Heart of the Hudson Travel Discovery Kit [Mass Market Paperback]

Barrett Clark (Author), Thomas M. Vincent (Author), Michael S. Vincent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1999

At last: everything you need to explore the the intriguing villages of America's most historic river in depth-and save money as you go!

The introductory audio tape shows and tells you just how much there is to see and do in the Heart of the Hudson! Travel through Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, Croton, Cortlandt and Peekskill (North Tour) or Tarrytown, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, and Yonkers (South Tour) in 30-45 minutes in the comfort of your own car. You'll hear about the history, famous citizens, attractions and special secrets of each town along the way and discover that they all offer compelling reasons for a longer visit. Music of famous local composers and river sounds will make these river towns come alive for you in a dramatic and exciting way.

This 304-page guide gives you complete access & upclose tours of all ten historic river towns! After the tape tour, you decide which towns you want to see close up. There is a tour chapter for each town, with map and key to all major attractions, restaurants, shops and accommodations. The tours are detailed driving & walking trips to unique points of interest, and provide insight into the towns' special relationship with the river. They include things to see and do which will add to your appreciation and enjoyment, plus a highlight tour if time is short. The guide also contains an accommodations chapter and a chapter with strip maps and introduction to the audio tape tour. After just a few pages, you'll feel truly at home in the Heart of the Hudson.

This membership card saves you money at the best places in town! In each river town, you'll receive offers, bargains and introductions-a special welcome to you as a preferred Heart of the Hudson Member. Show your card and mention it when making reservations or visiting points of interest. Offers range from special hotel rates, to free drinks & desserts & main courses in restaurants, to gift with purchase in shops, to a free admission with each paid admission at major attractions. The kit contains a brochure listing all offers by town. You'll know in advance why a trip to the Historic River Towns of Westchester represents a great value in several important ways!

Editorial Reviews

Review

The much heralded tourism package Heart of the Hudson is now available and well worth the wait......a thorough and knowledgeable profile of the ten municipalities along the eastern shore of the Hudson River in Westchester County....and when readers are through with history, there are great tips for snacking, dining and, dear to every traveler's heart, shopping. -- The Half Moon Press, Feb. 1999

From the Author

Tom Vincent: I've always loved the river, though I never really appreciated its meaning and importance until we started working on the kit. I came to Westchester when I was ten, but lived in [nearby]Poughkeepsie before that. They used to hold the major college crew regatta there in the Spring and I was always more interested in traffic on the river and what was happening in the hills beyond than the races. When I was nine, I walked the railroad bridge all the way across the river and back, looking down through the ties at the water, scared to death. Foolhardy perhaps and I certainly wouldn't do it today, but it was a key event in my life.

Just looking at the river--particularly when the sun is on the west side and lights the water like iridescent gold--is a source of great wonder. It takes your breath away. And because so much has gone on on here that was crucial to forming our country--things that just blew me away when we discovered them in research-it's a river like no other. This kit was a labor of love, but it was also a great history and civics course for all three of us.

My wife and I have been thinking about where we want to go when we retire. We've considered lots of places all over the country the past few years, but only recently made our minds up. We want to move closer to the river.

Barrett Clark: The Hudson has marked the beginning and the end of all my adventures. Beyond it, whether driving to the west coast, sailing to Europe on a ocean liner or flying to the Caribbean, begins all the excitement of new experiences. Coming back over it there is all the warmth of homecoming, adventures to be relived by the fireplace. It is home to me, and I suspect it always will be. Working on the book, I discovered so many fascinating things I had been unaware of, so much history, not to mention restaurants and shops. It seems there will never be an end to this voyage of discovery right at my doorstep.

Michael Vincent: We've been lucky enough to be able to look out our front window right at the river the last few years and it's a great advantage. We may have our daily ups and downs, but the river stays the same. Corny maybe, but surely true. It is a great leveler and settles you down. It also helped me keep from overthinking the design of the kit.

In trying to put the pace and feel of the river and its towns into it, I was committed to making it easy to read and contemporary, yet still wanted it to have the feeling of continuity from the early days so important in forming what we see now. Since I'd never designed a book before, I was going on instinct and a design sense that told me to keep it simple and unforced. No fancy designer techniques or flourishes. The river's story is so good, it should be told straight.

We did use an antique face for the map titles and for the initial capital at the head of each tour. We also used dingbats with the tour headline introduction, but we think they set off the tour nicely and complement it rather than get in the way.

We used one principal type family (Bembo) the whole way through and it holds together nicely. We also used much larger type--and better paper--than the average travel book. This makes a big difference in the feel and personality. I guess there really isn't much I'd change if I had to do it over again. I like it.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Marketing a La Carte; Pap/Cas edition (April 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966205901
• ISBN-13: 978-0966205909
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,984,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)