Visit the Real NYC Part 1 - Riverdale

One might think that when a traveler comes home he or she does is sit and hibernate until their next trip. Well, not this traveler. One of the advantages of living in NYC is that I can spend a lot of time being a traveler in my own city. There are so many things to do and explore right outside my door. 

It is my goal to write this traveler blog to showcase parts of NY that people don't always think about visiting. Everyone writes about Mid-town, Times Square, The Village, hell they even write about Williamsburg. But there is not a lot written most of the outer boroughs, or Manhattan north of 116th street. You know, the places where most REAL New Yorkers live.

So this will be a place to read about my favorite places, the places I've discovered. So let's start with my home neighborhood - Riverdale.


Riverdale - 

Riverdale  (see map) is the neighborhood that in the North-west corner of the Bronx. (that is only borough actually attached to the mainland). There are three main reasons I would travel to Riverdale.

wikipedia.org

Van Cortland Park -  (see map)  sits at the northern end of the #1 subway line. This is one of the larger parks in NYC. It is home one of the most famous Cross-country running courses in the country. Runners come from all over the Northeast to compete on a courses that includes almost 1.5 miles of flats with some of the most challenging hills on a standard 5K course. The park also includes a skating rink in the winter, a pool in the summer, Soccer, baseball/softball  and cricket fields, along with the first two public golf courses in the country.

sensationalcolor.com

Wave Hill - (web site) is a former estate of that has housed Mark Twain, Teddy Rooseveldt, Arturo Tuscanini and the British delegation to the UN. Today is a culture and environmental education center. It sits on the Bronx side of the Palisades looking out over the Hudson river and the NJ Palisades. It houses several organized gardens and hosts literary, music, and artistic events and classes.

Taken from my living room window.

Some of the most amazing views in NYC - Riverdale is the highest spot in the Bronx. As such it has some amazing views. Living on the 19th floor of a building that sits at the highest point in Riverdale makes these views even better.


 Most of all Riverdale is neighborhood. a place where people live, eat, work and play. It is the kind of place that most tourist books ignore, but that is well worth visiting and hanging out in.