Wave Hill

What do you do when it's 33 degrees with 78% humidity in Manhattan? Run for the hills - or the beach. In my case, I ran for the upper Hudson to visit an amazingly underrated National Trust property called Wave Hill.

Situated in the Bronx, right at the end of the number 1 subway line and then a good walk or cab drive, Wave Hill is perched overlooking the Hudson River. It features 28 acres of spectacular gardens including woodland, age-old trees, flower gardens, herb gardens, a conservatory and stunning vistas across the river to the Palisades.

The actual house at Wave Hill was built as a country home by jurist William Lewis Morris in 1843. It went through a succession of owners and hosted guests such as Mark Twain, Arturo Toscanini and Teddy Roosevelt. In 1960 it was deeded to the City of New York. Today, its mission is to "celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve its magnificent views and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts."

For the average city dweller, it offers a welcome respite from the melting asphalt and smell of rotting trash. Take a book, your ipod and a blanket, and lie in the shade of a century old oak whilst watching the barges move slowly along the Hudson.

Images: 7: bridge and tunnel club, 1-6, 8-9: mine

Building Blocks

The other day, I decided to do a hike through Van Cortland Park up in the Bronx. It is one of New York's largest park at over 1000 acres that spans wetlands, recreation fields, forests and the oldest house in the Bronx. But of all the things I was expecting to stumble upon, it certainly wasn't this random row of stone pillars:

No, they're not commemorative stones or oversized head stones. It turns out these were test piles of stone for eventual use to build Grand Central Station!

Apparently, at the beginning of last century, the New York Central Railroad under Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt,  set up these pillars of thirteen different types of stone quarried from around the country. Stone samples were sent to this location from quarries across the northeast of the country, as part of an experiement to determine the most durable stone for the facade of Grand Central (opened in 1913). In the end, they chose the stone that was the cheapest to transport along their rail lines - Indiana limestone (the 2 pillars closes to you). And with that decision, they built one of the most beautiful and iconic railways stations in the world.

Images: fancy for nyc, mine, new york state search, go nyc

Pelham Bay Park

Today was a heavenly 23 degree spring day. It called for a hike through Pelham Bay Park way up in the Bronx.

Pelham Bay Park is the largest park in NY. It offers 2,700 acres of forest, wetlands, rocky coastline and a lovely Long Island Sound beach. Unfortunately my excitement at visiting this enormous park was a little premature, as the trees hadn't even started budding. But I had a great history lesson, learnt alot about the importance of rocks and had an even bigger lesson on the total disregard people in the Bronx have for nature.

First up was Glover's Rock. This giant stone marks the spot of a pivotal battle against the British in 1776. When Washington and his army evacuated NYC after the Battle of Harlem Heights, the British landed thousands of troops and cannons not far from this spot in Pelham Bay Park. The British General, Sir William Howe, had a cunning plan to intercept Washington's underfed, underarmed and dispirited troops retreating along the Bronx River. But sadly for Howe, a certain Colonel John Glover and 800 of his merry men confronted the British and acted as a barrier between the far superior British soldiers and Washington's weak and weary army. Although seriously outnumbered, Glover's men inflicted great casualties on the Brits, and Washington and his army were able to get away. This historical moment is now commemorated by a rock!

Next up, some lovely lagoons and marshes that were once home to the Siwanoy Indians. 9000 acres of this once rich aquatic hunting ground was purchased from the Native Americans by a Mr Pell in 1654.

The trail then wound through what will be in a few months, leafy forest containing oaks and chestnuts, then onto another important rock.

The Siwanoys named this rock "Gray Mare" and it was very scared to them. Apparently this glacial rock was carried to this spot and left here when the ice sheet receded all those millennia ago. However, I'm sure that when the Siwanoys were worshipping this rock in the 1600's, they didn't pollute the marshes nearby like the present natives seem to do.

On the stretch home, the path follows the rocky coastline and you get wonderful views over Long Island Sound along with a lovely blast of salt air. Not sure why, but my camera decided to get artistic at this point in the walk. These following shots all have a blue wash over them. Maybe the camera was as excited as I, to see the sea.

Finally, the forest and coastline end at the fabulous mile long Orchard Beach. Absolutely heaving in summer, it was lovely and empty today.

Whilst I enjoyed this 7 mile hike, I think I will return in late summer when the park looks more like this. It looks like a completely different place:

Images: 13, 14, 15)  andrew cusack, nature calendar, nycgovparks