The Elizabeth Street Garden has been a favorite outdoor spot for so many people in Little Italy and Soho for nearly 200 years. On top of offering a respite from busy city life for the residents of Downtown Manhattan, the garden also offers rentals for video and photo shoots as well as weddings and private events.
But the garden may not be with us for much longer. The city has proposed the sale of this land to Haven Green (Pennrose Properties, Habitat NYC, and Riseboro) to make way for affordable housing, retail locations, and office space. The Garden states on their website that “the affordability is not permanent,” and that the residence can eventually “turn into market rate housing.”
The Elizabeth Street Garden has offered numerous alternative sites for affordable housing developments in an effort to save the community’s garden and green space, with these sites providing “more than 10x the amount of affordable units.”
To help save the garden, visit The Elizabeth Street Garden website today!
They take the kid out of the city, but Camping to Connect isn’t trying to take the city out of the kid. Instead, co-founders and facilitators Andy Isaacson and Manny Almonte are bringing the city kid into the wilderness, an experience they hope their charges can take back to the city. It’s working. Camping to Connect is a product of the “Mastermind Connect” program, a community organization that brings men, mostly BIPOC, together for mutual enrichment. Each brings diverse skills to teach and support each other.
Camping to Connect is one of their programs, part of the Young Masterminds Initiative focused on young men. Qualified Mastermind Connect volunteers lead youth in trips into the wilderness beyond NYC’s borders. These range from day trips with three or four kids to overnight camping trips with more than 20 participants. Their first trip was an experiment in exploring nature. “It was the idea of bringing them to governor’s Island–a metaphorical and physical island away from their lives,” says Isaacson, “and taking them out of the world they were familiar with and that they knew (and) bringing them to an Island and exposing them to camping and being outdoors. We found an opportunity to connect with each other in a deeper way.” After that first trip, the trips expanded beyond the five boroughs to places like Harriman State Park and the Delaware Water Gap.
Like their adult programming, Camping to Connect brings in specialists to help broaden the participants’ horizons. There are fitness and camping, but also urban gardening, singing, and opportunities to connect individually with mentors and each other. “Most of them share that when they hang out in school, they’re on their phones,” says Isaacson, “They’re kind of hanging out around one another, but not deeply with one another.”
For the volunteer counselors, it is an intimate experience and a responsibility. Almonte believes that programs like Camping to Connect are core to the vision of Mastermind Connect and the Young Masterminds Initiative. “These (counselors) are men who themselves are part of a group that has to do with self-growth and brotherhood and camaraderie. So we’re taking these young men at an early age and bringing them into our village, into our community. We’re investing in them, (preparing) them to be the type of individuals that we aim to be as adults.” COVID has slowed down Camping to Connect’s expansion, but not its programming or mission. Counselors are still taking small groups on day and overnight trips under strict conditions to keep healthy and socially distant even as they socially connect. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Young Masterminds Initiative or Camping to Connect, check out their website here.
Earth Day Initiative, a non-profit that promotes environmental awareness and solutions through partnerships with schools, community organizations, businesses, and government agencies, announced the expansion of its Do Just 1 Thing campaign leading up to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020 with a large-scale art installation and action center at its annual Earth Day event taking place on April 23, 2019 in Union Square.
The Earth Day 50 art installation will consist of artists Tim Peacock, Haleigh Mun, Helen Oh, Amit Greenberg, Lizzy Itzkowitz, Vinnie Neuberg, Jovanna Tosello, and Molly Egan creating large-scale pieces of art on site. The artists will be painting canvases around environmental themes relating to the Green New Deal to call attention to the sustainability solutions we can strive for as we approach the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. A Do Just 1 Thing action center adjacent to the art installation will provide attendees with simple action items they can take to make a positive environmental impact. The action center will also ask attendees to share their own sustainability stories by offering solutions they see or would like to see in their own lives and communities. The project is being supported by Milton Glaser, creator of the iconic I Love NY logo (consisting of black letters and a red heart), who will be creating a poster for the event.
“With the Earth Day 50 art installation, we hope to capture the public’s imagination around how we can solve our most pressing environmental challenges,” said Earth Day Initiative Executive Director, John Oppermann. “The enthusiasm we’ve seen over the idea of a Green New Deal reflects how ready people are for positive action and real solutions when it comes to our environmental and societal challenges. The artists’ creations live on site at our event will stimulate conversation while our own action center and year-long campaign will keep the conversation going and empower people to take action in their own lives.”
One action item Earth Day Initiative is promoting is its campaign to empower individuals across the country to support clean energy with their monthly utility bill simply by filling out a quick form online. With a few clicks of a button, people can make an ongoing real-world impact with each month’s utility bill. With community solar projects in New York City, Earth Day Initiative’s partners are building brand new rooftop solar farms in the Bronx and Queens and anyone living in the five boroughs of New York City can lease portions of the panels, allowing them to support the development of brand new renewable energy in New York City, while saving them money.
“In recent years, we’ve encountered so many people who are eager to move things in a positive direction with regard to the environment and climate change,” said Oppermann. “We’re empowering people with simple actions they can take in their own lives and also asking the public to share their own sustainability stories so that we can learn from one another and work together toward a more sustainable future.”
The Do Just 1 Thing action center will be featured at the most popular Earth Day event in the country, taking place in Union Square on Tuesday, April 23rd from 12pm – 7pm. Free and open to the public, the annual festival celebrates Earth Day and offers visitors easy, actionable ways to make more sustainable and environmentally conscious choices in their everyday lives.
Event highlights include:
A live art installation where artists will paint large-scale canvases on various environmental themes relating to the Green New Deal live on site. The art will be sold with proceeds going to support Earth Day Initiative’s year-round environmental education programs.
An Earth Day action center where people can learn about simple things they can do to make a positive green impact in their own lives and also share their own sustainability stories of environmental solutions they see or would like to see in their own communities.
Dozens of exhibitors, including green lifestyle products and services.
Live performances, talks, entertainment.
Activities for kids and adults alike.
Local food and beverage vendors.
A special zero-waste fashion art installation and sustainable fashion-focused exhibition supported by H&M.
On Monday, April 22nd, Earth Day New York will organize the 5th annual Earth Day 5K Green Tour. New Yorkers are invited to get outside and visit green organizations around the city. The tour will include a visit to a river ecology school right on the Hudson River, a zero waste office, and a rooftop farm on top of an office building, among other unique destinations. Lunch will be provided by Just Salad. The tour is a great way to get outside in advance of Earth Day to support great green sites and find out how to get involved, volunteer, and stay connected with green NYC throughout the year. For more information or to attend, visit earthday5k2019.eventbrite.com. We’ll see you there!
Short, dark days are growing longer and brighter, and it’s time to emerge from winter’s cocoon. Flanked by the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, New York’s Westchester County is a welcoming oasis for a spring retreat. Located just 30 minutes from Manhattan by car and rail, its bucolic countryside – including the acclaimed Hudson River Valley – feels eons away from the hustle of city life.
Westchester is home to some of New York’s most beautiful gardens, quaint river towns, and quiet villages. Travelers can pick up local produce at the outdoor Pleasantville Farmers Market, experience the magnificent blooms of the area’s many incredible gardens or unwind at one of the county’s exceptional accommodations, like the eco-friendly Relais & Châteaux property, Bedford Post, which is also home to farm-to-table dining. Explorers can soak up the county’s beauty with a picturesque hike or bike (North Country Trailway), kayak on the Hudson (Hudson River Recreation), fish, golf, sail, or enjoy some retail therapy at one of the county’s many high-end shopping destinations
What to Do
Adventure seekers can learn how to kayak or stand-up paddleboard at the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School. Highly trained instructors will teach the basics on select Saturdays and Sundays at Five Island Park in New Rochelle. Classes start at $25 and all equipment is provided.
The 508-acre Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson offers a host of adventure opportunities, including boating, hiking, swimming and kayaking. Fishing by sailboat, canoe or car-top carried boat is also available starting at 8 a.m. Fisherman can get their NYS fishing license in advance from the Westchester County Clerk’s office. As dusk falls, travelers can set up camp in their RV, tent or rented cabin and end their day around a campfire.
Not for the faint of heart, Anthony’s Nose in Peekskill, New York, offers a strenuous 3.5 hour hike that will reward hikers with one of the best panoramic views of the Hudson River from its peak. After the ascent, hikers will follow the white blazes of the historic Appalachian Trail downhill.
The Lyndhurst Flower & Antiques Show– April 5-7, 2019 – at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown has quickly become a spring tradition. The visually magnificent show recreates the opulent days of the Gilded Age, when Lyndhurst was decorated with flowers from the estate gardens and greenhouse. To assemble this wonderland of color and fragrance, each floral designer handcrafts a display to highlight and harmonize with the sumptuous interiors of the historic mansion. The Flower & Antiques Show is a rare opportunity for visitors to experience Lyndhurst, filled with spectacular flower arrangements, and to walk through the house at their own pace without a guided tour.
Beginning in April, South Salem’s Wolf Conservation Center will host Sleeping with Wolves. This popular nocturnal adventure experience gives guests a chance to camp out overnight with the 20+ wolves that call the conservation center home. With all the howls, circling vultures and nature’s nighttime chatter, travelers will delight in this under-the-stars campout with wild wolves.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the writing of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and the premiere of the region’s Sleepy Hollow Lit Fest. Set for May 18, this festival will extend across various venues from the historic Tarrytown Music Hall to the Burying Grounds of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. It will be a celebration of the art of writing and will showcase multiple areas of interest that connect deeply with this historic region–specifically horror, children’s books, historical and contemporary literature.
And for spring’s finale, travelers can head to Croton-on-Hudson from June 15 to 16 for The Great Hudson River Revival, also known as the Clearwater Festival. The festival features seven stages with diverse music, dance, storytelling and family-oriented programming as well as a juried handcrafters’ village, green living expo, a waterfront with small boat exhibits and rides, an artisanal food and farm market and environmental education displays and exhibits.
The dazzling gardens and bucolic grounds of Caramoor in Katonah come to life in springtime. Midweek afternoon tea service in its stunning Spanish courtyard, followed by a tour of the Rosen House, are delightful. And while its prized summer series of musical events begins June 15, there is plenty to enjoy in April and May as well, including many concerts unique to the region, ranging from cutting-edge compositions to the finest in early music on period instruments, and from orchestral and chamber masterpieces to jazz, roots and world music.
Historical mansion tours of Sleepy Hollow’s Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate resume in May. Kykuit was once home to four generations of the Rockefeller family, beginning with the philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. Now a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this extraordinary landmark has been continuously and meticulously maintained for more than 100 years. Enjoy the beautiful surrounding gardens in bloom this spring.
Where to Eat (and Drink)
The county has emerged as a hub for craft beverage enthusiasts in New York State. It continues to expand its roster of breweries and taprooms. In the last year alone, four breweries (River Outpost Brewing in Peekskill, Wolf & Warrior in White Plains, Decadent Ales in Mamaroneck and Sing Sing Kill Brewery in Ossining) opened their doors.
For travelers that gravitate to wine and cider, Westchester has both a micro winery and cideries to enjoy this spring. South Salem Winery produces small batches of hand-crafted wine in the beautiful surroundings of the Gossett Bros. Nursery. Hardscrabble Cideron Half Moon Farm and Orchard in North Salem epitomizes handcrafted, farm-to-bottle beverages with the dedication of a family-run business.
The Pub in Yonkers is the newly refurbished, high-energy sports bar at Manhattan’s closest gaming destination, Empire City Casino. Recently acquired by MGM Resorts International, the casino’s reimagined gastropub menu was created by MGM Resorts International Executive Chef Anthony Amoroso, and boasts mouthwatering fare including wings, sandwiches, burgers and more, and is complemented by an expanded beer and cocktail program curated by the company’s Corporate Mixologist Craig Schoettler.
Where to Stay
Castle Hotel and Spa in Tarrytown elevates the travel experience in more ways than one. Beginning in Manhattan, guests are treated to a 45-minute helicopter tour that showcases both the iconic city skyline and the majestic beauty of the Hudson Valley, concluding at Westchester County Airport, where guests are greeted with a luxury car to escort them to the hotel. The package includes elegant accommodations, a three-course dinner at the award-winning Equus restaurant and two 90-minute Swedish massages at the brand new SANKARA Sanctuary Spa.
Travelers may opt to unwind with a romantic stay at the eco-friendly, luxury-focused Relais & Châteaux member, Bedford Post Inn. Co-owned by Richard Gere, the charming eight-room inn is home to a yoga studio, and two distinct restaurants serving sustainable locally grown farm-to-table fare. Guests may choose from five different room layouts, most with a fireplace to enhance the cozy and romantic feel. All rooms are prepared with Frette linens and towels, and some rooms have a terrace which overlooks the wooded property. Rates this spring start at $540 per night.
With firepits for s’mores, family movies, a heated pool and a golf course, Doral Arrowwood presents an abundance of fun options for families. This spring, the hotel is offering 20% off stays and 15% off golf and dining with prices starting at $119 per night, making it an ideal location for a spring retreat with family.
Between wild and rugged coastlines, sprawling green fields and charming rural villages, the wonders of Ireland are almost always best seen from the saddle. And while cycling adventures to the Emerald Isle are certainly growing in popularity, they’re not exactly a travel style for freewheelers. For a successful ride, travelers need to know the terrain, get the right gear, and most importantly, plan ahead. Fortunately, the adventure specialists at Wilderness Ireland are experts in the realm of biking trips abroad and can provide first-time cyclists with everything from helmet to pedal.
Thinking of hopping in the saddle this year for a whirlwind, two-wheel tour? Here are 5 tips for cyclists of all skill levels preparing for their first biking trip abroad, courtesy of the expert guides at Wilderness Ireland:
1. Pick the Bike Trip That’s Best for You
“Ask yourself, first of all, what you want to get out of your bike trip in Ireland?” says Patricia Doe, Wilderness Ireland General Manager and Road Cycling Enthusiast. “Are you looking to explore a particular region, or to challenge yourself? Or do you just want an easier-paced option that allows you to explore Ireland’s nature, history and culture along the way? Understanding your reasons for taking this bike trip will help narrow down the options.
Finally, and most importantly, consider your fitness level and current biking experience. You’ll be joining a small group bike tour, so you want to pick the trip that best matches your interests and fitness level. In many cases, you will need to design a training workout to build up your cycling fitness before arriving for your tour, or else maintain your current fitness levels. So another thing to keep in mind is how long you have to get fit before deciding on which grade of trip to join.”
“Avoid buying new bike gear just before you head off on a cycling vacation,” advises Duncan Warner, Head of Wilderness Ireland Guides.
“You must make sure that your clothing fits comfortably and helps you stay at the right temperature. It’s also best not to buy new cycling shoes and pedals without testing them out at home for a while. Your first day on a cycling adventure in Ireland is not the best time to learn how to clip in and out of your shiny new pedals.”
“I would always recommend that anyone joining a group biking trip start with fitness first, so go on at least one to two rides a week whether it’s on a turbo trainer or out on the roads,” states Warner Wilders, Wilderness Ireland Guide & Fully Qualified Mountain Bike Instructor.
“Prepare yourself for your upcoming trip with some regular exercise – everything else should come after. Your equipment and gear don’t really matter if you’re not fit enough to use it!”
Up for a challenge? Bike the best of the Wild Atlantic Way (Level 7)
4. Be Prepared for a (Somewhat) Bumpy Ride!
“The vast majority of Ireland’s (more than 67,000 miles’ worth of) roads are based on ancient pathways that have crisscrossed the countryside for centuries,” says Eoin Warner, Wilderness Ireland Guide & RTE Nature Documentary Host.
In fact, the Gaelic word for ‘road’ is bóthar – bó being the Irish word for ‘cow’ – so it literally means a ‘cow-way’ (so you may even find yourself sharing these roads with cows heading home for milking)!
Ireland’s country roads are part of its charm when cycling. While biking the meandering country lanes, be sure to watch out for uneven road surfaces, sharp turns and lumbering tractors. Just remember: stay on the left and share the road!”
“Some say taking your own bike on a cycling trip is best because you can jump straight in with your old friend right away,” shares Dean McMenamin, Wilderness Ireland Guide & Long-Distance Bikepacking Expert.
“That said, it can also be a hassle with extra costs. Most airlines accept bicycles as part of excess sports luggage, but fees vary. If you do decide to take your bike on the plane with you, it will have to be packed into a bicycle box. There’s also the chance it could be damaged in transit – or even worse, not arrive with you!
If this is your first time joining a group bike trip, compromise by taking your own saddle and pedals and attaching them to a rented bike.”
Exotic Sailing Adventure is the perfect gift for the holidays
This holiday season, give a truly unique gift: an exotic sailing adventure on the Dunia Baru. A hand-crafted Indonesian sailing vessel carries guests in total luxury around remote and beautiful archipelagos. Constructed in Borneo and echoing the traditional design of Asian vessels, this luxury sailing ship sails the waters around Indonesia and the Andaman Sea. The ship carries 14 passengers, and your trip is tailored to your every whim. Current offerings include a 5– and 6–day cruises in the Komodo Archipelago or Raja Ampat.
Exotic sailing adventure on the Dunia Baru Photo by Tom van Oossanen
The five-day exotic sailing adventure in the Komodo archipelago includes observing Komodo dragons, swimming with Manta Rays, and relaxing on pristine beaches. This adventure gives you and 13 of your closest friends the opportunity to escape the modern world. Swim in warm turquoise waters, dive and snorkel among some of the most beautiful reefs on the planet, and seek out the fabled Komodo dragons. You’ll spend your days kayaking along deserted shorelines and climbing island mountains. You will sail the waters of Komodo National Park, observing exotic wildlife both above and below the water. On the island of Rinca, Komodo’s smaller neighbor, you will have the chance to walk through the dragon’s territory with a nature guide. Watersports like jet skiing, kayaking, snorkeling and diving are available.
The six-day cruise around Raja Ampat is a very special holiday which includes snorkeling among almost 1,000 species of reef fish. One third of the number of hard coral species are found in these waters.
The master suite on the Dunia Baru. Photo by Dennis Anderson
Your exotic sailing adventure has every luxury. The master suite is surrounded by large windows, and has a large bath and a private deck with a daybed and sofa. Six guest cabins are fitted with double beds and are bathed in natural light and relaxed luxury. Chefs prepare gourmet meals and guests can gather in the eat-in galley kitchen or the spacious dining area on deck.
Sailing on the Dunia Baru is truly the exotic sailing adventure of your dreams and makes the perfect holiday gift.
