To that end, one of Manhattan’s most distinctive dining attractions, Via Quadronno,   opened its doors in White Plains at the corner of Renaissance Square and Main Street – next door to the two 42 story towers that are the Ritz Carlton.   The location in the famous Art Nouveau Barr Building provides an interesting background standing next to the mirrored glass and sleek steel of the Ritz Carlton. That mix of old and new is very typical of the “new” White Plains.

The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fare is distinctly Italian and includes their famous panini sandwiches, espresso, a wide variety of coffee drinks and ice creams. Via Quadronno adds White Plains, NY to its very select group of markets that includes the upper east side of Manhattan, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Miami.

The restaurant is open from 8 AM on weekdays with the kitchen closing at 10:30 PM. On the weekends, the hours are 9 AM to 11:30 PM.  Indoor dining seats 80 while the outdoor dining area pictured below seats 60 additional patrons during the warmer weather.  Reservations can be made on-line at www.opentable.com.

© 2010 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

The food is excellent as is the service.  I particularly enjoy the spaghetti squash where squash is shaved into “angel hair spaghetti” with diced vegitables, pine nuts and nice tomato sauce.  It may sound a bit strange but it is a wonderful meatless meal.   I’ve also enjoyed the Jambalaya which is nicely spicy without going over the top.

For more information and a menu go to www.chat19.net.

© 2010 Ruthmarie G. Hicks.  http://thewestchesterview.com. All rights reserved.

Westchester is one of those places where there is a New Years celebration to fit any mood.  To prove the point, during the course of the day and evening I decided to keep a photo journal of sorts of my New Year’s Eve.  I pulled my favorites for posting.  For those who prefer a more contemplative mood, there was plenty to do and see in lower Westchester.  You could walk the trails, take a drive, wonder around the towns and villages. For those who prefer to party – downtown White Plains had its annual ball drop and New Year’s party.  My personal preference leans towards the more quite and reflective celebration.  But that didn’t stop me from attending the annual ball drop and fire works in downtown White Plains.  Unfortunately, my camera didn’t catch the fireworks – let’s just say my camera picked the wrong time to need a change of batteries.  Too bad too, because the show lit up the sky to the point where it was almost like daylight for a moment. Hopefully, you will find a picture to suit your mood….

© 2010 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com.  All rights reserved.

]]> http://thewestchesterview.com/2010/01/01/westchester-happy-new-year/feed/ 0 http://thewestchesterview.com/2009/11/07/walking-on-the-wild-side-at-the-rockefeller-preserve-fall-foliage-in-sleepy-hollow/ http://thewestchesterview.com/2009/11/07/walking-on-the-wild-side-at-the-rockefeller-preserve-fall-foliage-in-sleepy-hollow/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:34:53 +0000 Ruthmarie Hicks http://thewestchesterview.com/?p=1030 Autumn in lower Westchester NY is a very colorful event.

There is something about the color of the leaves and how it lights up the sky that I find very compelling.  Forget leaf peeping in Vermont – our season peaks later, but the foliage is just as amazing.  At this time of year, people flock to parks in Westchester NY for the foliage and crisp weather.

This week had been particularly stressful – so Friday afternoon I escaped to the Rockefeller Preserve in Sleepy Hollow to regenerate.  Among the many things to do in Westchester, this is among my favorite places to decompress and get back in touch with what it is all about.  Although the leaves were more than half gone, the color of the sky and the sunlight caused the remaining leaves light up the sky with a full fall fire.  Jade and Tundra – my faithful Huskies accompanied me and enjoyed the blustery cold air.  We also ran into a friend from my brokerage – Monique another avid walker, arrived just as I was leaving.

Here are a couple of the photos I snapped along the way.    As a nature Preserve, you get to see the beauty of nature’s wild side.

The  video was created from still shots that I have collected during the fall of 2009 with a few from 2008 thrown in for good measure. For the stills used to create the video – go to my Flickr Feed and enjoy!

© 2009 Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com

Happy Halloween to all!  I went to the Halloween Blaze at Van Cortlant Manor in order to deliver to everyone some prime photos from one of the areas primary hot spots for Halloween..  The Halloween “Blaze” celebration is nothing short of amazing with 4000 pumpkins lit up on the 18th Century colonial estate.  They make them into dinosaurs, they have black cats, and rats carved into pumpkins, ornate patterns as well as a spaceship, a pirates ship and so much more too numerous to even begin. The tour takes a little over an hour and is worth the trip up from lower Westchester to Croton-on-Hudson…Unfortunately, I’m still playing with the pics.  I admit – a professional photographer I am not.  I made a mistake with my settings and it was literally too dark to fix!

So, as a poor substitute – I found this video of Bobby Picket singing the “Monster Mash” on YouTube.  I’ve heard it every Halloween since I was a child, but I didn’t know the artist behind the voice. His immitation of Boris Karloff made him and the song “The Monster Mash” famous. The song was composed in 1962 and was a major hit.  It went through several incarnations – taking off in Britain in the 1970s.

The park was established in the 1870s. The Larchmont Manor Park Society was established in 1892 to maintain and preserve the park and is active to this day. Indeed, the society recently was responsible for   a $1 million capital improvement program. The park initially included 6 acres and has expanded to 13 which includes Manor Beach.  The park remains privately owned by the local residents but is generously  open to the public year round from dawn to dusk.  You can job, walk, stroll sit and enjoy the sights, read a book and walk your dog.  Dogs must be leashed and cleaned up after.

I spent part of an afternoon in the park just recently.  Jade and I walked the length of the park.  As usual, Jade was an attractant to kids, adults and dogs alike.  She met several new canine friends and enjoyed watching the boats and the waves.  She is unaccostomed to waves and was quite surprsied that the water was salty.  I had a fresh drink awaiting her – so no dogs were harmed or allowed to go  thirsty during the course of our photo shoot and walk.

For more photos visit my photo-stream on Larchmont Manor Park on  Flickr.

© 2009 Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com.  All rights reserved.

© 2009 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks, http://thewestchesterview.com. All rights reserved.

I confess that I have a coffee habit.  It’s easy to point fingers at my 1/4 Spanish/Cuban heritage – but let’s face it – I’m addicted.  This is particularly true of really fine coffee.  And Coffee Labs offers some of the best blends there are.  Once you’ve tried it, there really is no going back.

Sometimes  I go to Coffee Labs in the morning with Jade – my mellow Siberian Husky.  For those of you who have read the antics of my two White Siberian Huskies,  you know that I hav two females named Jade and Tundra.  Tundra is my wild child and Jade is as relaxed and mellow as Tundra is exuberant.  So Jade gets to accompany me to the coffee shop where I get a great cup of coffee, pull up a table and get to work researching the market and catching up with correspondence.  It’s  my way of getting out of the office and enjoy a change of pace – while still being able to get work done.  There are quite a few regular morning patrons at Coffee Labs.  Many sit just like me – working away at their laptops sharing the bandwidth.  Julie Annello is one a customer who I took note of because she didn’t have a laptop. Instead, she had her sketch book.  For several days Julie tried  to get a nice sketch of Jade, but somehow – it never quite happened…until last Wednesday… It really captures the quiet calm of Jade and her retiring, gentle personality. Julie gave me her sketch which I scanned into my computer and here it is….direct from Coffee Labs…Jade in repose while her “Mom” is working on market stats.

© 2009 Ruthmarie G. Hicks – All rights reserved.

Going into NYC for July 4th is great – but it can be a hassle.  Fact is you don’t need to go to Manhattan to see terrific displays.  Here is a short list of  lower Westchester events and fireworks displays.  This will help get you started….

You can start celebrating as early as tonight:

Events for Wednesday July 1, 2009

Playland’s Weekly Fireworks Display:
Starts at 9:15.   Offered by the Westchester County Parks Dept.  Admission for parking is $4.00

Location & Info:
Playland Park
Playland Parkway
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 813-7010

White Plains Fireworks Display:
An evening out at the White Plains High School. Includes fun for all With inflatable rides and food along with a children’s stage. Free to the public.  6-10 PM. (Rain date July 2)

Location & Info:
White Plains High School
550 North St.
914-422-1200

Events for Friday July 3, 2009

Kensico Dam Music Fest with the Westchester Philharmonic and Fireworks:

Gates open at 5 PM for picnicing – bring your own chairs and blankets. Car pooling recommended.  Concert begins at 8 PM.  This should be quite an event. Admission is FREE

Location & Info:
Kensico Dam Plaza
Bronx River Parkway
Valhalla, NY 10595
914-864-7275

Playland’s Fourth of July Fireworks Display:
Starts at 9:15.   Offered by the Westchester County Parks Dept.  Admission for parking is $4.00

Location & Info:
Playland Park
Playland Parkway
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 813-7010

Westchester Chamber Orchestra’s Independence Day Concert:
Featuring pianist Adam Kent performing 20th-century composers from the U.S.
Admission is FREE.

Location & Info:
One Library Plaza
New Rochelle, NY
914-654-4926

Scarsdale’s Concert and Fireworks:
Concert begins at 7:30 PM and the fireworks start at 9:15 PM.  Admission is $2.00

Location and Info:
Scarsdale Municipal Pool
311 Mamaroneck Rd.
Scarsdale, NY
914-722-1292

Sleepy Hollow Fireworks Show:

Begins at 9 PM.

Kingsland Point Park

Sleepy Hollow, NY

(Note I have no information on this event other than a sign on the road!)

Events for Saturday July 4, 2009:

Independence Day 1856 at Sunnyside:
10 AM – 5 PM – This is a full day event that includes dramatic presentations, period music and country dancing.  They are offering a game of “Town Ball” which is a 19th century version of baseball.  There are house tours and ice cream demonstrations. You can bring your own picnic or buy food on site. Admission is  $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for children 5-17 years of age.  Children under 5 are free.

Location and Info:
89 West Sunnyside La.
Tarrytown, NY
914-591-8763
www.hudsonvalley.org.

Tarrytown Fireworks Display: CANCELLED!!!!
Concert and fireworks at the gazebo overlooking the Hudson. Starts at 7 PM.

Location and Info:
Pierson Park
West Main St.
Tarrytown, NY
914-631-8347

Playland’s 4th of July Fireworks Display:
Starts at 9:15.   Offered by the Westchester County Parks Dept.  Admission for parking is $5.00

Location & Info:
Playland Park
Playland Parkway
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 813-7010

© 2009 Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – all rights reserved.

The White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival  was an amazing venue for a beautiful late spring day.   Any excuse to get outside was fine by me! But this was really worth an afternoon for anyone interested in amazing diversity of artisan work displayed. Truth be told I was only able to spend about an hour because Sunday is a work day for me, but I could easily have spent two to three hours had time permitted.   Here are a few of the highlights:

I was really struck by a couple of booths:

The first was A J Nostalgia…by Jeff and Jill Hand, with their 3-D nostalgic lithographs a bygone era.  The emphasis was New York, but there were lithographs from Boston and other parts of the country as well.  I bought my father a lithograph of the Yankees for father’s day while I was there.  I saw Brooklyn, Queens, Coney Island, Long beach among others.  Amazing detail and very colorful. There was no email address – only a phone number which I hesitate to put on-line.  The photos I got were terrible….

Then there was Robert Rodriguez Jr.   with his photographs on canvas.  Mostly of the Hudson Valley, these photographs portray the lush color and beauty of our region with vivid rich tones. They reminded me of the fact that New York is not all glass and steel and also of why I’m glad to be able to say “I’m from New York.”  This was not one of my better pictures – so for more information here is the link to Mr. Rodriguez’s web site.

Then there was Kevin Burnett’s amazing pastels.  Striking effects with vivid color.  I ran into Marie – an interior desinger who was also delighted by them. I wanted to buy all the dog portraits – no surprise there -  but I contained myself…For more information you can visit Mr. Burnett’s website.  Kevin Burnett is local to Westchester -so he is truly one of our own.

© 2009 Ruthmarie Hicks – all rights reserved.