Westchester View

Historic Hudson Valley is always full of action during Halloween.  I’ve already posted the big events that everyone talks about – The Jack O’Lantern Blaze and Horseman’s Hollow.   But there are more events on the calendar for the Halloween season….most notable:

Irving’s Legend:

Master Story Teller Jonathan Kruk tells the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as only he can at the Old Dutch Church on Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow.  This popular event is selling out fast and is offered at hourly intervals from  from 5 to 7 or 5-8 PM depending on the night…For details click here for Irving’s Legend.

The Time:  October 16, 21-23, 27-30 at hourly intervals starting at 5PM to 7 or 8 PM depending on the date.
The Place:  The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
The Price: Adults – $16, Children under 18 – $12
Suggested for ages 10 and up.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Although I often talk about merchants in Westchester NY, I don’t often discuss specific products found in these stores. But being a dog owner with two Siberian Huskies and a Siberain/Cattle Dog mix, I am in a good position to be judging the quality of dog beds.  So I can say with total confidence that I found the best dog bed EVER at Bark & Meow in Tarrytown NY.

Read the rest of this entry »

It was just last week that Irene ripped through the tri-state area dumping a foot of water, strong winds and leaving flooding, downed power lines, and chaos in its wake. Although Westchester NY got off pretty easy when we consider what happened elsewhere, there were sections that were heavy hit.  In many ways I assumed that the River Towns and particularly the river front area would have been a prime target for damage.  I heard nothing on the local news about Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow.   There was some discussion of downed trees, but nothing serious.  The eastern portion of the county – Mamaroneck in particular seems to have sustained a much bigger blow.

Nevertheless, it was with some trepidation that I arrived on the scene – camera in hand to take some post-Irene  photos of the area.    After all, the area directly abuts the Hudson River.  A river known for strong currents and heavy waves.  It had just sustained a direct hit from a Category 1 hurricane – nothing to sneeze at in an area that rarely sees hurricanes.   But as I took out my camera and started shooting – it was truly  like it had never even happened.    And no – I didn’t mean to hijack the CertaPro  slogan….that’s just the way it seemed to me.  The next day – Saturday – I had the privilege of  showing both Hudson Harbor and Ichabod’s Landing.   Both complexes right on the river – but no flooding at all!  It was truly like hurricane Irene had visited briefly and slipped away like a ghost in the night….and we should be duly grateful for her soft footprint on the area.

Enjoy the pics….

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

It sounds obvious – with a river like the Hudson River hugging the western border of our county -  that we have to have a significant police and rescue presence along the river – but I seldom gave that presence much thought.  Recently there have been a couple of “jumpers” – people threatening to jump off the Tappan Zee Bridge.  But even then – I was more preoccupied with the plight of someone who would go over the edge like that.  I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the police presence on the river specifically.  I just assumed that “they” -whoever “they” were would try and talk that poor soul out of ending it all.   No more.    A few weeks ago I was walking on the Tarrytown River Walk – I happened along some of the police and rescue boats.  There they were – solid proof of law enforcement and rescue workers on the River…

It just goes to show you that there will always be the need for a public sector and the maintenance of infrastructure….

Read the rest of this entry »

Last night I decided to spend some quality time at Coffee Labs on Main Street in Tarrytown NY. after dinner.  It is often a very nice place to relax, grab some bandwidth and enjoy the live music that is offered on Friday and Saturday nights.  I arrived fairly late because I had gone out to dinner with friends, but the band was still playing.  They were from the Lagond  Music School located in Elmsford NY.  The performers were all very young to my middle-aged eyes and the quality of the music was excellent.

The Lagond Music School is a not-for-profit school dedicated to music education and performance. They teach contemporary music with the same rigor that is generally ascribed to classical training.  The focus is definitely contemporary with jazz, Latin, funk and rock listed as primary categories of study.  I studied music when I was in college and my late mother was a professional cabaret singer who sang her way through 28 countries.  I was very impressed by the performance.   This was not your typical high school or even college group.  It was polished in a manner that is rarely seen in contemporary groups.  If you go to their website you can see their calendar with an impressive lineup of public performances for their students.

Also – remember Coffee labs for an amazing cup of coffee.  They also have a wonderful assortment of teas and other drinks such as smoothies for the summer months ahead.

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

There are times when the light is just right and the blooms are at their peak.  Sometimes you just get lucky.  But then again – The Tarrytown NY Rivere walk provides  me with a terrific subject.  If I took bad pictures with all that going for me – I should just stop taking photos altogether.   In any case, Jade, Tundra and I decided to take a walk along the River Walk around 6:00 PM  about 10 days ago.  People were out.  There was plenty of activity  – and who can blame them?   Some areas just lend themselves to gatherings.  This is one of them. Whether fishing, strolling, walking the dogs or reading on a bench – people can’t help but congregate in such a wonderful outdoor “room.”  And if you live at Hudson Harbor – this is truly your back yard.

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

The other day I  found myself near Tarrytown in early the evening and I decided to see what the was happening on the River Walk.  When public monies go into planning a project -it is always hoped that the public will enjoy the space.  Reclaiming the shore along the Hudson for a long River Walk was a brilliant idea and I was pleased to see that the public was taking full advantage of the weather and the area.  There were many people walking, sitting, chatting and quite a few were taking advantage of the fishing.  To think that when I was a child we thought the Hudson was polluted beyond repair.  I found myself enjoying the scene so much that I actually spent over an hour taking pictures talking to passers by and reading.

The picture below was taken in Tarrytown right by Hudson Harbor  -  a condo complex that is building  phase 2 of a large project.  Imagine having this view as you step out your door.   For more on Hudson Harbor – Tarrytown NY – Click here.

The photo was taken in  very low light – so its not perfect – but I’m working on that.

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