Historic Westchester County

A historic site in Tarrytown, NY-- kind of seems like an oddity to me with it's unfinished paint job and non-cohesive architecture. Now it is a private residence, but at one point it was a colonial home, a tavern, a stagecoach stop, and an antique store.

An Estate

Due to the nature of my job, I have the pleasure of getting to visit a variety of different sites. Some are little residences, some are old nurseries or undeveloped properties, and sometimes I get the rare pleasure of encountering an estate. This house featured here is just a very small portion of a large and awesome property. Unfortunately, I don't really want to breach any sort of professional confidentiality. It's such a shame because I would love to share the amazingness of some of these places I visit with the world. I'd love to share things like the little details in the decaying building or the beautiful view or lush rolling meadow. I can't though, as these places I visit are often being considered for some sort of revitalization. Now, sometimes this means restoring property or adding on to it. Other times this means accepting that the cost of restoration will far outweigh demolition and rebuilding. Take a look at houses down the Jersey Shore. That's a prime example. It didn't pay to deal with the mold and structural damage for many. It was easier just to rebuild.

Carson City & Indian Village: Abandoned Theme Park

A couple of weekends ago, I drove up to the Catskill, NY with my sister and her boyfriend to explore an abandoned zoo (Catskill Game Farm) and a separate, unrelated theme park, Carson City and Indian Village. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the previous post, exploring the Catskill Game Farm didn't work out as planned, which was a real bummer to me. I had seen some pretty sweet pics of the interior and was really excited to check it out. Carson City, to be honest, was kind of an afterthought. And yet it turned out to be pretty worth it. Funny how life and circumstance works out that way sometimes.

Credit: http://photos.aroundcarson.com/details/1436

Watkins Glen

I wanted to say that this post is a milestone as far as previous entries go. I wanted to say that this was the farthest destination I've documented. But if I claimed that, I'd be lying. After all, I did briefly post some photos of New Orleans, which is significantly farther from me than Watkins Glen. (That post was rather lack-luster I will admit.)

What I can say though, is that this park was truly a destination. It was profound. I had never experienced a landscape like that before and I was totally blown away. First off, I don't doubt that walking through the trail astounds everyone, but I had the pleasure of taking the long way which made all the difference.

Loss of Head in Doodletown

It was Friday afternoon when I happened to ask some coworkers for recommendations of places to visit. I definitely got more than a few, but one spot was recommended more than once was Doodletown in Bear Mountain/Harriman. Officially it seems that the park is located in Stony Point, NY.

Now, hear me out, Doodletown...probably the silliest name, I know. In fact, when I told my hairdresser Saturday morning that I was planning on hiking Doodletown she laughed in my face.

Entrance sign near where we parked off of 9w

FINALLY. Tunnels.

It wasn't long after I got my driver's license that I learned about some mysterious tunnels hidden in Clausland Mountain. The story goes that Camp Bluefields was located on the mountain and used during WWI for shooting practice. Long concrete tunnels were built to prevent soldiers from getting accidentally shot by friendly fire. Apparently, the tunnels and Camp Bluefields were abandoned when local homeowners were complaining that bullets aimed too high were landing on their properties. I knew I had to find them. Rumors informed me that I have to drive up Tweed Boulevard in Orangeburgh, NY and pull off by a traffic sign with a turning arrow on it. Then hop out of my car, follow the path, and bam, I'd be at the tunnels. Well, I can say I tried more than once, but to no avail. Eventually I gave up and the tunnels receded to the back of my mind.

For the past few weekends I've been itching to get out for a hike, but with the holidays most of my weekends were resigned to Christmas shopping, preparing for the holidays, and seeing friends and family. Not a bad excuse, but still left me wanting some outdoor time. I finally got out last weekend and decided on Blauvelt State Park.