Open House, Week 1: Something Old, Something New

This year's Open House season launched with a new floating dock and revamped procedures designed to keep guests flowing through smoothly.

But many other elements were familiar, from the beautiful blue sky, to the majestic lines of the George Washington Bridge, to a playful, somewhat choppy Hudson River.

Ellesse Serrano was paddling for the first time ever. She shared the green double kayak with Ryan De Franco, and the two soon fell into a comfortable, matched rhythm.

"I was nervous. I thought I would suck," Serrano laughed. "Now I'm totally confident."

"just before we left, a lovely lady called out in a French accent, 'You are the power behind what she does, so watch what she does,'" De Franco added. "It clicked for me. I just watched what she did, and then gently did the same thing. It was cool."

"It was fun coming back. The waves were crazy!" said Serrano.

Some 71 guests turned out to enjoy the perfect early-summer weather.

Want to try paddling the Hudson yourself? Join us for Open House!