It’s a drizzly day as I drive across the Queensboro Bridge to Sutton Place in Manhattan. I’m visiting Robert Rufino, a born-and-raised New Yorker and man about town who has had the kind of career that makes perfect sense in retrospect, but could hardly be planned in advance. As I walk into his foyer, the picture starts to come together. There are objects, paintings, furniture, and all manner of hints of a life well-lived.
Heading North On the Adirondack Train
For most car-less New Yorkers, the prospect of an easy getaway is limited to where the Metro North or Long Island Railroads can take you. And while a trip to Hudson or Montauk can hit the spot, sometimes a little more adventure is necessary to scratch the itch.
Enter the Adirondack Train, an under-the-radar and surprisingly cheap option for any New Yorker looking to satisfy their wanderlust. Surprisingly convenient and very affordable (only $70), Amtrak can get you from Penn Station all the way to Montreal – a beautiful city in another country with a foreign language. It almost feels like cheating. Yes, it takes 11 hours, but here at Quaker Marine we have always believed in the journey being just as important as the destination.
With that in mind, we boarded the Adirondack Train on a beautiful Saturday morning, bags full of snacks, books, and decks of cards, excited to spend the day watching all of New York and Vermont go by our window. The car started quite full when it first pulled out of Penn Station, but quickly we realized with relief that most of our fellow passengers were going to get off before we even left New York (disembarking in Poughkeepsie, Saratoga Springs, and Albany). We would be able to enjoy a nearly empty car for the entire second half of the journey. But in the meantime, we escaped the crowded seating area and took refuge in the Café Car.
We stayed in the Café Car for nearly all 11 hours of the voyage. With more comfortable seats, easier conversation, and large windows, we had no reason to ever go back to our rows of seats. The conversation quickly became the best part of the trip, as we learned that in addition to being a vacation for us, the Adirondack train from NYC to Montreal is a treat for the conductors and engineers as well, who do the trip once every few months as an opportunity for overtime pay and a respite from their usual route. The result is loose and easygoing Amtrak employees eager to chat with passengers and enjoy the trip as well. A special thanks to our new friend Eric, who after a few hours of chatting revealed fascinating info on the inner workings of the train that we promised not to share.
For the best possible experience, we recommend sitting on the left side of the train for the first section of the trip, for pristine views of the Hudson River. And then when the train stops briefly in Albany, make the short trek over to the right side of the train, where Lake Champlain will accompany you for several delightful hours. An added expert tip: when the train stops for 15 minutes in Albany, be sure to get off and stretch your legs. If you stroll up to the front of the platform, you can watch as they swap the electric engine out for a steam engine (as the types of rails that the train can use change at this point in the journey)
The next time the train stops is in Westport, where again the conductor will inform you that you have a luxurious fifteen minutes to stretch your legs. This time you will be treated to a pastoral scene, complete with flora and a quaint rural train station. At this point in the trip, only our fellow Montreal-bound passengers remained on the train. The atmosphere became quite friendly, as everyone who exited the train chatted about travel plans and took photos for each other. We even helped out one young conductor on her own first-time trip to Montreal, who wanted a picture in front of the old train station to send to a fiancé.
The Café Car now closed, we spent the rest of the trip reading, dozing, and filling out our customs forms for our upcoming arrival on Canadian soil. After a brief visit from the border patrol (lightning fast compared to the custom process at most airports, and all without leaving our seats!) we pulled into Montreal right at sunset, and a couple hours before the time table had estimated we would be. To our very pleasant surprise, it was the quickest ten hours we’d ever spent. The hours spent reading, playing cards, chatting with strangers, and gazing out the window had all melted together.
So, for any New Yorker with wanderlust and a budget, we cannot recommend this idyllic train ride enough. Affordable, enjoyable, and right in your backyard. We won’t tell you what to do in Montreal once you get there (there are plenty of travel guides to help you on that front) but we can give some words of advice on how best to enjoy the journey there.
QMS: We’re up here in Sutton Place, and I’m kicking myself for not having hung out around here before. It has a real old New York charm. I know you’re a native New Yorker who has stuck it out here for decades now. Tell me about growing up here.
Robert Rufino: Well I actually grew up downtown, in Chinatown, which was a much different place than it is today, more like a village than anything. My father drove a taxi, and my mother ran a card shop. I went to a missionary school, and really had a great childhood. A little bit after going to FIT where I majored in window display and merchandising, l had the good fortune to start my career at Henri Bendel on 57th Street, which was quite extraordinary.
QMS: Wow, as I understand it, that was THE store of that time in New York. What did you learn while you were there?
Robert Rufino: It was a very special place, almost like a private club. And at that time window dressing was an art form – we called it street theater. Working at Bendel opened my eyes to a whole new world. Not only did I design the windows at Bendel’s, but I was in charge of store design and merchandising. Early on I knew I was dyslexic, and I had a talent for putting things together. My eyes and hands were my tools – whether I was designing a fashion window or a beautiful still life.
QMS: It sounds like you’ve always had a keen eye for style. How did that translate into your career post-Bendel’s?
Robert Rufino: Bendel’s being what it was, I was so entrenched in fashion that it was very normal for me to go on to work in fashion magazines. What started in retail led to me becoming a fashion editor for many years, at various magazines like Elle Fashion to The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, and others. Eventually, I was Vice President of Worldwide Creative Services at Tiffany & Co. for 13 years.
QMS: Then you made a shift back to magazines. What prompted that?
Robert Rufino: I felt I had accomplished what I wanted at Tiffany’s and it was an honor to design windows for this landmark American brand. I wanted to return to the magazine world, but not fashion. I had the good fortune to work for Stephen Drucker at House Beautiful for about three years. From there, I went to Architectural Digest, Elle Decor back to House Beautiful, and now I work for myself, contributing to Frederic (put out by Schumacher) and do other projects for various magazines like Elle Decor, Town & Country and Veranda. I also consult certain brands.
QMS: You've described yourself as a producer. Can you elaborate on that role in the context of editorial work?
Robert Rufino: Yes, I do prefer the term “producer” over “stylist”. As an editor with my experience, producing a shoot is like being an Art Director. You set the stage for the photoshoot. It's a collaboration between you and the photographer, especially for magazines with a distinct voice. You have to master the process of working, of evolving an idea into reality. Whether you're designing a window or a dress, you have an idea, but you don't know how it's going to look until you start draping fabric or putting it together.
QMS: Let’s shift to your personal style for a moment. What specific moments or experiences influenced your approach to dressing?
Robert Rufino: The late '70s and early '80s in New York were influential. It was a time of individual expression. People dressed so individually; there was an explosion of personal style with figures like Steven Burrows, Stephen Sprouse, Halston, Perry Ellis. People wore what they wanted, unlike today, where it feels like everyone is wearing more of a uniform.
QMS: How did that era shape your personal style?
Robert Rufino: It's all about how you put things together. It’s the way you wear your hat. Real style is something you have within you, not a trend. It's about finding what makes you comfortable and being yourself. For example, I’ve always loved wearing blue, even now. When I was at Tiffany’s I used to wear a lot of beautiful deep blue suits, but now I’ll wear jeans and a blue shirt, and maybe a sport coat instead of the full suit but it's still clean and classic.
QMS: What music were you listening to back then? What was the soundtrack to that era for you?
Robert Rufino: I was a big Supremes fan! Also, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin… so many artists. Roberta Flack, Eddie Kendricks, Diana Ross. I was a total Motown boy! But I always kept a little room for the Stones, the Beatles, and Janice Joplin.
QMS: You have all these great cultural reference points that the new generation hasn’t lived through. I’m curious, what are your thoughts on the younger generation and their approach to creativity and style?
Robert Rufino: In a way, all these young people have access to even more cultural reference points than I did growing up because of the internet. But I think you lose something when everything is so readily available. We had to search for everything ourselves, not just find it on the internet or Instagram. You know, shopping online is different, people aren't really looking at what they're buying – the fabric, the fit, the whole retail experience, which is what I grew up with. Life was simpler for us. But I know creativity finds a way to thrive in every generation, so the kids will be all right.
