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Orange County - Part 2
Written by: Christine Coviello
For a relaxing weekend getaway with wineries, shopping, nightlife entertainment, and even a medieval festival, try Orange County, New York!
I hated to go, but we needed to be on our way for the tour at West Point. We soon learned one of the wonderful things about the Orange County area is the many things there are do to in a short driving distance away from each other. In a quick 20-minute drive, we were at the USMA West Point Visitors Center. After we showed our ID and received our tickets, we boarded the bus. The tour guide completely made this tour. She is the wife of an officer and obviously takes pride in her job. The highlights of the tour were her funny antidotes or stories that made the cold stone buildings so much more interesting. It was also nice to get to see so much of the facility without having to walk in the heat. I was disappointed so many buildings were under construction, but we did get to see many things including my favorite -- the church. The stained glass windows were just striking. I would love to come back to hear the organ played. I can only imagine the bride who has to walk down that long aisle!
We then headed to The New York Renaissance Faire in Sterling Forest, Tuxedo, NY. I had been to the Faire a few years ago, and I was amazed to see how much it has grown in size. Not only did it seem larger in size of grounds, but also it seemed that there were many more stores than in the past. I enjoyed seeing some of the smaller shows, like Dead Bob and Magical Mystical Michael, who made us laugh so hard my stomach hurt. We caught some of the larger shows, too -- like The Queen's Chess match. The actors never leave character, and you can see the hard work they put into each show they put on. We also were lucky enough to stay for the "Royal Joust." This was very exciting to see the men on horseback. The crowd goes crazy, and you really feel a part of the show. There are so many things to do, it can be quite overwhelming to choose one act over another. You can easily come up for a whole weekend and never do the same thing twice.
I can see how this would easily become a very expensive day for a family between ticket prices, parking fees, food, drinks and then shopping. There are many things to eat there. When it is hot, and you are thirsty, with drinks costing $2 each for a small cup, I can see meals adding up as well. The artisans in the shops are very nice and helpful. We had the chance to speak with Peter from Medieval Productions. He went out of his way to answer any questions about his work. There are many different types of shops with unique and handmade items. This is a great place to buy a one-of-a-kind gift. Overall, I enjoyed the Renaissance Faire. I would come back again, but I would plan to spend the whole day there, and I would be prepared to spend a decent amount of money.
On our way back to the inn, we stopped at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. This is a dream for any shopper. It is neat and clean. It has many stores, and you can spend an entire afternoon here, if given the chance. I was surprised at the range of stores. You could really find anything here from high-end to inexpensive, from housewares to clothes to toys. I would purposely stop here to do my Holiday shopping. Not only does it have anything you could want in one location, but you can't beat the prices.
We drove to the Hampton Inn. I was familiar with Hampton Inns, and this one lived up to the reliable reputation. It was clean, the staff was helpful, and it was centrally located -- three things very important to a trip. If I came up to the Orange County area, this would be a recommendation based on location. Everything we would ever want to go to was a very quick an easy 20 minute-drive from this hotel.
We had dinner and a show at The Bodles Opera House. Dinner was delicious. We had the bruschetta appetizer. This was fresh and tasty. Vincent had the Chicken Marsala, and I had the steak. Both were very good. They both came with a garden salad and fresh bread. The food had this "fresh from mom's kitchen" feel. They have a limited menu with only a choice of five entrees. The Bodles Opera house has many acts throughout the year -- from local talent, singers, bands and more.
Tonight, we caught the Bodles Variety Show. The house band was made up of a drummer, a pianist and a guitarist. They jammed for a bit until Laurie, the host for the night, came on. The Variety Show was mainly made up of three women singing and telling jokes. Although there were some high points (as in our waitress Suzie singing for the first time), I regret to say I was disappointed in the performances. Not only did the women need the words in front of them to remember their lines, but then they told the types of jokes that have been circling the Internet for years. Not one of the jokes were new original or quite honestly funny. I see quite a lot of community theatre and talent, so I was originally very excited to see Bodles. The performances tonight were amateur and unprepared at best. We wanted to leave early, but decided to wait it out some more, and fortunately we did. The last singer proved to be the best. Kathy Romanski should lose the other women and start a show of her own. She was funny, honest and entertaining. She told a cute story of her getting engaged a few days before and sang a love song right after. She is a wasted talent being a waitress at this place. I am happy we had the opportunity to see her.
Read part 1 | Read part 3
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