We flew through several states in a short amount of time on our way towards Boston. Somewhere near upstate New York the navigator of slowcarfasthouse realized that we were near the site of the original Woodstock festival. After some quick research and a few phone calls we found a city camping area in Hurleyville NY. That would place us very near the Bethel Woods Center, the site of Woodstock.
Hurleyville offered us two dinner choices. Italian and Hungarian. Luckily the Hungarian place had live music AND a buffet. Decision made. The restaurant was inside a dark storefront that looked more like a living room. The musicians sat off to the side of the dimly lit room, grappling with their instruments. The food was genuine, greasy Hungarian dishes with beets, cabbage and strong seasonings. The kitchen was open to the restaurant and when a fellow diner mentioned potato pancakes, the cook quickly whipped up a batch and added them to the extensive buffet. It was quite a dining experience in a small hamlet in upstate New York.
The next morning we found our way to Bethel Woods and learned about Woodstock. It was an interesting story of young investors, traditional townspeople and a gathering that was anticipated to be around 2,000 that turned to the third largest city in New York state, with 400,000 attendees. Interestingly, the actual location is about 50 miles away from the town of Woodstock (where Bob Dylan and many other musicians had homes) but when the location changed, the name stuck. The museum is entertaining and well-prepared. We spent a great deal of time listening to music of the era and the event and reading the particulars about an epic festival. Having 400,000 people in one location with no violence, very little police involvement and only two deaths (one tractor accident, one drug overdose) seems miraculous. Peace, love and music! And of course, a VW
