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Dining Out
www.theconnectionsnj.com American Fare. Italian Flair. 908.647.2272 www.barcilento.com 37 Plainfield Road • Stirling, NJ Homemade Pasta • Traditional Bar Food • Rotating Craft Beer List • Mouthwatering Cocktails Something for Everyone! HOURS RESTAURANT BAR Sunday 11:30am - 10pm 12pm - 12am Monday 3pm - 10pm 3pm - 12am Tuesday - Thursday 11:30am - 10pm 12pm - 12am Friday - Saturday 11:30am - 11pm 12pm - 1am Casual Dining • Family Owned Make your Father’s Day Reservations Now! Coming Soon! Outdoor Patio Dining! Follow us on Facebook for our Weekly Events Tuesday Trivia & Taco Night Thursday Live Entertainment Storm King Art Center By: Linda Seigelman If you are looking to spend some time communing with nature amid incredible outdoor sculptures, consider a visit to the Storm King Art Center. Located in the Hudson Valley just off the Thruway north of Woodbury Commons, Storm King has more than 100 sculptures arrayed over 500 acres of fields, grasses, hills and woods. It is a spectacular setting through which you can walk, bike (they provide rentals) or ride a tram. The nonprofit Storm King Art Center was founded and opened to the public in 1960. It was originally envisioned as a museum devoted to the Hudson River School, but within a few years, its founders had become committed to modern sculpture. Early purchases were placed directly outside of the main Museum Building as part of a formal garden scheme. However, after a particularly large acquisition of thirteen works in the mid 60’s, Storm King began to place sculpture directly in the landscape. Since then, every work has been situated on the site with careful consideration given to both its immediate surroundings and distant views. It is hard not to be awestruck by Storm King’s dramatic landscape which includes farmed fields, natural wood- lands, lawns, native grasses, wetlands, and water. The inherent beauty of the region is constantly on view in the sur- rounding hills and meadows as you walk the paths viewing art installations both small and large (some are huge) in a variety of mediums. The collection includes works by some of the world’s top artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Sol Lewitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Maya Lin, Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Isamu Noguchi and Richard Serra to name a few. Besides its permanent collection, each year Storm King features a variety of special exhibitions. These could be large-scale sculptures located on the grounds in some appropriate setting, or they could be smaller works shown in the Museum Building. More than fifty years after its founding, Storm King continues to grow and evolve and is considered to be one of the world’s leading sculpture parks. Storm King Art Center is open daily Wednesday to Sunday from April through November and on select holi- day Mondays – Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Columbus Day. Any day is a good one to visit Storm King as each season offers its own special backdrop for these amazing artworks. WHERE TO EAT Storm King Art Center has a won- derful full service café in an outdoor pavilion, perfect for a snack or a light meal. Storm King Cafe, Adjacent to North Parking Area – fresh salads, sandwiches, snacks, scones, excellent chili and daily soups, seasonal specials, organic and locally grown ingredients, kid friendly too. Some visitors choose to pack a picnic lunch and find a beautiful spot on the grounds to enjoy it; others head to one of the surrounding towns for lunch or dinner. The Hudson Valley has become an extremely popular tourist destination with lots to see and do. The local towns (e.g., Beacon, Croton-on Hudson, Newburgh, Cornwall) are filled with interesting shops and restaurants of every type, many featuring locally- sourced ingredients and craft beers. It is a lovely area to ride around and explore after your visit to Storm King. There are also many charming bed and breakfast options if you want to stay overnight or make a weekend of it. Two good sources of information online are the Storm King Art Center website at www.stormking.org and Hudson Valley Magazine at www.hvmag.com.PAGE 64