LUNCH AT EQUUS

Castle on the Hudson is home to Equus. A tour of the castle is a must and probably best to do after you eat in order to walk off the calories. I began with an apple celery soup followed by Atlantic Char. Due to the busy day, dessert was skipped. Outside sits a large scale chess set and a few sculptures in the garden. Great for photos. There are accommodations here. Beautiful rooms. Even Esther checked out one of the beds.

Westchester County: the Second Day

Tour of Tarrytown brought me to view Washington Irving's Sunnyside, Philipsburg Manor In nearby Sleepy Hollow, Kykuit Visitor Center and Union Church of Pocantico Hills. Time permitted us to go inside the Church to view one Matisse window above the altar and Chagall windows taking up the front and sides.

It was then off to Stone Barns Center that was established by David Rockefeller as a memorial to his wife, Peggy. The center is all about promoting sustainable, community-based food production. There are times that you can take a cooking class but best to get a taste of the food in their restaurant, Blue Hill. About half the food that you eat is grown or raised on the premises. Lunch was somewhere else.

HOTEL AND DINNER THEATRE

Time to check in at the hotel. Staying at the Doubletree in Tarrytown. Large room with terrace to the courtyard. Not the right weather for its use, though. Internet access will get me doing my radio show the next night.

Off to the Westchester Dinner Theatre to see "Nine" a musical about Fellini. Had a shrimp cocktail appetizer, rib roast entree and peach melba for dessert. Last time I was there was when it was the Elmhurst Dinner Theatre and saw Wade. Check out article on www.americanchronicle.com entitled Fran Stiles Mean Green Machine for what also occurred this weekend. The performers were excellent! I just didn't care for the show itself.

Hudson River Museum and the Science Barge

Continued on to the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers. It's a complex of galleries for rotating art exhibits, houses the Andrus Planetarium (Westchester County's only public planetarium),has the Hudson Riverama (the museum's new environmental gallery, and has the Glenview Hudson River Home on their premises. One of their permanent artworks is called The Bookstore. You can go inside and look around. Esther insisted on checking out one of the books.

A barge sits along the Hudson River in Yonkers dedicated to the science of green energy and hydroponic and aquatic farming. There are two large solar panels providing the energy to grow plants without the need of soil. It grows an abundance of fresh produce including tomatoes, melons, greens, and lettuce with zero net carbon emissions, zero pesticides, and zero runoff. All of the energy needed to power the Barge is generated by these solar panels, wind turbines, and biofuels while the hydroponic greenhouse is irrigated solely by collected rainwater and purified river water, thus operating completely “off the grid.” It is the only fully functioning demonstration of renewable energy supporting sustainable food production in New York. It is now docked in downtown Yonkers just North of the Yonkers Pier.

Westchester County Lunch at Emma's Ale House

Lunch was at Emma's Ale House in White Plains. Emma was the named after owner Casey Egan's beloved dog, a yellow lab. There's even a bowl of water at the entrance for passing doggies to lap up. American comfort food and the restaurant is "Green" as well. Energy efficient appliances in the kitchen, hand dryer that blasts the air so that you're not spending a lot of time drying or even in the need of a paper towel. Also, they filter the water three times and you get a bottle of it at the table at no cost. So, you don't even have to order bottled water or settle for tap water.

Rather than a basket of bread, you get a cigar shaped soft pretzel with mustard. I sampled their Mac & Cheese to start. Macaroni, a variety of cheeses, small chunks of bacon and peas. Great taste! Sliders are a biggy there. Had a turkey burger and beef burger slider. Chopped salad of romaine, asparagus, corn, spiced walnuts, gruyere, egg, onions, tomatoes, roasted peppers and crispy potatoes. Dessert was quite an interesting idea. Bread Pudding using Krispy Kreme donuts! Wow!

Off To Westchester County

I took Metro North to Westchester County. Metro North has some great package deals going that should be checked out. Stopped at Katonah to start my trip. First place was to the Katonah Art Museum. The Art of Contemporary Puppet Theater is the exhibit being shown through June 13, 2010, which runs in all three galleries. It features works by puppeteers, sculptors and film and media artists. More adult than children stuff. Would have been much better if I could see an actual show. Artistry was really the center of the exhibit.

Next stop was Caramoor, a legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built their summer home known as the historic Rosen House at Caramoor. Their plan was to be able to entertain friends from all over the world. June 26 through August 8 is the 65th annual International Music Festival. Lucie played an electronic instrument called a Theremin. The grounds and gardens are usually gorgeous but it was a lousy weather day to tour this place. I had to leave it up to my imagination. Here it's all about music. Mostly outdoors and lots of areas. Family stuff. Music tends to focus on classical, jazz...milder type of music.

Since the Spa Event was in Manhattan and I had to be at Grand Central Station the next morning, I stayed at the GEM Hotel on 22nd Street off of 8th Avenue. I loved the lobby! It's a "boutique" hotel and although the rooms are not an large as the chain hotels, it was perfect for my needs. Loved the amenities in the bathroom, too. Bathrobe in the closet so I could relax and do my radio show with free internet.

There is a rooftop where you can bring a drink, etc and relax as well. They have a vending machine but no food service, which is not really a problem since the Chelsea are has loads of restaurants and stores.