Labor Day in America signals the closing of the public beaches.
      Baseball players swing into loftier numbers as post season nears.
     But for those of us who love aviation, a Fall Air Show is the most anticipated event.

Weekend In The Hudson Valley

     September has on offer this wonderworld, we respectfully suggest for anybody who loves aviation and wants the full measure that this area has to offer. Wait until early September (8) when it cools off a bit and the massive crowds go away and then drive up about two hours from New York City to Rhinebeck.
     Rhinebeck, New York is a sleepy Hudson Valley community a couple hours north where the countryside is dotted with bed & breakfast inns and small towns.
     In Rhinebeck we visit the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, where on weekends the most amazing array of lovingly restored, vintage WWI aircraft go airborne—flown first by our friend the late (1993) Cole Palen, and now a dedicated (mostly volunteer) crew that flies and maintains one of the world’s biggest collections of early 20th-century aircraft.
     2025 is the 67th year at Old Rhinebeck with weekend air shows running until October 13.
     The Saturday and Sunday performances chronicle the history of flight and offer spectators the opportunity to view a dogfight demo; on Sundays, World War I aircraft and biplanes from the 1920s and ’30s take off and land at 40 mph on grass runways, and are absolutely thrilling to watch in action.
     We discovered the place in 1971 on a press junket when they made the movie Von Richthofen and Brown. That movie while not receiving the greatest reviews was fabulous for aviation, as Cole in WWI German pilot gear and others staged paper and wooden aircraft dog fights above the beautiful land below as the Hudson River rolled gently along nearby.
     Cole was a gentleman and a sweet guy who brought a couple vintage airplanes up from New York City and began this lovely unexpected adventure.
     Avid aviation enthusiasts can also view the Valley from above while riding in an authentic 1929 biplane for $150.
     Weekend admission: Toddler (Up to Age 5)–Free, Youth ( Age 6-17)–$16 ,Adult (Age 18-64)-–$35, Senior (Age 65+)–$26, Active/Retired Military with ID–$26, Group Discounts for 15, must be arranged in advance.For more call: 845-752-3200, www.oldrhinebeck.org
     Rhinebeck has several wonderful and reasonable hotels to stay in, or you might opt to stay nearby in Hyde Park (Roosevelt Inn is reasonable, clean and a great choice. Hyde Park is home and burial grounds of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and of course, the first Presidential Library.
     There is also a kind of secret near Hyde Park. A short six-minute ride away lies The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where thousands of Chefs have been born learning their craft from the experts, whilst serving up great meals to the public for a fraction of what it might cost elsewhere.
     Most famous place to enjoy at CIA is The Bocuse Restaurant, a French entry from the famous Michelin Guide-rated outfit in France. It can be a tough table at CIA without a reservation and should be booked way in advance. We like American Bounty at CIA for its great farm-to-table offerings, but other CIA foodies rave about Caterina de Medici at The Culinary Institute of America 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park, NY 12538 845-451-1012 Tuesday through Saturday.      Just remember as mentioned at the top, we visit Rhinebeck in September.
 CIA opens September 8. For reservations.
     Happy Labor Day!
Geoffrey Arend