Weekend Getaway: Hudson Valley

The prix fixe menu and Sunday brunch are highly recommended. As a general guideline, with the Hudson Valley a center of the reborn small farm industry, stick as local as possible. Dishes such as the scallops, braised short ribs and duck do make up for the limited wine selection, and the service is always attentive.

The inn has a small selection of rooms -- three upstairs and one that stands in its own little house, away from the main building. They range from $165-$230 a night.

But as attractive as the rooms themselves are, let's get back to that prime location.

In addition to being close to New York, the Bird and Bottle Inn is right off of Route 9, which puts it in close proximity to what is essentially a driving version of Newport, R.I.'s, Cliff Walk, taking you past the extravagant homes of Industrial Revolution moguls.

For the Hudson Valley version, you can start on your way on Route 9 in Tarrytown at Lyndhurst.

The estate, now a museum in the National Trust, bills itself -- not unduly -- as one of America's finest Gothic mansions.

Railroad tycoon Jay Gould was one of its owners, which can cause anyone with a sense of both humor and business to image how the trains that run directly down the banks of the Hudson, which can be heard all over the landscaped grounds, were owned by the Vanderbilts.

If that was not a quiet form of torture for any self-respecting monopolist, I don't know what is.

From there, head for Kykuit, the Rockefeller mansion which is five minutes to the north.

Art on the wall includes Picasso and Matisse; and don't miss the Stone Barns, the Rockefeller's organic farm/tax shelter, which includes Blue Hill, perhaps Westchester County's top restaurant.

Here, you will find a stellar wine list and for $95, the Farmer's Feast, an extensive tasting menu that revolves around the most fresh, seasonal produce and meat the farm has to offer. Standouts include the grilled brook trout with pistachios and pumpkin sauce, and the sweet potato and ricotta gnocchi.

For those just looking to take a stroll around the Stone Barns grounds, there is also a more casual cafe for a quick break of coffee and pastries.

	Back in Time at Philipsburg Manor

For a slight change of pace, though sticking to the theme of the splendidly rich and their homes, drive just a touch west to Philipsburg Manor, named for Frederick Philipse, once the richest man in the colony of York.

This, unlike the others, is a living history museum -- one of those places with costumed workers with fantasy-reality disorders making like it's the old days to you.

It's a great place for kids, if you've been foolish enough to bring them along.

All in all, though, a weekend getaway to the Hudson Valley offers a perfect opportunity to combine New England inn elegance, mogul-house peeping and enough antiquing to keep your partner happy, but with hope not cause anguish in your soul.

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