Endless Opportunities at Westchester’s Ridge Hill Shopping Mall?
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Yonkers is the new home to a stunning outdoor shopping center that looks more like a gated community than a place for consumers to indulge. Ridge Hill, located down the road from Stew Leonard’s, Home Depot, and Costco, is designed to provide shoppers with a feeling as though they’ve escaped their every-day-lives to enter an oasis of endless opportunities. But, did they succeed
While I can’t guarantee you endless opportunities, I can tell you that this place does not feel like it’s anywhere near home. With elegant fountains, a charming village green, and a plethora of outdoor seating, Ridge Hill will make you feel as though you have reached a destination. As you enter the complex, you are met with a lavish apartment building that looks like it belongs in the residential part of Battery Park. Furthermore, when you pull up to Market Street, you find yourself wondering if you’ve found the newest town in Westchester.
“I feel like I’m on a movie set,” says Armonk resident, Saul Kurtz. “Every structure in the complex looks state of the art, yet this place has the charm of a small town.”
Although many storefronts still appear empty, an impressive variety of big name suppliers have already opened shop. Guys can find all the sports gear they need at Dick’s Sporting Goods, while women can find a home at prestige beauty retailer, Sephora. Anyone can find his or her cozy winter gear at places like L.L. Bean or R.E.I., and there’s always time for a quick stop at Whole Foods on the way out.
Don’t feel like cooking tonight? Not a problem. With American favorites like The Cheesecake Factory and Yard House, an upscale meal is just around the corner. If you’re staying for a meal, why not make it a date. A fully operational Cinema De Lux is open for business, and ready to entertain a shopper at the end of a long day.
“We didn’t even know the theater was here,” says local shopper and moviegoer, Andy Joseph. “My wife dragged me to the mall to pick up sweaters, and it turned into a romantic day.”
You might think the mall looks impressive now, but a promising variety of stores are set to open within the next year. Powerhouse clothing retailers like Gap, H&M, and Old Navy, as well as fashion stores like Desigual, Orvis, and Republic of Couture, are all scheduled to be open before the start of the New Year. Furthermore, culinary paradise, Sur Le Table, fashion accessories boutique, Charming Charlie, and the sensationally soothing smells of Yankee Candle are also scheduled to open prior to December 31st.
Not too bad, right? Next year, we will see a plethora of restaurants moving in like: Barbes, Brio Tuscan Grille, Elevation Burger, Havana Central, and Texas de Brazil. Lastly, in March of next year, fashion super store, Lord and Taylor, will be hoisting an impressive 80,000 square foot store to complete shopping mall with a bang.
Driving around the complex was a pleasure and walking around felt like bliss. Aside from the nuisance of the drive to an isolated part of Yonkers and the three dollars I had to fork over for parking, I could not be happier with my shopping experience. Thus, if it’s “endless opportunities” that you seek, this is probably not your place; but, if it’s a short getaway that fulfills all of your suburban needs, Westchester’s Ridge Hill is the place for you.
Author Michael Kanner is a graduate of Union College with a background in English and a passion for the written word. He worked at Scarsdale Golf Club as a tennis pro before offering his services to a private clientele, and he loves hearing constructive criticism from anyone willing to speak their mind. Michael can be contacted at [email protected]
A Grand Concours in Scarsdale Village
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The annual Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance took place Sunday October 16 in Scarsdale Village. On display were more than 125 cars, from antiques to the latest models, including this classic Jaguar XKE from the late 60s or early 70s that features a 12 cylinder engine that reaches 180mph.
Another standout entry was a vintage 1969 Good Humor truck a Ford F-250, owned by cheery Good Humor girl Kathryn Kraut. Kraut jokingly spoke about how she picked the ice cream truck over getting her PhD and has been happy with her decision ever since. The truck is an in-service Good Humor ice cream truck, originally number 73 of 101 Good Humor trucks circulating in Detroit. Except for a fresh coat of paint, everything on the truck is original, even the porcelain “Good Humor” sign. Kathryn now drives the truck on the east side of Norwalk.
Another car owner, Evan Deiman, completely rebuilt a 1930 Ford Model A into a car that looked just like new. On a whim, he
purchased an old junked Model A that had been sitting in a barn for years. In about 9 months he had it in perfect condition. He even found an American flag with 48 stars for the front of the car like the flag that flew when the car was first made.
Mayor Miriam Levitt Flisser was in town enjoying the show on the sunny afternoon. When asked about her favorite part of the car show, she said she particularly liked that it was outdoors and brings the whole town out to the village. She also says she really likes the vintage cars.
Awards were given out in thirty categories. The Scarsdale car show is a “French ruled” show, where cars are judged on overall aesthetics.
The two co-founders of the car show are Evan Cygler and Denis O’Leary III, both graduates of Scarsdale High School. They founded the car show eight years ago when they were sophomores at the high school. They said they began by making calls to local owners to see if people would come and show their cars. Now people come from all over the country to show their cars in Scarsdale Village. O’Leary said, “A lot of people helped us to dream big.” Eight years later, there is a seven-member board who runs the show and a slew of judges and car owners who come every year.
For more information visit www.scarsdaleconcours.org .
Article by Sunny Feinstein and Photos by Lindsay LeBoyer
Popham Road Bridge to Close Thursday and Friday
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The Village of Scarsdale has scheduled a complete closure of the Popham Road Bridge to vehicular traffic from 8:00 am on Sunday, October 16th to 5:00 am on Monday, October 17th. Pedestrian access over the Bridge will be maintained during this period. The Bridge will be closed so the contractor can pour the concrete deck on the north side which will require time to cure. A traffic detour has been established for the Bridge closure and we ask motorists to please follow the detour signs to avoid expected traffic delays. Drivers familiar with the area are encouraged to use alternate routes and avoid the Popham Road, Garth Road, Harney Road, and Scarsdale Avenue areas during the Bridge closure period. Efforts to minimize motorist delays have been coordinated by the Village with all contiguous municipalities and involved agencies. Police personnel will be on site to assist with traffic control. Additional advisories will be issued in the event that the closure schedule changes.
Scarsdale Has Been Well Served By the Non-Partisan System
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Here is a letter from former Scarsdale Mayor David Kroenlein: To the Editor: During recent months substantive discussions have arisen about the structure of the candidate selection process and elections in Scarsdale’s Non-Partisan System. I urge Scarsdale’s citizens to use these discussions to appreciate more fully the benefits of this unique system for selection of our elected officials, under both the Scarsdale Citizens’ Nominating Committee and the School Board Nominating Committee, and not let the discussions of March’s Village elections and proposed changes to the rules governing the Village selection process evolve into an attack on the system.
Based on my 40 years in Scarsdale and participation in Village government, I believe that the Non-Partisan System has served Scarsdale very well over many years by bringing highly qualified volunteers into leadership positions in our Village and School District without the necessity of engaging in a traditional election campaign. Because we generally have not had divisive political processes, persons have been selected to serve on our boards and councils, where much of the hard work of Scarsdale policy development and governance occurs, based on interests and abilities, not politics. These individuals have been able to function effectively, focusing on the community’s best interests instead of political interests. We have enjoyed the benefits of strong professional leadership from our Village Managers and Superintendents of Schools that is not buffeted by political influence. Clearly our debates have reflected significant differences of views, but the elected officials and appointed boards and councils are able to seek the best path for the Village and School District without having the next election in their sights. I suggest that we see enough of this in our daily news reports on our national leadership.
At first blush the system may sound undemocratic and restrictive. To be sure, very low voter turnout in the selection processes for persons who serve on the nominating committees means that a limited number of residents participate in the election process, but that does not necessarily create a non-democratic result. All residents have the opportunity to seek positions on the nominating committees or vote for their neighbors who are doing so. I hope that the nonparticipation in the election process is not a result of apathy or frustration but rather primarily a reflection that Scarsdale’s governmental institutions work so effectively that our residents do not feel compelled to participate in the selection process. Given the large number of highly qualified persons who volunteer their time in support of Scarsdale activities, I believe that we achieve broad-based governance.
I urge new residents and residents who are not familiar with the Non-Partisan System to read former Mayor Grady Jensen’s essays at http://scarsdalecitizensparty.com/history.htm, the League of Women Voters description at http://www.lwvs.org/villageschoolelections.htm , the Procedure Committee’s website at http://www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org and the School Board Nominating Committee’s website at http://scarsdalesbnc.com . This material is relatively brief but will provide interested persons with good background information. I also urge our residents to participate in the selection process and to volunteer to work in the numerous parts of our Village and School District organizations to see first hand the benefits of our Non-Partisan System.
David Kroenlein, Scarsdale
Nature's Way
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Have you seen this feathered friend in your neighborhood? Residents on Oxford Road spotted this oversized bird on their lawn in August and I recently saw him again, strutting around a yard at the corner of Oxford and Park Roads. From my vantage point he looked to be almost 4 feet tall when standing upright. Quite a sight. Please send us your guess of just what kind of bird it is in the comment section below … and If you see any unusual visitors in your neighborhood, snap a photo and send it to scarsdalecomments@gmail to share with our readers.
In other natural news, the traffic island at the intersection of Colvin Road and Greenacres Avenue is looking lovely this time of year, with purple asters in bloom and the sedum turned to a deep red hue. The project benefitted from a generous donation of mulch from Val Landry of Community Tree Surgery in Hastings on Hudson. If you need your trees trimmed, call them for a quote at 914-478-2124.
Also – as you will see, there is more mulch on the island than needed. Greenacres residents are invited to take some mulch for their own gardens from the island.
In response to the post about the turkey, Wayne Aaron of Oxford Road sent in the following comment and photo:
"Looks to be a wild turkey. It's been around for a while. Neighbors up and down Park Road have seen it for a while, at least since early summer. He seemed to have disappeared for a week or so when the weather got cold, but was back again earlier this week, maybe Monday. There was also some suggestion that he migrated south of Mamaroneck Road, but then came back. I find him on my driveway pretty often. We haven't named him yet. :)" Here he is on my roof a few weeks ago. Seems wild turkeys can fly.
Another Park Road man sent in this terrific close-up of the turkey strutting through his yard:
And Fern Nadel forwarded us this close-up of the brazen bird:
