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Travel Guide: Roosevelt Island
To say that I love Roosevelt Island would be an understatement. Whenever I’m feeling down, a walk around the sometimes strange, mostly peaceful island with a sordid history always sets me right. If you don’t know much about the island’s history, I recommend that you read this book before you go, and keep your eye open for hidden bits of the island’s various lives.
GETTING THERE:
The best part of visiting Roosevelt Island might just be getting there—the fastest and most whimsical way is to ride the Roosevelt Island tram. For the cost of a Metrocard swipe (currently $2.75), you can ride the first commuter aerial tramway in North America. Open in 1976, the tram isn’t operated by the MTA, and it runs every 7-15 minutes from 6am-3:30am on the weekends and until 2am on weekdays from Tramway Plaza at 59th Street and Second Avenue.
On the east side of the island, right beneath the parking garage, you can see a few of the old tram cars. They were upgraded during renovations in 2010, and may one day be preserved in a museum, but they’re currently sitting partially covered by a tarp (and recently, some uninspired graffiti).
Subway / Bridge / Ferry / Bus
Roosevelt Island is also accessible by the F train via one of the deepest stations (100 feet below ground) in the subway system. Additionally, you can walk or drive to RI from Astoria via the Roosevelt Island bridge (and park in the huge Motorgate garage), or take the new Astoria Ferry.
Once you’re on the island, I recommend walking, but the Red Bus, operated by the RIOC, is free and makes frequent stops. The Q102 bus also circles the island, and connects RI to Queens.
WHAT TO DO:
Located in a retired street car kiosk right near the tram stop and operated by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, the Visitor Center is a good place to start your journey. Stop here for quirky RI and New York City-themed souvenirs and books or for a map of the island.
Open Wednesday-Monday, 12-5pm.
Take a walk
Roosevelt island is two miles long and .15 miles wide, and I recommend walking from one end to the other. With views of the Manhattan skyline on one side and Long Island City on the other, the walkways are every bit as scenic as the Brooklyn Heights Promenade but much more peaceful. The west side is lined with cherry trees that are beautiful all year round, and the east side has a good view of the Queensboro and Roosevelt Island bridges.
Roosevelt Island is part of New York City with about 14,000 permanent residents but it still feels like a completely different world. They have a post office, library, public school, two churches and a few stores on Main Street. There is also a rehab hospital, a brand new Cornell Tech campus and a tiny cat sanctuary.
But the most fascinating thing about Roosevelt Island that you might not notice is how they dispose of their trash—by an underground pneumatic tube system. Installed in 1975, when the only other pneumatic garbage system in the US was at Disney World, the system allows residents to throw their trash down chutes where it piles up until it's whisked away—by an AVAC system that sucks up about six tons of trash a day.
Smallpox Hospital
Designed by James Renwick Jr. and opened in 1856, the Smallpox Hospital is currently the only ruin within city limits to have been designated a New York City Landmark (it's also on the National Register of Historic Places). There have been plans to further stabilize the Smallpox Hospital and open it to the public, but for now it just sits in ruin, a reminder of Roosevelt Island’s history as a receptacle for all of the city's undesirables. In the fall, the climbing ivy turns brilliant shades of red, and at night the dramatic lighting manages to make the site seem even more sinister.
Four Freedoms is a four-acre park located on the southern tip of the island, dedicated to the 32nd President (and the island’s namesake). Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his eighth State of the Union address, known as the Four Freedoms speech on January 6, 1941, and a portion of the that famous speech is etched on a granite block in the park. The memorial is a procession of open-air spaces, culminating in a 3,600-square-foot plaza surrounded by 28 blocks of North Carolina granite, and a bust of Roosevelt, sculpted in 1933 by Jo Davidson.
Open October 1 - March 31, 9am-5pm; April 1 - September 30, 9am-7pm; closed Tuesdays, free.
The Strecker Laboratory
Built in 1892, the Strecker Laboratory was the first laboratory in the country devoted exclusively to pathological and bacteriological research for the nearby City Hospital. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1976 it was designated a New York City landmark. The MTA refurbished the building's exterior and it has housed a power conversion substation powering the subway trains that run underneath Roosevelt Island since 2000.
The Blackwell House
Built for James Blackwell between 1796 and 1804, this house is the only building on Roosevelt Island from when the island was still privately owned. The Blackwell family owned the island from the late 17th century until 1828, when it was sold to the city. In 1829, with the building of the penitentiary, the Blackwell House became the residential quarters for administrators. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and restored in 1973, the Blackwell House is currently undergoing renovations to be used as community space offering historical tours and a library with space to store the Roosevelt Historical Society's archives.
The Octagon, built in 1834, originally served as the main entrance to the notorious New York City Lunatic Asylum (the setting of Nellie Bly’s exposé, Ten Days in a Mad-House). In true New York City fashion, the Octagon was renovated and in 2006, the five-story rotunda made of blue-gray stone quarried on the island reopened as the lobby of a luxury housing complex containing 500 apartments.
Blackwell Island Lighthouse
Designed by the architect of the Smallpox Hospital, James Renwick Jr., this 50-foot-tall, gray gneiss, Gothic-style lighthouse was built in 1872. Built by inmates of the penitentiary with stone extracted from the island, the lighthouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was designated a New York City Landmark in 1976. The light was operated until about 1940. Because of its vulnerable location at the northernmost tip of the island, the park has frequently been closed when I’ve visited due to weather-related damages from Hurricane Sandy and most recently an October nor’easter.
The Marriage of Real Estate and Money Sculptures
If you peek over the railing on the western bank of the island, into the East River between RI and Manhattan, you’ll see three sculptures by Tom Otterness. Installed in 1996 and titled The Marriage of Real Estate and Money, “the sculptures make a statement situated between the dueling residential developments on both Roosevelt Island and Midtown East.” If Otterness’s work looks familiar, you may have seen his little mischievous figures in the 14th Street subway station.
Stay for sunset
One advantage of the sun setting so early in the winter is that you don’t have to stay out too long to catch a beautiful sunset. Roosevelt Island is the perfect place to watch the sun set behind the Manhattan skyline, and I was lucky to catch one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen while waiting to see the Smallpox ruin at night.
WHERE TO EAT:
For all of its charm, the one area where Roosevelt Island is lacking is in food options. There are a few chain outposts: Duane Reade, Gristedes, Subway and Starbucks, in addition to a bubble tea shop, sushi bar and classic Chinese takeout.
I did finally eat at the pizza joint right next door to Starbucks on my most recent visit, and despite the lackluster reviews, it was exactly what I wanted: hot, greasy, thin crust New York pizza. I ordered a personal pie to go and ate it by the river, but you can dine-in as well.
Want more? See all of my Roosevelt Island posts here.
Travel Guide: Sleepy Hollow
This weekend marked my fifth fall adventure to Sleepy Hollow, aka North Tarrytown in the Hudson Valley of New York. When I lived in Ohio, I remember only dreaming of a trip to the village made famous by Washington Irving, so as soon as I moved to the city I made it my number one fall priority. It was better than I even expected, and I’ve gone every year that I’ve lived here—except 2016, but I went to Salem that year, so that’s a valid excuse.
There are plenty of non-Halloween related activities to do in and around Sleepy Hollow, but to get the full effect it’s best to visit in October (keep in mind that while it’s not as crowded as Salem, ticketed events sell out very quickly so get them as soon as they go on sale in early September from Historic Hudson Valley).
GETTING THERE:
My favorite part about Sleepy Hollow is that you don’t need a car to get there. It’s under an hour by Metro North from Grand Central to the Tarrytown station, and trains run frequently. Once you’re in Tarrytown you can use a car service like Uber or Lyft to get you into town or to the sites nearby, but most things are within walking distance of the train station. We did have an issue once with spotty cell service when we were relying on Uber to get us back into town after visiting Union Church, but after renting a Zip Car one year (and dealing with the traffic on the one, two-lane road that runs through town), I’m solidly team public transit.
WHAT TO DO:
There is no doubt that Irving’s short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the reason why the area is a popular October destination. In fact, North Tarrytown officially changed their name in 1996 to Sleepy Hollow, the traditional name for the area. Purchased by Irving in 1835, Sunnyside is a National Historic Landmark and a museum containing a large collection of Irving's original furnishings and personal items.
Located in the nearby town of Irvington, the house is open May-November and tours are led by guides in period costume. In the fall you can also “create Halloween-themed art activities, explore the grounds on a literature-themed scavenger hunt, play historic games, pose for a spooky photo op, and take in a shadow puppet performance.”
Kykuit was the 40-room home of four generations Rockefellers, beginning with John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil and noted philanthropist. The stone mansion is situated on the highest point in Pocantico Hills, overlooking the Hudson River and on a clear day you can see the New York City skyline. In addition to the house, the property includes beautiful gardens and an impressive art collection.
If you want to see something specific make sure you choose the right tour—I’ve been twice, and I would definitely recommend making time for the grand or classic tours. Although Kykuit is located outside of the village, tours originate from the visitor center at Philipsburg Manor (across from the cemetery) and a shuttle bus takes you to and from the estate.
Lyndhurst, a Gothic Revival mansion, was designed in 1838 and had five different owners from three different prominent families before it became part of the National Historic Trust for Preservation in 1961. The mansion is furnished with original furniture/décor from all five owners so the inside is just as interesting and historic as the outside (and, if I’m picking favorites, it’s my favorite of the historic homes in the area). The 67-acre grounds include the bones of the nation's first steel-framed conservatory, a stand-alone bowling alley, a rose garden and a children's playhouse all with sweeping views of the Hudson River.
Open for tours March-December, the mansion and grounds were decked out for Halloween when we visited. Even without the extra help, Lyndhurst is spooky enough on its own and has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows including two star turns as the Collinwood Mansion in the 70’s films House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows.
The church itself, built in 1921 by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., is pretty standard but the church’s rose window was the last work completed by Henri Matisse before his death in 1954. Nine other stained glass windows were created by Marc Chagall, who didn’t start designing in glass until he was nearly 70 years old. Other Chagall windows can be found around the world and in the UN building in New York.
The church is open from April-December with varying hours depending on the worship schedule, there is a suggested donation if you visit just to see the windows, and photography is not allowed inside. The church isn’t really within walking distance from the village (and it’s up in the hills), but it’s just a short car ride away (again, beware the spotty cell service).
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is what put this area on my radar eight hours west in Ohio. Held every year at the historic Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson (not exactly walkable from town, but just a short car ride north), the Blaze seemingly gets bigger and more popular every year. Tickets for weekends close to Halloween sell out very quickly, but it’s worth some advance planning to see more than 7,000 hand-carved and illuminated jack o’ lanterns (spoiler alert: they’re mostly fake, but there are some real pumpkins mixed in). I’ve been to the Blaze twice and can attest that, while there are some repeats from year to year, enough changes that you could go again every year and still be thrilled.
Billed as “Sleepy Hollow’s premiere haunted attraction,” Horseman’s Hollow is like corn maze and a haunted house combined. Set outside on the grounds of Philipsburg Manor, guests—if you dare!—walk along a haunted trail populated by all types of spooky scenes and creepy people. I’ve never been a huge fan of paying to be frightened, but I’ve gone through Horseman’s Hollow twice and I think I finally understand the appeal of these attractions. Skulls, spiderwebs and mannequin parts don’t actually scare me—have you seen my apartment?—but there is a strange sort of thrill in watching your friends get (harmlessly) startled and in surrendering to it all yourself.
Speaking of tickets selling quickly, this is the first year I was actually able to secure tickets to Irving’s Legend, a dramatic retelling of the famous Legend. Held at the Old Dutch Church (located within Sleepy Hollow Cemetery), the story is told by one man, accompanied by one musician. It’s low-tech, old-fashioned storytelling at its best and it’s the perfect way to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with Irving’s spooky tale.
This was a new event for the 2018 season, an original silent film starring Bill Irwin accompanied by live musicians and special effects provided by a Foley artist. Inspired by Washington Irving’s The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture, the film was shot on location at Van Cortlandt Manor. I’ve never seen a silent film before, but I was just as interested in watching the Foley artist produce sound effects for every character as I was in watching the actual movie.
Details on when to secure tickets to the Village of Sleepy Hollow’s Haunted Hayride are a little murky but this year I just kept checking the website and eventually was able to buy tickets. Tickets go on sale “sometime in September” only through the villages’s website, and the Hayride is for two nights only—the Friday and Saturday before Halloween. It started raining just as we were settling into the bed of hay (pulled by a pickup truck), and it wasn’t nearly as scary as walking through Horseman’s Hollow—but we felt about as far away from New York City as we could get, while still being a short train ride away.
One of my favorite cemeteries (and I’ve seen…a few), Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is home to a number of famous residents, including a Rockefeller, a Chrysler, the Helmsleys, Andrew Carnegie, Elizabeth Arden and, of course, Washington Irving himself. Formally opened in 1849, the cemetery is 85 acres and has over 40,000 in-ground interments. They offer day and night walking tours but keep in mind if you’d like to explore on your own that the grounds close promptly at 4:30 pm every day.
WHERE TO EAT:
Located on Main Street, just up the hill from the Tarrytown train station, Muddy Water is a great place to stop and fuel up before beginning your fall adventure day. There is plenty of cozy seating, the coffee was good, the blueberry scone was delicious (have them heat it up) and my order came to a very festive total of $6.66.
This section is short because I really only ever eat dinner or lunch at one place in Sleepy Hollow—Horesefeathers—and I love it so much that I can’t bring myself to try anywhere else. Ok, so we did make the mistake of eating at The Huddle once and it was terrible, so learn from us (here is the Yelp review by my friend Alisha, detailing our issues) and stick with Horsefeathers.
Family owned since 1981, Horsefeathers is exactly the kind of dark, wood-paneled bar that you’d expect to find in the area, and I dream about their Knickerbocker burger (paired with a seasonal cider) all year long. As if that wasn’t enough of an endorsement, they’re usually playing a Halloween movie at the bar (one year it was Casper) and they have ancient boxes of Trivial Pursuit cards on every table (Sample Q: Which country pulled out of NATO in 1967?), so at least stop in for a drink.
Want more? See all of my Sleepy Hollow posts here.
Travel Guide: Salem
I’ve been to Salem, Massachusetts twice—once in August and once in October. I’m positive that Salem is charming all year-round, but for obvious reasons it becomes a destination in October, especially weekends close to Halloween. My advice is to go on a weekday if at all possible, so you’ll still be able to enjoy the Halloween spirit without the crushing crowds. This is also a great book to read before you go.
GETTING THERE:
Like a lot of places in the US, unfortunately, it’s best to get to Salem by car. But, the good news is that once you’re there, the city is small and walkable. Taking a bus or train to Boston and then another bus or ferry to Salem is an option, but renting a car will give you more freedom to stop along the way (just outside of town you can see the Hocus Pocus house and Old Burial Hill, or the Lizzie Borden house in Fall River and her gravesite, if you’re coming from the south). If you really plan ahead, you can book a hotel that guarantees parking so you can dump your car as soon as you arrive and you don’t have to compete with the day visitors who fill the expensive garages.
WHAT TO DO:
Tour the house that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous book (and pick up a copy in the gift shop, it’s not an easy read but it’s worth tackling). Hawthorne is a descendent of John Hathorne, the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions (the ‘w’ was added to the surname later to distance the family from the trials). This is a popular place and tickets are limited, so get here right when it opens to secure your spot and enjoy the secret staircase!
The Witch House is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the witchcraft trials. Corwin was a local magistrate and he served on the court which ultimately sent nineteen people to the gallows. Corwin lived in the house, an excellent example of seventeenth-century architecture (and my dream home), for more than forty years and it remained in the Corwin family until the mid-1800s. You can take a guided or self-guided tour, and they have extended hours in October (but again, the house is small so get there early).
The Salem Witch Museum was the thing I was most disappointed by on my first visit, but I still went back on my return trip. You can’t really go to Salem without visiting this museum, but while it starts out promising—with an animatronic retelling of the witchcraft trials—it is seriously lacking in artifacts or anything else you might expect to find in a traditional museum. The gift shop is worth a visit, though, if only for their floaty pens.
Cemeteries
Even if you don’t normally spend hours wandering cemeteries like I do, a visit to Salem isn’t complete without at least seeing the first cemetery established in Salem in 1637, the Old Burying Point (also called the Charter Street Cemetery). Adjacent to the cemetery is a memorial to the victims of the witchcraft trials and the whole area gets very crowded during October. Since our last visit they’ve taken measures to limit visitors to the cemetery, but it’s definitely worth the wait. There are a few other less famous cemeteries within walking limits—like the Howard Street Cemetery or the Broad Street Cemetery—which are just as historic and interesting without the annoying crowds.
You know how much I love a good, crumbling, creepy wax museum and the one in Salem does not disappoint. There were long lines for almost every October pop-up attraction in the area around the Old Burying Point, but one of the shortest was for this wax museum—which was good for us but it also makes me concerned for the future of this dusty relic.
I did an entire blog post on the filming locations around Salem from this 1993 classic, but Allison’s House (aka the Ropes Mansion) is located right next to the Witch House, and both aren’t far from the Old Town Hall where Bette Midler sings "I Put A Spell on You" while doing just that.
There are a hundred ghost tours to choose from, but the one we took was fantastic (“not recommended for children” will seal the deal for me every time). Our guide pushed around an old-timey baby carriage containing a creepy doll named Myrna, and bought our entire tour Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I just heard that he may not be doing nighttime tours anymore but it’s still worth inquiring about (and if he’s not available, I still recommend doing a ghost tour—I think every single person that came to Salem when we did was out at night on a tour).
There are tons of cheesy, witchy stores in Salem, but for something a little more refined, check out Hauswitch. They have beautiful (if expensive) things, and for a brief second we all felt like we’d found a portal back to Brooklyn.
WHERE TO EAT:
We didn’t actually eat here, but their window was painted with a Hocus Pocus theme, so how can it be bad?
We ended up at the Mercy Tavern somewhat randomly, but they ended up having delicious nachos and a great local cider selection (you can buy this glass here). I don’t eat seafood so I’m not at all qualified to write recommendations for New England eateries, but I’ve heard good things about Turner’s Seafood.
I loved this store—America’s oldest candy company—so much that I used it as the inspiration for a college branding project. They have all sorts of old-timey candies, including Gibralters, the first commercially-made candy in the US (they have a similar consistency to a really hard dinner mint). It’s located right across from The House of the Seven Gables, so after your tour grab some fudge or a Salem blackjack, still made by hand with the original 1800s recipe.
When you walk into Ziggy’s, you might think you’ve made a mistake and accidentally walked into someone’s private kitchen. Located outside of the main tourist area, the tiny Ziggy’s (there are a few stools, if you want to eat in) feels like a local secret, which is amazing considering that the donuts and coffee were cheap, delicious and served with a smile (and a heavy dose of curiosity about where we were from and what we were doing in Salem).
Traveling to Massachusetts? See all of my individual posts from the state here.
Travel Guide: Savannah
I haven't explored as much of the South as I would have liked to by now, but I've been to Savannah, Georgia several times and each time I'm charmed more than the last. My last visit was in September of 2015, when we took advantage of cheap-ish airfare and a long weekend thanks to Jewish holidays (oh how I'll miss having those days off this September). Savannah is full of history and beautiful neighborhoods, but it's relatively small and walkable, making it the perfect place to go if you only have a few days to spare.
GETTING THERE:
I see airfare deals to Savannah quite often, sometimes as low as under $100 roundtrip (from New York). The best part about visiting Savannah for us was how walkable the city is—we didn't ever feel the need to rent a car or even use public transit, although that is an option. We did use Uber once, to get to and from Bonaventure Cemetery, but if you're more of a tour person transportation to the cemetery (located a few miles outside of the city center) is usually included.
WHAT TO DO:
I've read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil several times, and it's a must-read if you're thinking of visiting Savannah (or even if you're not). So many places in the book are still around and Brendt does such an excellent job of capturing the vibe of Savannah and its eccentric residents. The Mercer Williams House would be a great place to visit just for its history and architecture, but of course it was also the scene of a notorious murder. Just don't ask too many questions about its sordid history on the tour—my uncle was once admonished by a tour guide and instructed that we were on a strictly "architectural tour" (yeah, ok).
Danny Hansford (shot by the owner of the house, Jim Williams) and Williams (who died of heart failure in the study) are not the only people to die tragically in the house. In 1969, before Williams bought the house, 11-year-old Tommy Downs entered the then-abandoned house on a hunt for pigeons. Downs fell from either the roof or second-story balcony and landed on the wrought-iron fence. The spiked top lodged in his head and has never been replaced.
Bonaventure Cemetery isn't easily accessible from the historical downtown unless you have a car, take a tour or use a car service like Uber. We chose to do the latter since we wanted to be able to explore at our leisure and it was most definitely worth it (and very cheap). Bonaventure still ranks at the top of the most beautiful cemeteries I've visited, and is a quintessential Southern burial ground, with Spanish-moss draped trees and elaborate monuments covering the grounds.
If you don't have time to go out to Bonaventure, you can get your historic cemetery fix without leaving the city. Colonial Park is the oldest intact municipal cemetery in Savannah—it opened around 1750 and closed to burials in 1853, before the start of the Civil War. The cemetery grounds are open until 8pm on most days, and it's full of historical markers telling the stories of some of its more notable residents.
The 30-acre Forsyth Park is the largest park located in the historic district, Savannah's version of Central Park. A large fountain, built in 1858, sits at the north end of the park and on St. Patrick’s Day, the water in the fountain is dyed green during a popular ceremony.
Alex Raskin has been filling the tastefully crumbling Noble Hardee Mansion (located across the square from the Mercer Williams House) with antiques for more than 25 years. It's both a shop and free house tour in one, and if I could I would purchase not only the house, but everything in it (especially the mannequins and framed photographs) I wouldn't change a thing.
There are many ghost tours to choose from in Savannah, consistently named one of America's most haunted cities. Do I believe most of the stories that they tell you on these tours? Not really. But I'm always looking for things to do after dark, and ghost tours are a great way to see parts of the city (within the safety of a group)—if you extract the history from the legends they can be both entertaining and informative.
The Isaiah Davenport house, built in 1820, is one of the oldest brick structures in the city. The American Federal-style house is also a museum, containing artifacts mainly from 1820-1827. When the house was threatened with demolition in 1955, a group joined forces to purchase the Davenport House. This would come to be known as the first act of the Historic Savannah Foundation, which has since gone on to save hundreds buildings in the city. The first floor of the house was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1963.
River Street
Along the Savannah River you'll find century-old warehouses that have been converted to antique shops, souvenir stores, art galleries, restaurants, bars and hotels. You can get your fortune read by a pirate, squish a souvenir penny and try a praline sample (or two). I did get pooped on by a bird while standing outside of a shop on River Street, so be vigilant—and always use historic steps at your own risk.
This charming bookstore opened in 1978 and is Savannah's only full-service, independently-owned new and used books bookstore. They have more than 50,000 books spanning 40 genres and they're packed onto shelves, tables and staircases. I couldn't resist taking home a copy of Savannah Spectres and Other Strange Tales.
WHERE TO EAT:
I'm going to recommend that you eat at the Olde Pink House, located inside of a Georgian mansion built in 1771, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning from my burger. The building, one of the few to survive the fire of 1796, is said to be haunted (like most other buildings in Savannah) and I also had a strange experience on the way to the bathroom when I felt as if I had been briefly pushed down the stairs. But, poisoning and pushing aside, the Olde Pink House is classic Savannah—make reservations and maybe (definitely) pass on the burger.
You know I can't travel to a new place without at least one diner breakfast. Clary's Cafe, established in 1903, has everything I look for in a classic diner—local clientele, good signage and breakfast menu staples served all day. It's also featured in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and was a filming location for the movie.
We had a delicious introductory meal at The Pirates' House, a tavern and restaurant established in 1753. A portion of the structure was built in 1734, making it the oldest building still standing in the state of Georgia. We had the buffet and it was full of perfect Southern dishes—mac n' cheese, collard greens, fried chicken, fried okra, cornbread, peach cobbler. After our meal were asked if we wanted a tour of the property by a pirate—a former New Yorker and SVA grad named Chris—who told us tales of underground tunnels, drunken sailors and haint blue paint.
Want to know even more about Savannah? You can see all of my individual Savannah posts here.
Travel Guide: City Island
City Island, the Seaport of the Bronx, is what you would get if you crossed a New England seaside village with the Bronx. There are city busses, a post office, a branch of the New York Public Library and city trash cans on the sidewalks. But there are also rambling Shingle-style mansions, boat and fishing supply stores and more seafood restaurants per mile than probably anywhere else within New York City limits. The population is under 5,000 and it's a strange place to visit in the summer when everything is (mostly) open—in the off-season it feels downright post-apocalyptic.
GETTING THERE:
City Island is fully accessible by public transit—depending on where you're coming from, it might take a while but trust me it's worth it! Take the 6 train all the way to the end of the line, to the Pelham Bay Park stop in the Bronx. Catch the Bx29 bus right outside of the train station, and that will take you to City Island in just a few minutes. You can get off at the northern end, just over the bridge (a newer, less charming bridge opened in 2017), or ride the bus all the way to the southern end and walk back. The island is only 1.5 miles long and half a mile wide, but you can take the Bx29 while you're on the island too (or use a car service).
WHAT TO DO:
The City Island Nautical Museum is open every Saturday and Sunday from 1-5pm and admission is only $5. Stop here first and learn about the island's rich nautical history from boat races to sail making. When I first visited back in 2014, three out of the four people working there were named Barbara.
Pelham Cemetery is on the eastern shore of the island and it was established in the 1880s. There are older gravestones within its grounds, including well-known Pelham families, early settlers, and veterans of every war since the Civil War. There are a few entrances to the cemetery—including the main one with its beautiful archway—that are always locked, but keep looking until you find the one that is open (I didn't know this the first time I visited, but I figured it out on my second City Island trip).
A recently new addition to City Island, the people that bring tiny treasures to the Brooklyn Flea under the name dAN's Parents House opened a brick-and-mortar store in a crumbling, 150-year-old house on City Island Avenue (seen above before the restoration). I could have spent hours combing through their rooms filled with nostalgia, especially the drawers filled with vintage McDonald's toys and other intriguing little things.
Unfortunately this antique shop was closed on our most recent visit—a sign was posted that they had just stepped out for coffee but there was no indication that they planned on returning anytime soon. I've only been lucky enough to catch this store open once in the several times I've visited City Island, but what I saw made an impression—especially the 6-foot-tall, sombrero-wearing hot dog statue (which is still there if anyone wants to get me an early birthday present).
I'm not a rabid Wes Anderson fan, but I never pass up the opportunity to visit a famous New York filming location. This 1896 Shingle-style, sea captain's dream house is located on 21 Tier Street, and doubled as the Tenenbaums' summer home on Eagle's Island.
While not technically located on City Island, the Bartow-Pell Mansion is a good place to start your day in the Bronx before you head to the nearby island. Finished in 1842, the Bartow-Pell Mansion is a Greek Revival house is now part of Pelham Bay Park. The house opened as a museum in 1946 and guided or self-guided tours are offered Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon until 4pm for $8. There's even a small family cemetery located on the property, although it was damaged in March when a tree fell on it during a storm.
WHAT TO EAT:
I've never been to City Island early enough for breakfast, but I've kicked off several visits with meals at the City Island Diner. This classic diner, popular with locals, is also where Jerry Seinfeld took Ricky Gervais on an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
I don't eat seafood and a place where the ordering procedure is unclear is my personal hell, but I still can't help but love Johnny's Reef, located at the southern tip of City Island. They've been serving gut-busting baskets of fried everything (shrimp, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, clams, etc.) for 70 years—and I bet the seagulls have been swarming around their outdoor patio in quantities straight out of The Birds for just about as long.
If it's oppressively hot, like it often is when I visit City Island, Lickety Split is a great place to cool down with a generous scoop of ice cream and/or an iced coffee. They also have a (very small) restroom, which is never something I take for granted on all-day adventures.
Seafood Restaurants
While I can't vouch for any of these personally—and I'm also the worst person to ask about seafood restaurants—City Island's main industry now is undoubtedly food. There are several to choose from along City Island Avenue and there's stiff competition if you choose a restaurant like I do, by its signage.
See all of my individual posts on City Island here.
Travel Guide: Philadelphia
My mom and I recently took a day trip to Philly, and when I started adding it up, I realized that it was my fifth time in the city of brotherly love. Two of those trips were overnights and three were day trips. One of the joys of living in New York is its proximity to other places on the East Coast, and thanks to regional transit it's easy to take a day trip when you're in the mood for a change. Philly is an hour and a half away from New York by Amtrak, but if you're on a budget and don't mind some extra train time (🙋), regional transit will get you there in three hours (it will probably take you longer than that to read this travel guide).
GETTING THERE:
If time is more of a concern than money, Amtrak is your best bet. It will get you from Penn Station to the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia in and hour and a half (an hour and 12 minutes if you take the express). The lowest price for a one-way ticket is about $39 if you book far in advance and tickets can be much more expensive than that—especially if you want reasonable times.
For most of the day trips, I've taken regional transit. It takes twice as long, but it's cheaper and more flexible—$56 roundtrip and trains run every hour. At Penn Station in the NJ Transit area, buy tickets for 30th Street, Philadelphia. You'll get two sets of tickets, and you have to transfer trains once. The first train goes from Penn Station -> Trenton, and then at Trenton you'll board a train that terminates at Philadelphia. In both cases you're getting off at the last stop so you don't have to pay much attention, and there's usually no more than a ten-minute wait at Trenton for your transfer to Philly. After you get out at the 30th Street Station, be sure to check out the four eagles on the Market Street Bridge—they're from the original Penn Station.
There are bus options as well—Greyhound, Megabus and others—but I get car sick and prefer the train so I've never taken one. Once you're in Philly, Uber is much cheaper than it is in New York, and they also have their own Subway and Trolley systems.
My favorite place in Philly, by far, is the Mütter Museum. The museum began as a donation of 1,700 objects and $30,000 from Thomas Dent Mütter, MD. It has grown to include more than 25,000 objects, including sections of Einstein's brain, a large human skull collection, the Soap Lady, the conjoined liver of Siamese twins Chang & Eng, President Grover Cleveland's jaw tumor, the tallest skeleton on display in North America and the world's largest colon (above). Unfortunately photographs are not allowed inside the museum, but that hasn't stopped me from going three times since 2014. They have an exhibition space that hosts rotating art and photographic installations—Woven Strands: The Art of Human Hair Work is on display now until September 16th.
Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell
Tickets to Independence Hall are free, but required if you're visiting in March through December. Tours are given every 15, 20 or 30 minutes, depending on the season and you'll see where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and adopted. The building was completed in 1753 and hosted the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Is it worth it to wait in a line that often snakes around the block to see the Liberty Bell? Probably not. But we did it on my first visit, so I can say I've seen it—and was frustrated with the inability to get a good, tourist-less photo of this iconic piece of American history. No tickets are required, but if you don't have much time, you can catch a pretty good glimpse of it from a side window without the wait.
Elfreth's Alley holds the distinction of being America's oldest residential street. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, but keep in mind that it is very much still a residential street, meaning that people actually live here. You can freely walk through the narrow street, but don't be a creep and peek into windows or linger in doorways.
I've never met a historical home tour that I didn't love, and while the Betsy Ross house may be geared toward school-age children, we still had a fun time on the tour. The best part was the historical actor who insisted to us that she was actually Betsy Ross, despite the fact that the real Ross's bones are interred just outside the house.
I love, love, love Eastern State Penitentiary, and I went to Philly for the day last year exclusively to tour the newly-reopened hospital wing. In operation from 1829 until 1971, Eastern State was considered to be the world's first true penitentiary. The tour is self-guided (which I prefer) and admission includes an excellent audio guide narrated by Steve Buscemi. Both times that I've visited I've spent several hours roaming around, and I'd love to go back for their Terror Behind the Walls haunted attractions in the fall.
This new(ish) art museum is completely overwhelming in the best way, and comprises the varied and exhaustive art collection of one fascinating man, Dr. Albert C. Barnes. I recommend watching this documentary or reading this book before you go—the art is impressive enough on its own, but knowing more about the eccentric Barnes and the turmoil involved in bringing his collection to the public will only enhance your experience.
Philadelphia's gorgeous city hall is the largest municipal building in the country. Construction began in 1871 and took more than 30 years to complete. The 548-foot tower is the tallest masonry structure in the world without a steel frame and it's topped with a 27-ton statue of Pennsylvania founder, William Penn. Until 1987, it was the tallest building in Philadelphia and a gentleman's agreement had prevented any building from rising taller then the statue of Penn. I highly recommend the tower tour, but be aware that availability is extremely limited (and the elevator is very, very small). Tours are offered every 15 minutes, weather and capacity permitting, Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. and select Saturdays, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Public Art
There are four large pieces by Swedish-born American sculptor Claes Oldenburg on display in Philly. In 1976, Oldenburg was commissioned to do a sculpture to celebrate the bicentennial, and a 45-foot-tall clothespin was born. His second piece is the 5000-pound, 16-foot aluminum Split Button, installed on the University of Pennsylvania campus in 1981. His third piece is a ten-foot, three-prong electric plug made in 1970 and moved to the Philadelphia Museum of Art's sculpture garden in 2010 (I haven't seen the button or plug yet). The newest Oldenburg is the fifty-one-foot-tall, 11,000-pound Paint Torch, installed in 2011 in between two buildings that house the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
And of course no visit to Philly is complete without a selfie in front of Robert Indiana's surprisingly-diminutive LOVE statue, installed in 1976.
If you spend any time around South Street, you'll notice Isaiah Zagar's more than 200 mosaics scattered around the area on walls and down alleyways. You'll need tickets to get into his masterpiece, Magic Gardens, but it's worth it to see Zagar's extensive trash to treasure vision up close (I posted more from our visit here).
Cemeteries
I just posted about our recent visit to the Christ Church Burial Ground, but if you like historical cemeteries this one is not to be missed. If the $3 admission fee scares you off—or if the cemetery is closed—you can see the grave of their most famous resident, Benjamin Franklin, through a break in the brick wall.
Mount Moriah Cemetery is located in southwestern Philadelphia and you can get there via public transit but I recommend taking an Uber (it's not in a great neighborhood). Long abandoned and badly neglected, this historic cemetery is slowly being brought back to life by a group of volunteers but parts of it are still quite wild and overgrown.
On my first visit to this oddities and vintage shop, I scored an eyeball medical model for $40. I haven't had such good luck in subsequent visits, but I make sure to stop here every time I'm in town to browse their medical oddities and check in on the Odditorium—their about section on their site simply states that, "Professor Ouch's Bizarre Bazaar & Odditorium is the greatest shop in Philadelphia," and I can't argue with that. If you strike out here, head next door to the Philly AIDS Thrift, a huge, multi-level thrift store with excellent prices and a blissfully organized book section.
Update: as of July 2018 Professor Ouch's has closed their 5th Street store (sad!), but they still have an online shop for now.
WHAT TO EAT:
Diners
I had admired this signage for years but I didn't know the Midtown III Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge was actually a diner until recently. My mom and I went here for breakfast before tackling the Mütter Museum and it was an exceptional diner experience—friendly waitress, strong coffee, colorful vinyl booths and delicious breakfast food.
Unfortunately, the other Little Pete's closed last year after 40 years and New York developers (of course) are demolishing the charming diner to build a luxury hotel. But if you are looking for a place to eat before or after visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary, Little Pete's at the Philadelphian offers classic diner food served in a slightly newer setting. I didn't realize it before I went, but the Philadelphian must be a retirement complex—every other person eating breakfast at 3pm was over 80 and accompanied by nursing aids—and I fit in perfectly.
You (and I) cannot go to Philly without having at least one cheesesteak (whiz, witout). I'm so partial to Pat's that I've yet to try another place—notorious competitor Geno's Steaks is right next door, but their signage is just too aggressive for me.
There are so many options at the Reading Terminal Market that it's probably wise to just try all of them eventually. I've yet to have a pie better than the one we got here on our first visit, and if you're in the market for some chocolate kidneys, noses or ears the Mueller Chocolate Co. has you covered. If you're not hungry (how?) it's worth a stop just to check out all of the beautiful neon signage.
McGillian's opened in 1860 and is the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia. We stopped here for a drink and while the atmosphere was a bit loud and raucous for me (hi, I'm also 158 years old), I will never pass up a chance to visit anything with the distinction of "oldest."
Want to know even more about Philly? You can see all of my individual Philadelphia posts here.
The most fantastic thing about the New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show is the orchids themselves