Westchester View

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Westchester NY has never been shy about strutting its stuff during the Holiday Season.  Finding displays is not hard.  Getting them to photograph well is more of a challenge.  Particularly when it involves Christmas light displays.  Every December, for the last few years, I have gotten out with my camera and have tried to take as many photos as I could.  So here are some of my favorites….Have a Merry Christmas and Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

Sometimes its just nice to pause and enjoy the season.  I was busy today – running around like crazy.   But at dusk I saw a display that I really loved.  This isn’t one of those over-the top displays.  It has charm and grace.  Not too much, not too little.  Its interesting because this particular display is at the steps of a church.  Nevertheless, it has more of a holiday feel, and at least to my mind, the religious overtones are missing.  Still it captures the spirit of giving and conveys a feeling of warmth and the spirit of giving.  Something sorely needed in these times where the “I’ve got mine” attitude seems to prevail in our day-to-day lives.   Anyway, here is the photo:

©2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

Hello everyone – I was lucky enough to have my camera with me for a beautiful fiery sunset on the Hudson.  The sun just seems to set so fast at this time of year.  But it does bring to mind that for those thinking of living on or near the Hudson – that one of the perks is a brand new sunset served up every evening.  So if you are interested in living along the river…. a complex like Hudson Harbor or Ichabod’s Landing  or a single family home with westerly views – will give you a front row seat for this type of nightly display. There is something very refreshing and invigorating about simply being able to take in such sight.  It refreshes the mind and soul.

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

Here are a few photos I have taken along the way over the past week or so  while running around the county.  Most were taken with my iPhone – as they really WERE on the fly while I was working with clients.  But its fun to see what people are doing. Halloween has become such a fun holiday in Westchester  that its getting up there with the 4th of July in terms of internet searches.

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I know – we don’t have Monarchs in the United States of America.  But we do have Monarch butterflies!  Recently I had a problem with my back yard “containment system” for my dogs and that has sent me to the Sleepy Hollow Dog Park (in Kingsland Point Park) more often than usual.   While watching my guys play I noticed butterflies busily flying around a bush in the park.  Fortunately, I had the camera in the car.  So I was able to get a couple of shots.  The butteflies were a bit photo-shy and didn’t hover around all that long for the photo-shoot.  But I hope they appreciate how photogenic they really are!

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

A brief bout of flu has kept me from blogging.  But a few days ago I mentioned how stormy the weather has been.  Well sometimes stormy skies can have an eerie beauty about them.  So when I saw this kind of surreal light over a cloudy sky along the Tarrytown lakes – I stopped my car and took a couple of photos.  Here is one of them.  You really see the clouds almost rolling in and the sun TRYING to peak through.

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

Ok – I like taking photos – I admit it…Any excuse to photograph towns and villages in the area will do.

One of the most picturesque towns in Westchester is Tarrytown NY.  Many people fall in love with this town because of its central location and unique character.   With respect to location, it doesn’t get any better than this!  Located right on the Hudson River, an amazing sunset is served up every single night!   Futher, Tarrytown is an express stop along the Hudson Line.  Just 35 minute to Grand Central Station and you are in midtown Manhattan.   With I-287, I-87 and the Tappan Zee Bridge – Tarrytown is situated  for easy access to areas like White Plains and New Jersey making a commute either east or west and across the Hudson very easy to deal with.  North to south there is the Saw Mill River Parkway, The Sprain Brook and the Taconic.  So points north and south are also easy for commuters to access.  When you live in a high density area, your lifestyle is ruled by your commute and it doesn’t get much easier than this.

The photos are from Tarrytown’s Main Street.   It has a character and charm from a bygone era – yet is surprisingly  New York with high-end restaurants, art galleries and entertainment. The town  has a lot of unique boutiques, The Tarrytown Music Hall which has a constant stream of entertainment  is pictured below.  It is the oldest Music Hall in Westchester and has been largely restored to its former glory!  Enjoy the photos – they were taken in the late summer and are a reflection of the character and charm of one of my favorite River Towns.

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Today I was reminded that nature sometimes clothes it creatures in the most remarkable ways.  I was at the Dog Park at Kingsland Point Park and was admittedly on poop patrol – cleaning up after my dogs.  While I was looking in the brown leaves on the ground…one of the leaves suddenly started hopping along the ground.   There it was ….. a tiny frog….so well camouflaged that I would never have seen it if I hadn’t been really focused on the ground.   I only had my phone camera – but here it is…can you even see my little amphibian friend?

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

Today I found myself on the River Walk with a friend that I hadn’t seen for a long time in Tarrytown.  Sadly, my photos on the River didn’t work out because my camera was on the wrong setting.  However, on my way home I decided to check the progress on the Tarrytown Train Station.

The Train Station is just steps away from the new development  Hudson Harbor – a new luxury condo development that is selling very well.  The renovation at the train station has been part of bigger project to revive the river front.  Various development projects have been springing up along the Hudson including the River Walk which is meant to run along the Hudson River from the northern tip of Westchester County in Peekskill – all the way to the border of the Bronx in Yonkers.   You can see my photos of the Yonkers portion of the River Walk as well as the some pictures I took of the Tarrytown River Walk earlier this year.

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About 10 days ago I had about an hour to spare – so I grabbed the camera and spent some quality time on the Yonkers Waterfront.  After writing about the Science Barge and my new feathered friends, I thought it was time to share the waterfront photos.  The area is the southernmost  part of the River Walk that is being built along the Hudson from Peekskill to the Bronx border.  Eventually it will be a contiguous walk.  The views of Manhattan were pretty amazing even though it was hazy and hot – and that little girl in the last photo was obviously having a great time…

The Manhattan Skyline from the Yonkers NY Waterfront

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