Guess where I was this past Saturday?  Woodstock as in Woodstock, New York.  So what if I was only 47 years late for the concert, I made it right?  Actually, though I made it to Woodstock the town, I still haven’t made it to Woodstock the concert site.  Here’s the story.

Pam and I met up with some friends in Manhattan Thursday evening and the next day took the Hudson Valley train up to Hudson.  Noticing that Woodstock was only a short distance away we elected to rent a minivan and drive over to check it out on Saturday. 

By the time we got to Woodstock, we were….. disappointed to find that the concert site itself was in Bethel 67 miles southwest of Woodstock.  Since I was driving, I noted that doing the extra miles to see the actual site was not a problem.  Someone appropriately noted “Long ways to go just to see a marker in a field” which is really all there is to see there (click here.)  

Fields I see everyday, so reluctantly I agreed with the group consensus and drove away from Woodstock.  Pam took this photo of Philip and Ninan as I was doubled parked in the road.  Last thing I wanted was a traffic ticket in Woodstock. 

So put this one down as to what I call a “Mona Lisa Moment” where the anticipated/famous sight turns out to be less than what you were expecting.  Goes to one of my core beliefs –  keep your expectations low and you will never be disappointed. 

Still it was cool to have visited the town of Woodstock with its hippie vibe and 60’s hangers on wandering around.

But as if the Karma Tourist Gods felt sorry for us, on the drive back to Hudson we stumbled upon an unexpected surprise in the middle of nowhere.  (What’s the old saying – it happens when you’re not looking?)  We stopped in Bard College where we spent some time there admiring their Performance Arts Center designed by Frank Gehry.   The center is in the background here (photo below) and literally blends into its surrounding environment.  Check out the video below to give you a better idea of how cool it is.

Pam, Ninan, Meryl and Philip Drinking in the Sights

Got to leave you with this:

Guess where I was this past Saturday?  Woodstock as in Woodstock, New York.  So what if I was only 47 years late for the concert, I made it right?  Actually, though I made it to Woodstock the town, I still haven’t made it to Woodstock the concert site.  Here’s the story.

Pam and I met up with some friends in Manhattan Thursday evening and the next day took the Hudson Valley train up to Hudson.  Noticing that Woodstock was only a short distance away we elected to rent a minivan and drive over to check it out on Saturday. 

By the time we got to Woodstock, we were….. disappointed to find that the concert site itself was in Bethel 67 miles southwest of Woodstock.  Since I was driving, I noted that doing the extra miles to see the actual site was not a problem.  Someone appropriately noted “Long ways to go just to see a marker in a field” which is really all there is to see there (click here.)  

Fields I see everyday, so reluctantly I agreed with the group consensus and drove away from Woodstock.  Pam took this photo of Philip and Ninan as I was doubled parked in the road.  Last thing I wanted was a traffic ticket in Woodstock. 

So put this one down as to what I call a “Mona Lisa Moment” where the anticipated/famous sight turns out to be less than what you were expecting.  Goes to one of my core beliefs –  keep your expectations low and you will never be disappointed. 

Still it was cool to have visited the town of Woodstock with its hippie vibe and 60’s hangers on wandering around.

But as if the Karma Tourist Gods felt sorry for us, on the drive back to Hudson we stumbled upon an unexpected surprise in the middle of nowhere.  (What’s the old saying – it happens when you’re not looking?)  We stopped in Bard College where we spent some time there admiring their Performance Arts Center designed by Frank Gehry.   The center is in the background here (photo below) and literally blends into its surrounding environment.  Check out the video below to give you a better idea of how cool it is.

Pam, Ninan, Meryl and Philip Drinking in the Sights

Got to leave you with this: