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Travels both intrepid and trepidatious, around the world and around the block |
The Old Croton Aqueduct TrailA leisurely stroll through New York's backyardby Kelly Monaghan
The Croton Aqueduct, now pretty much forgotten, was one of the great engineering achievements of its day and a landmark public work that brought fresh water into Manhattan and in so doing made New York's explosive growth possible. Opened in 1842, the aqueduct was decommissioned 1955. Today a 26-mile stretch of the old aqueduct right-of-way has been turned into one of the longest and skinniest public parks in the world. Since the aqueduct sloped gently towards New York, dropping 13 inches each mile, and since most of it was buried underground, the park offers a delightfully undemanding route through what once was and still remains one of the country's most fashionable suburbs. Even better, the route of the aqueduct trail runs a short distance parallel to the Metro North railway line, making it easy to hop on and off the trail without a car. A sunny Spring or brisk Fall day will be the best time to experience a day's walk that is part nature ramble, part history lesson, and part voyeurism, since the trail winds past some smashing private homes. Although the trail begins at the New York City border in Van Cortlandt Park, the best place to begin exploring the pleasures of the trail is in Yonkers (get off at the Greystone Station) or the tiny hamlet of Hastings-on-Hudson. The trail will be just a short walk uphill. The trail is not always well-marked but it is easy enough to follow as it skirts backyards, crosses streets and parking lots and delves into woods on the way north. The marble ventilator turrets, set about a mile apart, that kept fresh air circulating in the aqueduct tunnel still mark your progress. The Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct (see below) have produced a colorful map that points out the sites along the way. In Hastings there's Jacques Lipshitz's studio, now boarded up, an odd bit of modernism in staunchly old-fashioned Westchester.
Irvington is a good place to stop for lunch, especially now that the River City Grille is open (6 South Broadway, 914-591-2033). The food is like the decor and the clientele, hip and trendy and quite good. Most lunchtime entrees are about $10, with sandwiches slightly less. Prices jump in the evening. Just north of Irvington is Villa Lewaro (below), originally the home of the nation's first African-American millionairess. Madame C.J. Walker made her fortune in the hair care business, built this posh Westchester retreat, and had Enrico Caruso over to sing at her soirees. The folks in lily-white Ardsley must have loved that!
Irvington is named, of course, for Washington Irving, America's first superstar writer, whose spooky Sleepy Hollow tales made him the Stephen King of his day. His quaint home, Sunnyside, is just a short way off the trail and open to the public (914-591-8763), as is the nearby Lyndhurst (914-631-4481), a sprawling Gothic mansion (below) that once housed railroad magnate Jay Gould. Both deserve exploration, and if you get an early enough start you just might have time.
Tarrytown, just a short walk from Lyndhurst, makes a good stopping point for the day or for dinner. I recommend the Caravela on Broadway, a Portuguese restaurant that specializes in fish. The lemon sole I had was meltingly sweet. If you've been walking briskly and have resisted the temptation to linger at the attractions along the way, you might make Tarrytown by lunchtime. If you wish to carry on, the trail (after passing through some boring stretches in Tarrytown itself) turns downright sylvan as it skirts the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (keep whistling!) and continues north. There are more trees and fewer houses to be seen and even on a weekend you might have the trail to yourself for long stretches. Near the Sleepy Hollow Country Club, the trail takes a detour through the pretty and upscale bedroom community of Scarborough. No restaurants or watering hooles to be found here but the Scarborough Station makes a good place to bail out and head back to the Big City. Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.
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The
Intrepid Traveler |
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I
was looking for an easy stretch of trail on which to warm up for a hike
along Hadrian's Wall. What I found was a bucolic window on Westchester
County's storied past and historic mansions, all just a short train ride
from the canyons of Manhattan.
In
Dobb's Ferry, you'll find the makeshift park headquarters and the original
aqueduct overseer's house (left), which is being renovated. A bit farther
north, just past the campus of Mercy College, take a detour to explore
the vest-pocket community of Ardsley-on-Hudson. This delightfully posh
neighborhood was once part of the Ardsley Country Club, the "playground
for New York's 400," the 400 wealthy families that constituted Gotham
high society. A short walk further is the Nevis Estate, an 1835 Greek
Revival mansion built by Alexander Hamilton's son and named after his
illustrious father's birthplace. 
Close
by is the Armour-Stiner (right) home one of the few remaining examples
of the lavish octagonal "country" home that enjoyed a vogue
among the well-to-do of the late 19th century. It's a real hoot.
