Want to know the latest Westchester Events? There is plenty to do and see so planning your calendar for Westchester County events is challenging because there is such a wealth of things to choose from – Here is a list to get you started.
Friday July 9
Build a Boat/Construya un Bote
2:30pm
Warner Library, 121 N Broadway, Tarrytown
“Living with Art Collecting Contemporary in Metro New York”12- 5 PM
Contemporary works of art -from six metro-New York private collections. Including work from emerging as well as established artists/
$5 for adults, $3 for students/seniors Neuberger Museum of Art – Purchase College
735 Anderson Hill Rd.
Purchase NY
914-251-6100 Read the rest of this entry »
Last year I wrote a post about the 4th of July events in Lower Westchester and it was a huge success. I even had people calling me for directions. Although going to the city is great – the Westchester to NYC commute can be painful on a busy holiday. And there really isn’t any need -there is plenty to do right here in Westchester. Soooooo….here’s the list for 2010.
Wednesday June 30:
Fireman’s Parade – Mamaroneck NY – Rain date – July 1
Begins at 7 PM starting near the Mamaroneck Ave. School and includes 30-40 fire departments. www.villageofmamaroneck.ny.us
63rd Annual Fireman’s Carnival – Mamaroneck NY – June 29 – July 5 – 7 PM – Midnight
This can be somewhat pricey but very worthwhile. If you plan to attend for more than one day you might consider buying an armband that covers you for every day.
This has been a most unusual spring. It’s been up to 80 and down to 30 degrees all within the space of a day or two. We had a “hurricane without a name” that caused untold damage. But over the past few days we have had the most brilliant and colorful blossoms against a background of dark cloud cover. The light filters through the dark clouds creating an eerie and often surreal effect. The bright spring greens and pink blossoms against the gray sky is haunting. I finally had my camera on me. These photos were taken in White Plains NY on Mamaroneck Ave – on the outskirts of Gedney Farms. Years ago, White Plains Beautification planted cherry trees along the median of the main road in White Plains. These trees extend from the Southern tip of White Plains to the beginning of the downtown area where the median disappears. The result is a very colorful entry point to the city for a few weeks each year. Enjoy the pictures. I’ll be taking more!
Yes, these old Timberland boots were used as flower pots! It’s an example of how out-of-the box thinking can transform something that would find its way into the the trash, can be turned into a spring time arrangement.
Whether buying or selling Westchester NY real estate, clients often need help with curb appeal. When selling, landscaping creates an inviting atmosphere that invites buyers into the home. Buyers, on the other hand, are often eager to put their own personal stamp on their gardens and may often be at a loss as to what to do or where to go.
People often ask me about fine dining in Westchester NY. The New York City dining experience has been finding its way northward to Westchester County. This might be news to Manhattanites – for whom Westchester has always seemed to be some sort of backwater destination. White Plains restaurants boast several transplants from Manhattan. Downtown White Plains is a location where high-end shopping and entertainment are the order of the day. Now, there truly can only be one Manhattan – but White Plains and other destinations in Westchester can no longer be considered truly suburban. Westchester is a mix of suburban life with NYC amenities.
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.
Larchmont restaurants are very popular places for the locals to gather. Larchmont is very much a bedroom community – and after a long day in the city, many of the residents like to eat out. One of my favorite places to eat in Larchmont is the famous Chat 19. Chat 19 is one of a cohort of Westchester restaurants by Mario Fava – who saught to bring New York City to Westchester. This is one of the most popular places to dine in Larchmont. The place is generally packed and in the summer, the crowd spills over to the sidewalk for outdoor dining. I particularly like eating outdoors. Larchmont is charming and its a wonderful experience to watch the crowds on the street on a warm summer night. Chat 19 is popular for a good reason: the food is wonderful. The cusine is American Grill. The decor could best be described as So-Ho style.
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.
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….
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.
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.
Manor Park, in Larchmont is a gem for those who enjoy water views and a nice walk. Unlike the Rockefeller Preserve, where wildlife rules, Manor Park is has manicured paths and wonderful plantings. The imppecibly maintained masonry walls that separate the Park from the Long Island Sound, along with the stone benches built right into them flow almost seamlessly with the natural rock that has been smoothed by the flow of water.
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.
Want to know the latest Westchester Events? There is plenty to do and see so planning your calendar for Westchester County events is challenging because there is such a wealth of things to choose from – Here is a list to get you started.
