Escape from the noisy neighbour! The joys of leaving frenetic New York behind and heading upstate – home of two titans of American history

New York City is vibrant, exciting and fast-paced, but fight your way through it, hop on an Amtrak at the Moynihan Train Hall and 90 minutes later the blaring horns will be replaced by the serenity of upstate New York.

In the beautifully named city of Poughkeepsie, pick up a rental car for an adventure in an area filled with America’s rich colonial and early heritage, as well as spectacular views.

The first stop is West Point, the oldest occupied military post in the US, dating back to the Revolutionary War, and, nearby, the last headquarters of General George Washington.

As a driving force in the 18th century struggle for independence from the British, Washington knew his Continental Army would need a training school.

He also realized that the patriots had to prevent the British from moving up and down the spectacular Hudson River.

West Point, on a narrow bend, was a perfect place to achieve both, and a giant chain was created to float across the river on logs as a barrier.

Today, a ring of thirteen remaining links – one for each founding state – sits in a loop on the grounds of the training school. It’s quite a sight.

Luxury mansions are another hallmark of the Hudson Valley, and near Poughkeepsie is Hyde Park, home to Franklin Roosevelt, the president who saved America from economic collapse during the 1930s depression.

Artifacts abound, such as his “lucky hat,” the wheelchair and leg irons he used after contracting polio, details of the New Deal to provide relief and work to the unemployed, and his “four freedoms” speech, in which the emphasis was placed on freedom of speech and worship, freedom from want and from fear.

Lindsay recommends picking up a rental car in the “beautifully named town of Poughkeepsie” (above)

Above is a bust of Roosevelt on the grounds of his Hyde Park home

At the end of each of his presidential victories, FDR gave a speech from the porch of the old Beekman Arms in nearby Rhinebeck.

The inn has been there since well before the American Revolution – and still looks like stagecoaches will stop right outside on the old King’s Highway.

An hour north, in the state capital of Albany, you can switch gears again.

The impressive Capitol building looks like a transplanted French chateau, in stark contrast to the ultra-modern concrete buildings that line the enormous plaza outside.

Next to all this is the New York State Museum. In addition to images of the state’s history, there is an exhibition about September 11.

Lindsay visits West Point (above), the oldest occupied military post in the US, dating back to the Revolutionary War

The Beekman Arms inn, located in Rhinebeck, predates the American Revolution, Lindsay reveals. Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Above is the New York State Capitol building in Albany, which Lindsay says resembles a “transplanted French chateau”

A burned-out fire truck shakes hard, along with the testimonies of survivors. It is powerful and moving.

Staying at Morgan State House is an experience. It’s an elegant, three-story brownstone overlooking Washington Park, once home to suffragette Alice M Wright, whose stint in prison in London for her activism caused her to miss her voyage back to the US on the Titanic.

Upstate New York offers excitement at every turn, but it’s a different kind of excitement. Above all, it gives perspective, and that’s never a bad thing.