yards. I bit my apple, breathed, ate that apple—my last piece of fresh food; everything else was processed or salted or junk. I was fine. I walked back north, stepped over the snake, kept walking, stepped over another and another.

Within a few hours, I had met a dozen hikers, all attempting the same trans-country journey on foot. They seemed kind—young men, retired couples, a 30-year-old woman with big curly hair and good teeth; the curly lady smiled at me. I was curt. On my second day on the trail, I met a 20-year-old man—a former professional mountain bike racer from Switzerland. We hiked together for 700 miles and five weeks and then let the miles between us grow. He hiked faster than I did. I didn’t love him.

I made friends—a twentysomething girl with a ukulele and an angelic voice and face and a photographer with a master’s in psychology he had never used and didn’t want to. And packs of fit, hungry hikers, happy to hear my stories. Happy to know me.

In Bend, Ore., 1,970 miles north of that border monument dull with Campo dust and 1,500 miles from spiny pastel plants and rattlesnake teeth and venom and sadness, I met Justin. We were in town—the verdant, river-cut trail town of Bend—and we knew a handful of the same hikers. A big group of us went to dinner at the Deshutes Brewery. Justin sat next to me, close. He smiled a lot. I smiled—tried not to but couldn’t help it. Under the table, his knee brushed mine.

I lifted my hot hand, moved it slowly through the space between us like a teenaged boy would when trying to float unnoticed to second base; I pressed my trembling palm against Justin’s sweating beer, squeezed the glass. Lifted and carried it through the air to my mouth. Took a sip. I was 19.

Justin knew.

He was amused, contorted his face like he disapproved—but I knew he didn’t.

I was pulsing, invigorated. So fit from the miles and miles, unarmed and no longer unhappy.

I felt an illogical desire for Justin—my body, high on attraction and quivering, betrayed my mind.

We walked, together, 600 miles into Canada.

I remember our first day hiking together. Rain had poured down in sheets, smacking the soil, tearing up the trail. Earth washed away; roots loosened, left soaked and exposed. Lubricated with water, everything shone in the gray light.

Justin and I shouted over the downpour, shared childhood stories and our ambitions as we walked. We were saturated with rain to the bone, both of us, but I was giddy and on the verge of laughter.

My walk with Justin ended in the mist-dense Cascade Mountains on a garden stage at the end of a lily-lined aisle. Storm clouds, gray, navy and low, illuminated the flowers, the fine clothing, the glassware in soft, important light. The mist was backlit by sunlight, bathing the Cascade foothills in silver.

Justin and I read our vows and grinned and cried on a stone stage over the Cascade Mountain garden, lightning flashing like a camera. Camera flashes would have been invisible under that sky. My parents were there in the garden, happy and warm and not too nervous.

Antiques

While it is feasible to walk down to the local thrift store in search of an old table or a knickknack to spice up the feng shui, connoisseurs of relics from the past should attempt to make a trip to the Orange County Antique Fair & Flea Market. From now until Nov. 25, the fair is open 8 to 5 on Saturdays and Sundays. The event is free to attend and parking won’t cost you a nickel. Those interested should call 845-282-4055.
Wine Tours
The Distillery Tour & Tasting features local artisans displaying whiskey, vodka and liqueurs, all made from locally grown ingredients. Patrons are also advised to enjoy a glass of hard apple cider and watch the sunset from the scenic Tuthilltown Spirits Farm Distillery located at 14 Gristmill Lane in Gardiner, N.Y. Tickets are $15 a person and the tour is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information, call 845-633-8734.

Hudson Valley Fair
New York City may be chock-full of fun stuff to do, but what the city cannot provide is the fun of a good, old-fashioned country fair. This weekend and next, through May 20, the Hudson Valley Fair in Fishkill, N.Y., is open noon to midnight.
Tickets are about six dollars a pop and will give customers access to over 100 rides, games, animals, free entertainment and other attractions. Each Saturday, there will also be a free fireworks show.
For more information, visit www.hudsonvalleyfair.com or call 631-920-2309.

Farm Animals
The Catskill Animal Sanctuary Tours in Saugerties, N.Y., are an opportunity to display farm animals and rescued animals to children. The sanctuary is over 110 acres of beautiful farmland where the animals live. Stories behind the rescues will be told and there are tours held every half hour between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The sanctuary will be offering the tours until Oct. 28.
Tickets for the event cost $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors and children.
For more information, call 845-336-8447.

Art Is Always in Fashion
While NYC is a world-renowned hotspot for clothing and accessories, the rest of the state also has its own material to display. “Passion for Fashion,” presented by Cornell Street Studios, is hosting an opening night art exhibit on Saturday, May 12, from 6 to 10 p.m. The event features art from Helen Schofield along with other artists from the area.

Admission costs $10 and the event will have food,
art for sale and a DJ for the evening.

For more information, contact 845-331-0191 and ask for Renee.

Tulip Festival
In the spirit of Mother’s Day and blossoming tulips, the Honor’s Haven Resort and Spa is hosting the 2nd Annual Tulip Festival & Mother’s Day Celebration. The event is day two of a weekend-long celebration that begins May 12 and ends on Sunday. The Mother’s Day expo will
begin at 11 a.m. and continue through 4 p.m. Admission to the event is free and patrons are encouraged to explore the floor, which will display a vast and diverse selection of gifts along with handcrafted items, personalized gifts, keepsakes and gourmet foods from an array of local artists and craftspeople. Not only does the event cater to those looking for a novel Mother’s Day gift, but it also will be hosting a photography contest based around the best shot of a tulip from the weekend.
Those interested in going can make reservations by calling 845-210-1600.

Are you a fan of boating, cycling, golf, hiking, camping, and even hunting and, fishing? Then mark your calendar to attend the first Hudson Valley Outdoor Adventure Expo on the weekend of June 2 and 3 at Waryas Park, Poughkeepsie.

Dedicated to outdoor recreation, the expo is organized by the Dutchess County Tourism office with the help of Adventure Junction, Ulster County Tourism and the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum.

There will be exhibitor booths at the Children’s Museum pavilion representing all types of outdoor pursuits including demos on golf, ziplines, mountain biking and paddle sports. Hyde Park’s Big Bear Ziplines is constructing a zipline on site for attendees to try out. The main stage will also have live music.

RaceIt is organizing a 5K run/walk on Saturday, June 2. The course includes the Walkway Over the Hudson loop trail. Start on the east side of the Hudson River and end at the expo in Waryas Park. There will also be a children’s road race. You can also sign up now for two Open Water Swims, with the 5K taking place Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and the 2.5K at 12:15 p.m.

Plans are also under way for 5- and 10-mile kayak races, plus a mountain biking race. The short, adventure-packed urban style mountain bike event will have a qualifying round, with a time trail, a semifinal, and final race over both days of the expo.

The Expo’s main site is directly across from the Poughkeepsie Metro-North train station and admission is only $10. Visi www.outdooradventureexpoHV.com for more details.

For the past two weeks the MTA has been testing out its newest initiative.  They are removing the trash cans from subway stations to cut down on the trash pile-ups.  The pilot stations–he Eighth Street N station in Greenwich Village and the Main Street 7 station in Queens–are now totally trashcan-free.

According to an MTA spokesperson, Charles Seaton, the MTA collects and disposes of 8,500 bags of garbage every day, and just cannot keep up with it. The only solution, aside from removing trash cans, is to add two more garbage trains which will slow down passenger trains.

The trashcan elimination program is already in effect on all NJ PATH train stations and in the London Underground. According to Seaton the MTA really isn’t asking all that much from subway-goers, “People only stay on the platform for about five minutes,” he said. “We do not think that it’s unreasonable to ask people to hold on to their trash.”

Still, many New Yorkers–this New Yorker for one–have reservations. Will we really hang on to that old newspaper long enough to throw it away on the street? The flower-child in me says yes, but the realist in me knows that flower-children are few and far between in NYC. Seaton remains optimistic though, “I think it’s a very small population of customers who actually litter,” he said. Only time will tell how eco-responsible New Yorkers can be.

By McCamey Lynn

The summer might be peak season for tourism in New York City, but venture a little further upstate and it’s all about the fall.

The explosion of fall foliage that comes in early September and departs around November brings thousands of tourists and leaf peepers, those who travel to view and photograph the fall foliage, to the state’s Hudson River Valley, making it the busiest time of year for the area.

Advertised as the “perfect antidote to urban stress,” tours of the Hudson Valley offer an extensive array of options for the city dweller who doesn’t want to venture too far afield.

“We usually get around 1,500 people in the fall who participate in our day tours,” said Nancy Lutz, communications manager for Dutchess County Tourism. “By the time it’s October, we’re getting two to three buses a day on Saturdays and Sundays.”

For these tourists, fall foliage is not just the backdrop. More often than not, the robust greens, oranges, reds and yellows that cover the area are the main attraction.

The Northeast on the whole is filled with a huge variety of broad-leaved trees whose foliage paints the region with a spectacular color range. But it is New York State in particular that boasts most of these trees—almost as many acres as the rest of the Northeast combined.

The state’s tourism site, ILoveNY.com, provides leaf peepers with a gaggle of charts, figures and reports on up-to-date fall foliage color. A weekly report comes in the form of a detailed map charting fall color progress and listing the best vantage points for peepers in the state.

With that said, finding the trees is not the hard part—it’s knowing where to go and how to get there.

The Hudson Valley encompasses a wide area and is closer to New York City than the average urbanite might realize (the trip from Grand Central Station to Wassaic in the mid-Hudson takes a little over two hours). Westchester and Rockland counties mark the southern tip of the region, which passes through Dutchess and Ulster counties and stretches up through Albany.

For those with cars, it’s easy and convenient to make the two-hour drive up to Dutchess County, located in the middle of the region, and explore the surrounding farms, mountains, parks and nature trails. The county’s tourism site, DutchessCountyTourism.com, provides several itineraries for both day trips and overnighters. The site is a great tool for anyone planning a trip to the area, with lists of the best fall foliage spots, hiking trails, dining options and wineries.

As for group tours, which can be found on the same website, the options are so extensive and far-ranging that the perfect fit is easily achievable. Whether you’re a foodie looking for an exceptional culinary experience, an adventurer looking to explore the outdoors or a history buff looking to learn about the region’s rich past, there’s something for every interest.

Dutchess County Tourism has also partnered with MTA Metro-North Railroad to provide affordable group getaway day tours that allow tourists to not only survey the beautiful scenery but discover a bit of the local fare.

And then there’s the Hudson River Valley Ramble, which takes place over three weekends, from Sept. 7 through Sept. 25, and celebrates the area’s vibrant history, communities, cultural attractions and natural resources. “It’s the perfect opportunity for people who want to get out and enjoy the great outdoors but don’t know where to go,” said Lutz. With over 200 events it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so check out Hudsonrivervalleyramble.com for the complete list of events, which include guided walks, hikes, camping and kayaking trips and festivals.

Go for the leaves but stay for any one of the dozens of reasons so many people flock upstate this time of year. With so much to see, you’ll be praying Monday never comes.

New York has almost as many acres of trees as the rest of the Northeast combined. Photo by Danny T