WhatISee

A literal and figurative dead end. No parking either

Near the backend of Vassar College.

Update: Satans Laundromat has something similiar

Samuel Morse home

On Sunday, we were up in the Poughkeepsie area with a car, so we looked around and found out about Locust Grove, Samuel Morse's house, built on telegraph money. Unfortunately, the only thing open was the grounds, but we had an enjoyable afternoon wandering the fields. We'll be back later in the year to check out the house.

Vassar College and Art Gallery

While in the area on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we stopped by Vassar college to sniff out another Bierstadt we had heard about and check out the campus. I really didn't know much about Vassar other than it was only recently co-ed (ok: 1969, but still) and that Jackie O went there. You too can go there for $35k a year, and of course if you fit the profile. For someplace only 70 miles outside NYC, it felt a world apart.

The Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center is a modern building attached to an imposing castle like gate to the campus. Admission is free. Check the hours on the web site.

I guess it helps to have powerful, influential and rich alumni, since their collection had a number of gems in it. Georgia O'Keefes, Munch, Calder, Church, Dürer, Bacon, and of course, a small Bierstadt tucked away in the corner. It covers a lot of ground for a small museum and does so in an intelligent way.

The Bierstadt wasn't one of the epic sized ones he's known for, but instead a small image of Newport, RI.

One interesting thing, the bathrooms are in the Art dept's building which is attached to the museum. On the way back in, we couldn't help but notice they have what appears to be a large copy of Ghiberti's Baptistry doors in Florence.

Overall, it was well worth the hour to visit the musuem and drive around the pretty campus.