133. Walking Olana: Exploring the Iconic Hudson Valley Landmark

133. Walking Olana: Exploring the Iconic Hudson Valley Landmark

May 7, 2026 · 30 min · Season 9 · Episode 133

About this episode

The episode features a walking tour of the Olana Historic Site with Annik LaFarge, exploring the landscape designed by Frederic Church.

Just in time for Frederic Church’s 200th birthday, we’re taking you along for a "boots on" tour of the moving landscape he spent decades designing here in the Hudson Valley. I’m walking the carriage roads of the Olana Historic Site with Annik LaFarge, author of the new book Composing Olana: A Journey on Foot Through Frederic Church's Greatest Work of Art . It’s the first book about this thoughtful and artful landscape. You’ll hear the wind in the trees and the crunch of the gravel as we discover how Church used the earth itself as his canvas—from a man-made lake that mirrors the Hudson to the "erratic" boulders left behind by glaciers. Walking Olana, you’ll hear, is like "standing inside a painting." It’s an episode about seeing the hidden layers of the valley we love, sponsored by our friends at the Olana Partnership . We’ll learn a ton about Olana and about Frederic Church, who wasn’t necessarily a weekender but just might have been a cidiot. Annik and I also came up with a new sitcom idea: “Cole & Church.” Grab your walking shoes, let’s head outside. Links to Highlights: Olana Partnership Frederic Church 200th: ( OLANA.org/FC200 ) Composing Olana: A Journey On Foot Through…

Sponsors

Olana Partnership

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