Weekend Trip

As a suburban Chicago girl, the Hudson River held no personal meaning for me.

However, this weekend the Hudson River became more to me than just a body of water that we discuss in class. My parents came into town to visit my grandparents, so I decided to drive out and meet them in lovely Scotia, New York. As I drove down I90 tired, hungry and just yearning to get to my final destination, I passed signs identifying frozen areas as the Erie Canal and Mohawk River. Now road markers I would have previously ignored, awoke me from my driving stupor to take in the iced over bodies of water. How exciting, I thought to myself; it felt as though I had just seen a celebrity.

I finally started to appreciate and own the information that we learned in class and upon arrival enthusiastically impressed my family with my new found excitement and knowledge. My mother mentioned that the hotel in Schenectady where we were staying had historical relevance in the French and Indian War. This quaint structure was rebuilt in the early 1700’s on the site of the Schenectady stockade destroyed by fire during the French and Indian War. It originally housed the city founder Van Curler and his family and since that time has been used for private and municipal functions. Because my sister journeyed from NYC to the Albany station via Amtrak to meet us, our family conversation and my fascination were further inspired by her accounts of the beautiful scenery that her trip along the river provided.

The ability to witness the Hudson River iced over streams allowed me to feel closer and understand the substantial impact this body of water had on central and upstate New York. My grandfather, a once distinguished surgeon, still lives under the shadow of the old General Electric sign of this semi-abandoned, run-downed industrial area of New York. I am now able to envision my father growing up in what once was a lively, wealthy hot spot where factories and families owed livelihoods and lives to the River and its resources. Although the influence of the River had directly on me is minimal, the impact it had on my grandparents and even my father was significant. I now realize that studying the Hudson River’s history, economical, environmental and political influence, affords me an opportunity to draw closer and connect to the culture and era experienced by my grandparents and father.