Category Archives: Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet)

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Four Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents: “It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ-Be A Tourist in your own Town” at Bergen Community College November 30th, 2022

My students continue to dazzle me every semester.

I have been teaching “Marketing 201” at Bergen Community College for several years now and in the era of COVID, it has been especially difficult. With businesses shutting down never to reopen getting students to understand that business must go on and pivot is a difficult thing to do. You have to learn to adapt and survive or else everything fails.

This is happening in small downtowns all over the country. You have to learn to adapt, or you will fail. Things have gotten better though with the dropping of the mask mandates and businesses opening up.

In my live classes, I open my consulting company, “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.”, for business and the whole class bands together and we have one big project. In the era of post-COVID and online learning, I was lucky that I was able to teach one of the live classes on the Bergen Community College, Paramus Campus. It was such a pleasure welcoming students back to campus with live lectures and conversing with them.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. corporate logo of the six trees

Contact Us

In the past, I have created these projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO & Co-Founder of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

This semester’s project “It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ: Being a Tourist in your own Town” was inspired by the success of the “Take me back to Paterson, NJ” project in 2019 and “Rocking it in Rutherford” in 2021. I loved how the students really had to learn about the history of the City of Paterson, the Borough of Rutherford and about New Jersey history in general. This is something not being taught in schools today.

The blog on Day One Hundred and Fifty-Five: “Take me back to Paterson, NJ” in 2019:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/11226

The blog on Day Two Hundred and Thirty-Four: “Rocking it in Rutherford: Be a Tourist in your own Town”:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/23377

I chose Westwood, NJ this semester because of all the years spent shopping and eating in Westwood with my family who live in the Township of Washington the next town over and many of the long term businesses that dot the downtown shopping district. Downtown Westwood had more of a history to it and was picturesque with its old buildings, classic look of the train station dominating the downtown and a park with a band stand in Veterans Park in the heart of the downtown. It was a traditional downtown in New Jersey.

The town is on two major bus routes one into New York City as well as being a railroad head for New York City. The town has become more desirable for people moving out of New York City for more open space, better schools and the amenities that come with living in the suburbs. They still want a ‘citified’ atmosphere though with good restaurants, clean safe parks to relax in and a strollable downtown with lots to offer for both shopping and eating. Westwood, NJ has all of these.

I assembled the project together in two days after walking the downtown several times getting inspiration of how to market it and ideas that I had seen in the past in other towns of what they run at various times of the year drawing ideas from towns in the Hudson River Valley.

I entitled the project “It’s Wonderful in Westwood: Being a tourist in your own Town”, a creative approach to market the downtown for tourists to come visit from all over New Jersey and New York especially the City, the way Rhinebeck and Beacon do for dining, shopping and special events like “First Monday’s” and “Sinterklaas”.

The Project “It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ: Be a Tourist in your own Town”:

BCC-Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. 2022 Project It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ

When I presented the project, I got the usual moans and groans from some of the students and excitement from the others (it all depends on their position in the company and their enthusiasm in group projects). I got the Teams organized, had them meet up with one another and exchange emails and planned my field trip to Westwood, NJ as part of the project. It took some doing.

Two weeks later, I took my class on a field trip to Westwood, NJ to walk the downtown business district, to see where the Westwood Heritage Museum was located and to visit the shops and restaurants in the downtown area. The week in between me presenting the project and us visiting Westwood, NJ, I started to make contacts in the town.

I started by dropping off a copy of the project with City Hall and hoping to get the Mayor and Council involved the way we did in both Paterson and Rutherford, talking with the head of the Chamber of Commerce and then talking to merchants who I wanted to visit that included Hartly’s, a well known Women’s Store and Conrad’s, a very well-known Ice Cream and Candy store.

We really lucked out the day of the tour. It was a beautiful day but a little windy. We started out at the bandstand which is a symbol of the town. I never realized the historical significance that the bandstand had played in the town and in it’s history. It had been an important part of the social fabric of the town during the turn of the last century and still used for concerts today.

We were joined by the Honorable Beth Dell, the President of the Westwood Town Council and I thought this was a very nice honor that the town wanted to get involved in the beginning of the project. We really had a productive afternoon.

The tour of the downtown started in Veterans Park with the Team trying to figure out on how to create some of the activities that we would be creating such as the “Halloween in the Park”, the “Nick in Time” event and the “Jazz Summer Concert” events. We used the parks layout and logistics to figure out how to configure the usage of space. Before we toured the historic train station, we took our first in a series of corporate pictures.

Our Group picture at the Westwood Bandshell at the start of the tour (Councilwoman Dell and I to the right)

We continued on to the historic Westwood Train Station, which is the home to the Westwood Heritage Museum one day a month. It had not been operating recently because of COVID but I wanted the students to see the potential in how the museum could be updated and advertised to increase traffic.

The Train Station marker in Veterans Park

We toured the station and looked over the architecture and location of the station to understand why the location of the station has helped shape the way the downtown has been built around it.

The historic Westwood, NJ Train Station

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westwood_station_(NJ_Transit)

The next part of the tour, we met with the head of the Westwood Chamber of Commerce at his business, Westwood Gallery, Michael Fitzsimmons. Mr. Fitzsimmons and I had met the week before and I knew how busy he would be so we had to plan the whole visit on a timely basis.

Westwood Gallery at 10 Westwood Avenue

Custom Framing and Fine Art, Bergen County New Jersey

Not only did he spend a lot of time with us but introduced the class to members of ‘Celebrate Westwood”, a group of volunteers who help organize special events in the town. Talk about a productive and very engaging conversation on what both organizations do for the benefit of the town. The students, especially the Executive and Marketing Teams, gained a lot of knowledge and expertise from it.

The Westwood Chamber of Commerce:

Celebrate Westwood:

https://www.celebratewestwood.org/

Our second stop on the tour was a quick one through B & S Kitchen, an innovative sandwich shop a few doors down. I had just eaten lunch there the week before and thought that the food and selection of homemade soups were excellent. With a lunch special of a half a sandwich with a side of soup for $9.95, I saw this as an excellent business decision considering the quality of the food and service. It was so busy that morning the owners did not have a chance to talk to us but I was able to share my experience with the students while visiting there.

B & S Kitchen at 48 Westwood Avenue

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46923-d25074444-Reviews-B_S_Kitchen-Westwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Our third stop on the tour was Hartly Fashion women’s store, which I think is one of the finest independent women’s clothing stores in the state. For a small store, it has some of the finest merchandise for work, parties and weddings. The service they have does not exist in stores anymore where salespeople will call you when items come in and will work with you on a personal one on one basis. Hartly is in a league all its own.

Hartly Fashion at 104 Westwood Avenue

The manager, Jo and I had talked about the tour and I could tell she was a bit sceptical when I mentioned it but myself and the students came in, she captured the students attention on what quality and customer service meant to people. Especially when she described women travelling from places like Long Island, Manhattan and Connecticut to come shop in the store.

With pride, we walked through the store and were given a very detailed description on the type of customer that shopped here, what she was looking for in clothes and the attention to detail she would get in the shopping experience. It was a real eye-opener to many of the students who are completely online shoppers.

We walked the rest of the Downtown to Firemen’s Park and I discussed the pride that the town takes in its fire service and described my own time on the fire service and what a park like this means to the fire fighting community.

We toured the other side of Westwood Avene, the main street of the downtown and I discussed the amount of men’s and women’s clothing and accessory stores in the downtown area. You do not see this many clothing stores in one concentration in a downtown anymore being so close to the amount of malls we have in Bergen County. Westwood had become a destination for shopping and I discussed because of quality merchandise and good customer service these stores have thrived and propersed. To some of students, I could see this was alien to them. They were a generation where you pushed the button and it came to you.

I stopped by Pompilio’s Pizzeria at 223 Westwood Avenue to check on our lunch reservation on our way back to the train station. This is where I would be taking the Team for lunch that afternoon. With that taken care of, we made our last stop of the trip at Conrad’s Ice Cream and Candy store at 107 Westwood Avenue. I could tell for the students that was the best part of the tour. The owner Connie and the manager, Sue and the rest of the staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating to the students.

Conrad’s Confectionery at 107 Westwood Avenue

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46923-d4440175-Reviews-Conrad_s_Confectionery-Westwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

I just thought we would have a little talk on the history of the business and a small walk through but the ladies really gave the students a thorough talk on not just the history of the business but on how homemade ice cream and candy are both made (they are made on premise), how the family got involved in the business, how Connie’s son has now taken over the business and has been growing it, new product developments and how they handled COVID era shopping and how it changed the way the business is run (they now have food trucks for parties and events).

The ladies led a very engaging talk with the students, let them tour around the store and Sue ended the discussion with giving each student a small package of Conrad’s homemade caramel corn. I have never seen so many excited students! You would have thought they won the lottery. The students left so happy and I thought this was a very smart business move. Start to capture the customer while they are in the store. I found out later that many students revisited the store throughout the project.

The Conrad’s Ice Cream counter

The students used Conrad’s as the inspiration as for corporate gifts

We finished the tour with lunch at Pompilio’s Pizzeria at 223 Westwood Avenue. I have been coming to Pompilio’s Pizzeria since I was a freshman in high school when my aunt and uncle took us here for dinner when we were visiting them one summer. I also knew that they had ordered here a few times when we visited the house. Funny what you remember when you were a kid. The pizza is just as excellent as it was back in the 1980’s.

Pompilio’s Pizzeria at 223 Westwood Avenue

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46923-d4643410-Reviews-Pompilio_s_Pizzeria_Restaurant-Westwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

As tradition with the Town projects that make up the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. umbrella, I break bread with the students and this is my way of getting them to know one another. I found this very successful when we went to the Lunch Box in Paterson, NJ (now closed) as a group during our walking tour of Downtown Paterson and found it effective in Team building. I also get to know the students as well.

I ordered six large Cheese Pizzas and pitchers of soda and we just relaxed and reviewed our walking tour of the downtown area and how to better promote it for the town. The Team sat with their groups and brainstormed ideas over lunch. In the middle of lunch, the owner of Pompilio’s came out and discussed his family business with us and how his father’s family came from Italy and how they started the business in Westwood. I thought it was nice of the owner to come out and spend time with us seeing that he was so busy that afternoon. It was nice to see the merchants support this project.

The students created this new logo for the Town of Westwood, NJ:

The logo that was created for Westwood, NJ for ‘It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ: Be a Tourist in your own Town”

During class time, I tried to give the students as much time as I could but much of the work was done outside the classroom. Being a Hybrid class, I had to train the students to realize that class was not just in the one hour and fifteen minutes that we had in the classroom. This was lecture time and they needed to understand the theory of what they were doing, why they were doing it and how to understand the outcome. Most of them did very well in the academic part of the work.

The Saturday before the presentation, I took the students on a optional tour of the Westwood Heritage Museum, which is located in the Train Station of Westwood, NJ the second Saturday of every month. The Westwood Heritage Society sets the station up for visiting from 10:00am-12:00pm and I met the students at 10:30am at the museum. My entire Historical Team showed up along with about five other students which meant about half the class showed up.

Westwood Heritage Museum

https://www.facebook.com/hfwhalen/

The displays at the Westwood Heritage Society Museum in the Train Station

Westwood Heritage Society displays

The members of the Westwood Heritage Society gave us a tour of the museum, explained how it worked and how they set things up each month. Then they gave us a talk on the history of the town and the historical attributes of the downtown. The students got a feel for how the museum worked and how we could better promote it to the outside community.

The tour concluded with visit to the WWII bunker at the bottom of the train station. Both myself and the students were equally impressed by this.

As we prepared for the final touches on the presentation, the student Executives were nervous about the presentation. I had a very good Executive so I was not worried. I just wanted a good representation from the town.

We had to delay the presentation twice. Once because the Town Council asked if we would like to present it at City Hall and the Council was going to a conference the day of our presentation. Then it was delayed again because the day we were supposed to present it, it was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and even I did not realize that we had the day off. So presentation day would be when we returned back from the Thanksgiving break, November 30th, 2022.

The day of the presentation I got there early so that I could set the room up for the presentation. I had the Reception to set up and make sure that everything in the room was working. My President and Senior Vice-President of Operations arrived early as well and then most of the Team showed up much earlier than class time. They wanted to get their groups settled in.

I also had to give the students their Dress Code grade and I have to say that I was annoyed when I saw two students wearing sneakers to the presentation. Trust me, they were graded accordingly. Every semester it is the same thing, the ladies always blow away the men.

We were joined that afternoon with Council President the Honorable Councilwoman Beth Dell, the Borough Administrator and another Councilwoman plus two members of the Westwood Heritage Museum whom we had met on a trip to the museum the previous Saturday. I thought it was very nice of all of them to come out and support the students.

The Presentation:

The Town Logo

The Historic Walking Project

The Town Song that was created and performed by student/songwriter Arnav Sharma

This is the presentation that everyone saw that afternoon:

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. “It’s Wonderful in Westwood: Be a Tourist in your own Town” website and Powerpoint presentation:

The Marketing 201 Executive Team the day of the Presentation on the Bergen Community College Paramus Campus with the Council women from Westwood, NJ:

The Paramus Executive Team for “It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ-Be a Tourist in your own Town” with Council members and guests.

The full Executive Team with members of Westwood City Council and members of the Westwood Heritage Society Museum

CEO and company Co-Founder Justin Watrel receiving a gift of a Conrad’s Chocolate Champagne bottle presented to him by Team Leader of Talent, Eva Sipos, of the Paramus Team.

The Commercials:

Here is the Team’s video Marketing the Town for Tourism in English and Spanish:

The Historical Team was tasked with creating a new video to promote the Historical Section of Westwood, NJ:

The Historical Team created this video to promote the Westwood Heritage Museum:

The Team created a new Town song for Westwood, NJ “The Hub”:

This is the Team Presentation of “It’s Wonderful in Westwood-Be a Tourist in your own Town” to the Honorable members of the Westwood Town Council and the Westwood Heritage Museum:

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

This was one of the smoother presentations that I have had in the last two or three semesters. The students did an excellent job with the presentation. We had enough time for a question and answer session before the students had to leave for their next classes. Being an one hour class, we had to stay on a strict schedule. This differs from my night classes.

Still it was one hell of a presentation!

The Team to finish out their project arranged a company Christmas party for Corporate Headquarters. The students had to create an Invitation to the Party, A Christmas Poem, the Party Dinner menu and an original Christmas song. Here are the ideas:

The Christmas Project: Quiz Four:

Here is their Team Video for Christmas:

The Team was tasked to create a new Christmas song for the company:

Remember “It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ”.

Alexis Bittar Store 125 Greenwich Avenue New York, NY 10014

Don’t miss the beauty and elegance of the Alexis Bittar stores.

The inside of the Alexis Bittar store in Greenwich Village

The elegant window displays at the store.

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

Alexis Bittar Store

125 Greenwich Avenue

New York, NY 10014

(917) 365-5718

https://www.alexisbittar.com/

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-6:00pm/Monday-Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

There are just some stores that stand out when you walk by them. Whether it is the merchandise in the window, the store displays or just window display itself that draws you inside. This is how the Alexis Bittar store is 125 Greenwich Street in Greenwich Village. It is just so impressive from the elegant displays in the window, the beautiful merchandise in the displays and when you walk in the very personal service and attention you receive. You do not see this much anymore.

Alexis Bittar at 125 Greenwich Avenue

What drew me in initially was the beautiful window displays which are surprisingly hiding under the scaffolding of the building which is being renovated.

The windows at Alexis Bittar showcase all the beautiful merchandise

The elegant styles of…

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Rosecrans 7 Greenwich Avenue New York City, NY 10014

Don’t miss this wonderful little shop in the heart of Greenwich Village.

Don’t miss visiting Rosecrans in Greenwich Village on a warm day for a drink and pastry and people watching.

Inside and out you can admire beautiful flowers

Don’t miss a relaxing breakfast at Rosecrans of Scrambled eggs with Chives and Cheddar on sourdough bread and a sweet Teddy Madeline on the side with freshly squeezed Orange juice. The breakfast I had recently was delicious.

For lunch, do not miss their Three Cheese Grilled Cheese with a Fresh Ice Tea. It is the perfect meal.

The quiet corner to dine in the store.

The amazing Three Cheese Grilled Cheese sandwich.

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

Rosecrans

7 Greenwich Avenue

New York City, NY 10014

(646) 504-6864

https://www.facebook.com/people/Rosecrans/100063571299072/

https://www.instagram.com/rosecrans/?hl=en

Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d19402656-Reviews-Rosecrans-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The outside of Rosecran’s Florist Shop and Cafe in late October 2022

Ever since I started Graduate School at New York University, I walk to school every day from Port Authority to the Greenwich Village to get exercise and clear my head before classes start. This gives me a chance to walk around the Village and explore the shops and all the wonderful concepts that people are developing in their stores with creative merchandising and wonderful window displays. What lured me into Rosecran’s was all the beautiful floral displays in the window and the beautiful little cafe that was outside that seemed to be popular with the locals in the neighborhood.

The entire outside of the store was surrounded by flowers and plants and on a warm September or…

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Abracadabra NYC 19 West 21st Street New York, NY 10010

For things that go bump in the night, Abracadabra is the place for you!

The front of the store comes to life with all sorts of things that go bump in the night.

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

Abracadabra NYC

19 West 21st Street

New York, NY 10010

(212) 627-5194

https://abracadabranyc.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AbracadabraNYC

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-7:00pm/Monday-Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d15010693-Reviews-Abracadabra_NYC-New_York_City_New_York.html

Abracadabra at 19 West 21st Stree

Abracadabra right before Halloween is an experience into itself

Ghosts and Ghouls greet you when you enter the store

Abracadabra is one of those stores that just stands out when you walk in. Every day is Halloween when you walk in the door and everything is there to shock and amaze you. It is a interesting blend of theater, imagination and creativity that makes the store come to life. Even the staff walk around in masks and costumes showing off the merchandise. Many I am sure are actors and artists using their own sense of style to show the costumes off.

Abracadabra is no ordinary store

There is no lack of interesting costumes to try on or accessories to match them…

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OOH Baby by Anika Ignozzi 266 West 37th Street (formerly at 21 Greenwich Avenue New York, NY 10014

*Bloggers note: the store has now moved to a new space at 266 West 37th Street. There are now even more new creations to admire on the racks.

I love the vibrant feel of this store and the interesting art and on top of all that the artist is really nice. Talk about talent!

The entrance of Ooh Baby really calls you in.

It’s the combination of art, clothing and music that makes this a true shopping experience!

I love the way the artist decorates her space

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

OOH Baby by Anika Ignozzi

21 Greenwich Avenue

New York, NY 10014

https://oohbabybyanika.com/

https://www.facebook.com/oohbabyy/

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-7:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Thursday 1:00pm-7:00pm/Friday-Saturday 12:00pm-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

I don’t know what made me walk into Ooh Baby by Artist Anika Ignozzi at 21 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Village but I was curious because of the colors and designs I could see from the window. I met the artist who was hard at work that afternoon and introduced myself as a student at NYU. She looked up and said that she was thinking of taking some business classes at the school.

I looked at her and said that she looked like she already found her calling and made a successful business of it. She was already doing what most business students want to be doing, creating a business, finding their passion in it and making money at it. I told her she was already…

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Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Four Attending the Cornell vs Columbia Football game and then the Sy Katz Parade to the Cornell Club “Hail, All Hail, Cornell” November 19th, 2022 (again November 23rd, 2024)

Do you know how horrible it is to lose to Columbia University in football? It’s when you lose to them by over twenty points. Both of our teams were 5-4 and the team that won not only won the Empire State Award (big deal) but had a winning record. I knew that we were in trouble when we fell behind 21-0.

Getting ready for the game

It was finally jubilant when we scored a touchdown and then it was 21-7. It was just meant to be as we fell behind again and again. The worst was toward the end of the game when we were at 38-22 and we kicked an onside kick. That is always a big mistake because it always ends with the other team getting a touchdown. Columbia got a touchdown immediately and the final score was 45-22. That was embarrassing.

The end of the game Columbia 45-Cornell 22 not our best game

It had been a nice afternoon in the stadium with clear blue skies and the weather was cool and crisp at between 48 to 50 degrees. I could not believe the crowd of alumni at the game. Even though Columbia is considered our rival I never took it much as a rivalry.

Cornell Alumni filling the stands at Columbia; we always outnumber them

Both of our teams in all the years that I have been coming to the game have not been that good. It’s just nice to go to a game and cheer someone on. It amazes me how every year no matter who wins we have more people in the stands than Columbia does.

It was beautiful in the stadium as long as the sun was out (then we got cold as darkness came)

Preparing to enter the stadium with great hopes of a blowout against Columbia

We came out so enthusiastic and ready to play ball, but it just did not look good when we could not score on the first play. We just did not look like we have a game plan. Then Columbia just kept scoring on us.

The start of the game

Even at half time, our band could not play on the field because one of the alumni said that they had a hazing problem at the Columbia band (which is so small I do not know what type of problems that they could have) and they banned them from campus. Then they banned other Ivy League teams from playing on their field as well. Let me put it this way, it was not the most exciting game. If it had not been for the group of alumni behind me cracking jokes and having fun, I would have been bored. The game became subdued when they left at the beginning of fourth quarter.

Going in for our first touchdown Columbia 21-Cornell 7

What also got to me was that it got dark in the stadium early. By the end of third quarter, the sun really moved across the sky, and it not only got dark, but it started to get cold in the stadium as well. For most of the game, it was clear, sunny and crisp and was pleasant in the stadium.

Going in for our third touchdown Columbia 38-Cornell 22

Then I noticed how fast the sun was moving in the sky and you could feel the evening chill. It must have dropped fifteen degrees by the time we left the stadium at the end of the game.

The last play of the game

After the game was over, I headed down to the Cornell Club on West 44th Street for the Annual Sy Katz Parade. In previous years, I had seen complete subway cars filled with alumni leaving the game. This time around there were only a handful of us on the Number One downtown. I thought that was strange.

Our teams are civil even after a loss

When I got to Rockefeller Center where the parade traditionally begins there was no one there. The two couples I came downtown with were there but then they disappeared. After waiting for about a half hour, I headed down to the Cornell Club on East 44th Street to see what was going on.

The end of the game

When I got to the club, I found out that they had to change the route of the parade due to permit problems and we started in front of One Vanderbilt Avenue between Grand Central Terminal and the office building in the plaza. It was funny to hear that somehow the two busses of band members and alumni heading back to campus got lost somewhere in New Jersey and had to head back into Manhattan. So, the rest of the alumni had to wait in Vanderbilt Plaza in the cold until they arrived about a half hour later. Then the fun began.

Preparing for the Sy Katz Parade in Vanderbilt plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue outside Grand Central Terminal

The Cornell Marching Band really got everyone revved up and the Cornell Cheerleaders and Dance Team really got everyone in the spirit (even though we got our asses kicked earlier in the day) and we had a good time as we made our way up Vanderbilt Avenue. We ended at the entrance of the Cornell Club on East 44th Street.

The Cornell Marching Band preparing for the parade from Vanderbilt Avenue

Cornell Alumni marching in the parade

Alumni marching to the Cornell Club where the pep rally is held every other year

The Band played all the school fight songs, the Alumna Mater and then traditional fight songs from the games. Since I was not an undergraduate at Cornell (I went for the PDP Graduate Program), I never learned the songs. I have to watch the YouTube videos on “On the Shores of Lake Cayuga” to learn the words. It has taken years to perfect it. Not like the Spartan songs from Michigan State (we were also having a bad football year) and I will do not know all the words to “MSU Shadows”.

Cornell School Song

‘Give my Regards to Davey’ (I never got this song)

The alumni were all excited and joined in the singing of the songs, watching the band hold their own traditions with marches and songs and then Sy Katz’s daughter, Alice, gave a speech in front of the club to wish everyone well. Her and her family were so happy that so many people came out to the parade. She and her family greeted the crowd so warmly that the alumni cheered her on as well. It was a nice crowd of enthusiastic people who sang and cheered.

Alice Katz welcoming the crowds at the Cornell Club on East 44th Street

Someone shot this at the parade in 2022

The Parade in 2018 pre-COVID

Our mascot also sang and danced at the parade

After the parade was over and most of the Alumni left for the evening, I joined everyone else in the Cayuga Room for a post-Alumni Tailgate dinner. It was really nice but I have to admit that the food tasted like it had been sitting for a bit.

The Hot Chicken Wings and the fresh salads were the best part of the tailgate

The Hamburger Sliders were hard and the buns crunched when you bit into them. The Chicken Fingers were good but tepid. The rest of the food was wonderful. They had two green salads, a Chili Bar with sides, a Meatball dish with a sweet sauce, a vegetarian sandwich and the best were the Hot Chicken Wings which were the best I have tasted in a while. We ended up going through two trays of those while I was in the room eating.

The sliders had been under the heat lamp or the warmer too long

For dessert, they had assorted cookies and brownies with tea, coffee and hot chocolate which was perfect when I was trying to warm up after it being so cool outside.

The desserts at the club are always wonderful

As I talked with other Alumni, I was amazed that I was the only one at my side of the table who went to the game. Everyone else had come in for the parade and tailgate. The one thing everyone said to me at the table when I discussed us getting our asses kicked was “You went to the Game?” I then replied, “Didn’t you?” and it was the same answer, “No, I do not go to that.” I took it as the alumni that went to the game were not the same ones that went to the parade. Oh well!

I had a wonderful time and it was so nice to have this event since the last time in 2018. So it will be until 2024 the next time I go again. I could not believe that I have been coming to this for over a decade.

I’m the dedicated Alumni! Go Red!!!!!

Game Day November 2024:

Another great disappointment as we played lousy again and lost 17-9. It really was not much of a game. It boggles my mind that we have so many Alumni come out for the game, and we still always lose. We have so much promise with a new coach and a new way of playing the game. This was the last game of the season, and it was not much of a season. When we got blown out by Colgate who was 0-3 and lost the next two games after us, I knew we were in trouble. To beat Yale and Princeton, their teams must have been pretty bad. Still, I love this game.

Inwood Park foliage was beautiful, it is in the City, and I love the Sy Katz Parade and the tailgate afterwards. It is worth the money and the trip into the City and up to Inwood Park. The sad part is the team itself. We never win. In the last three times I have com to the game in six years, we have never won this rivalry game and that makes the tailgate more depressing. The funny part is that most of the people who come to the tailgate go to the Sy Katz Parade and never the game.

The Muscato Marsh the day of the game

Even with the wildfires in this area, the foliage was still so beautiful in Muscato Marsh, which is right next to Baker Field and in Inwood and Isham Park.

Isham Park in the early morning of the game

The stairs leading to Isham Park

I got uptown with just enough time to walk around the neighborhood for a bit and get some nice pictures of the foliage.

Isham Park

Video of the Band arriving outside the stadium:

The day started out pretty gloomy and cool as a much needed rain storm finally passed by. The sun would start to peak our around half time creating a typical Fall day for football.

The Alumni and parents staying to fill the stands at Baker Stadium that afternoon

Looking down on the field before the start of the game

I hate to say it but it is a bit pathetic when the visiting team has more fans than the home team. I have been coming to this rivalry game for over a decade and I never see the Columbia side of the stadium ever full. Even when they have a good record.

Our Team coming onto the field to start the game

Video of the entrance with much fanfare.

Even at the start of the game more of our college’s fans kept coming.

We filled our side of the stadium to the brim

The Columbia side of the stadium. It got smaller as the game went on.

Our side of the stadium after our first field goal. We were losing 7-3. It would not be a high scoring game.

The first half of the game literally flew by and then we were at half time with the score of 7-3. I could not believe how bad both teams were playing. Neither side played that well the first half.

I stayed around for most of half time. We had to watch the Columbia Pep Band and that was not fun. I had heard Junior High performances better than that. Then we came on with ten minutes left and it was an enjoyable performance.

Video of our Marching Band:

At the start of third quarter, I left to get some lunch. The stadium prices were so expensive ($8.00 for a hot dog?). I walked down the street and ate at Park Terrace Deli at 510 West 218th Street (see my review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). I have been coming here for years when doing the Broadway walk and the Great Saunter and the food is always wonderful and so reasonable.

The place was mobbed with people from the game who had the same idea that I had. I was going to order a breakfast sandwich but all these burger deluxe kept coming out and then I craved a Cheeseburger Deluxe and it hit the spot.

Park Terrace Deli at 510 West 218th Street

http://www.parkterracedeli218thst.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4636946-Reviews-Park_Terrace_Deli-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=69573

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/2930

The Cheeseburger was over-sized and so juicy. You could tasted the caramelized meat inside the fresh bun accented by the lettuce and tomato. And lots of ketchup and pickles. It was so good on a cool afternoon. I took my lunch and ate it at the stadium much to the looks of the people eating the expensive hot dogs and pretzels.

The Cheeseburger Deluxe at Park Terrace Deli is caramelized and juicy

Yum!

I got back into the stadium at the very end of the Third Quarter and the score was still the same. This game was pretty bad.

When I walked back in there were even more fans

This was the Cornell side of the stadium at the end of the Third Quarter even with these scores

The weather when it finally cleared

All of us cheering at another accomplished field goal

Columbia would score again making it 14-6 so it was not too bad and I thought we could catch up. We just can’t close out a game.

Us going in for an attempted touchdown with the score now 17-6. It was not meant to be. When the player ran in for the touchdown and was open, he would hit the goal post.

Video of the play:

Video of the field goal:

We then went in for the field goal and we made that for the score of 17-9. It would stay that way.

The end of the game was even more painful as there were almost no fans left on the Columbia side as their football player paraded around the ‘New York Bowl’ to an empty crowd and our legions of fans walked out again with another losing season. I really felt for our new coach. He is going to have to really rebuild this team from ground up.

After the game was over, I had about two hours before the Sy Katz Parade would begin so I walked around Inwood Park and admired the foliage at sunset. It was just magnificent.

The Muscato Marsh after the game

The Muscato Marsh in the late afternoon

The inlet in Inwood Hill Park

The brilliance of the sun on the park

The sun in the late afternoon

It was really beautiful sad the sun started to set

I walked down Broadway to 207th Street to see all the foliage. Even Ann Loftus Playground still had the beautiful hues of the trees.

Ann Loftus Playground at 207th Street

I took the A train back to midtown and met all the other Alumni in Vanderbilt Plaza by Grand Central Terminal as we waited for the band to show up. t least this year the bus driver did not get lost and the band showed up pretty promptly.

Arriving at Vanderbilt Plaza

Admiring the beauty of this part of the City as the sun set

Admiring Grand Central Terminal

Getting ready to start the Parade as the band arrived

The band brought a new energy to the parade. They did not seem to care that we just lost our last game of the season. They were too busy having a good time.

The band getting into position to start the parade

Everyone getting ready to start the march to the Cornell Club

Our Band Major starting the Parade

Video of the start of the Sy Katz parade:

Band and Alumni marching up Fifth Avenue

Heading to East 44th Street where the Cornell Club is located

Video of the March up Fifth Avenue:

We got to the front of the Cornell Club where everything was set up for our Pep Rally and because the weather had gotten much nicer by the end of the evening, we had a big crowd.

The start of the fight song

Video of the fight song:

Then they played our Alma Mater ’On the Shores of Lake Cayuga’

Playing the school song

Then Elaine Katz, Sy Katz’s daughter got up and gave a beautiful speech about her dad and his love of the college. It was very touching.

Elaine Katz honoring her father, who founded this parade

Then the played the last song of the evening, the Alma Mater before closing the parade

After the song was over and there was a lot of loud cheers and applause, it was time to eat and that meant the ‘Tailgate Dinner’ in the Cayuga Room.

The ‘Tailgate Dinner’ in the Cayuga Room

I was able to arrive before most of the Alumni started to arrive for dinner and was able to take pictures around the Cayuga Room, where the dinner was taking place.

The room was really festive with red and white decorations around the room and centerpieces with tiny Cornell bears smiling back at us.

The centerpieces at dinner

The ‘Tailgate Dinner’ was really nice and the food was excellent. They created a nice menu for us of popular dishes and the food kept coming as we had a packed house after the parade was over.

The Salad Bar with Kale Salad and Mixed Greens was by far the most popular station. Everyone enjoyed the salads.

For the entrees, we started the meal with Vegetarian Chili and fresh rolls and Pork Meatballs with barbecue sauce.

The next station had Potato Skins with all the toppings and Pulled Pork sliders with their topping which we put together ourselves.

The hot station also had Vegetarian sandwiches, which were not the popular and the Buffalo Chicken Wings, which were meaty and delicious. The chicken was really popular on this cool night.

The Dessert Bar was laden with all sorts of freshly baked goodies that included Lemon Bars, Brownies and Blondies and freshly baked Oatmeal Raison, Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate cookies.

The Brownies and Blondies on the Dessert Bar

It was a really nice evening and the perfect way to sallow our loss at the game with lots of sweet desserts. I had a nice time making chit chat with other Alumni.

This is the best way to drown your sorrows

It was another fun afternoon and evening and see everyone again in 2026 and hopefully our new coach will do some positive recruiting in the off season and we can win this one again. Until then, another football season is behind us.

Go Red!

Pane Pasta 58 West 8th Street New York, NY 10011 (Closed July 1st, 2025)

Don’t miss the delicious pizzas and pastries at Pane Pasta. Just walking in and looking at the cases will make you hungry.

Pane Pasta at 58 West 8th Street

https://www.instagram.com/panepastanyc/?hl=en

The shop closed July 1st, 2025

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

Pane Pasta

58 West 8th Street

New York, NY 10011

(646) 891-0006

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d20021095-Reviews-Pane_Pasta-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Pane Pasta at 58 West 8th Street

I found this wonderful combination bakery and gourmet shop when walking home from school one afternoon and exploring Greenwich Village. All the delicious pizzas and pastries in the window lured me in.

I had just eaten my lunch, so I was not that hungry and just wanted a snack. I saw the small doughnuts in the windows called Bombolones, which are yeast doughnuts filled with chocolate or vanilla cream fillings and then rolled in granulated sugar. The small one is $2.15 and the large one was $5.00. Don’t let the price deter you as it is a sweet and filling little dessert. The fresh vanilla cream played beautifully off the sweet dough and sugary topping. Each bite was wonderful, and it was…

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Lucky Wang NYC 82 7th Avenue New York, NY 10011

There are a lot of wonderful gift items and a place to stock your child’s closet with quality clothing.

Lucky Wang at 82 7th Avenue (Lucky Wang website)

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

Lucky Wang NYC

82 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10011

(212) 229-2900

https://www.luckywang.com/

https://www.facebook.com/luckywang88

My review on TripAdvisor:

Lucky Wang at 82 Seventh Avenue (Lucky Wang website)

I saw this unusual, patterned dress in the window of Lucky Wang, a delightful children’s store in Greenwich Village and I had to stop in and see it up close. This little dress is just one of the many beautiful and unique pieces of clothing that the store carries. Many of the clothing items have such vibrant colors and patterns.

I love walking around the store and wishing I was still a kid getting to pick out my own clothes for school. This is such a special little shop that dresses children so beautifully and prepares them for their first day at school or for a special holiday. There are so many interesting items to choose from the various tables and shelves.

Along…

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The Donut Pub 203 West 14th Street/740 Broadway New York, NY 10011/10003

Don’t miss the delicious treats at The Donut Pub. Their Maple Bacon Donut is mind-blowing!

The Donut Pub at 203 West 14th Street

The Maple Bacon Doughnut is so amazing at the Donut Pub in both branches.

jwatrel's avatarLittle Shop on Main Street

Donut Pub

203 West 14th Street

New York, NY 10011

(646) 398-7007

Open: Sunday-Saturday 24 hours

https://www.donutpub.com/

https://www.restaurantji.com/ny/new-york/the-donut-pub-/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4052101-Reviews-The_Donut_Pub-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Donut Pub at 203 West 14th Street

The colorful and mouthwatering selection of donuts is what lured me into this popular and very special dessert shop in Greenwich Village. Just one look in the window wanted to make me walk inside.

The unique logo

Walking into The Donut Pub is like walking into the donut version of “Willy Wonka’s”. There are just so many choices and all those delicious donuts scream “Buy me”! I have only been in The Donut Pub a few times, but I am hooked already. Just looking in the window makes me hungry.

The first time I passed the shop I was just taking a look at what was on display to see what they carried and this delicious and mouthwatering large…

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Day Two Hundred and Forty-Five Exploring the Historical sites of Fishkill, NY- A Local Journey August 7th and 14th and December 9th, 2022 (and on August 13th, 2023 and June 1st, 2025)

I love visiting the Hudson River Valley so any event or tour that I can go on is an excuse to come up here. I had visited all the sites that I wanted to see on a trip two weeks earlier but wanted to see them in more detail plus I wanted to take some pictures. The weather finally broke, and it was a much more pleasant 83 degrees as opposed to the 96 degrees the trip before. That makes the trip much nicer.

I asked my aunt along so that we could share in the experience, and I could use her phone to take pictures of the all the sites. It is a much nicer trip when you have someone along who enjoys these things. The one nice thing about traveling to the Fishkill, New York area is that it is only an hour away and a straight run up the New York Thruway to Route 84 and then to Route 9. Just a couple of quick back streets and you will be there.

On my first trip up, I got there so early that no one was at the first site, The Brinckerhoff Homestead Historical site, the home of the East Fishkill Historical Society at 68 North Kensington Drive in Hopewell Junction, NY. I double back and stopped for a quick snack at G & R Deli Cafe, a small deli at 2003 Route 52 in a strip mall near the old IBM campus. I needed a snack. This was my go to place both in the summer and when I came back for Christmas. The owners are really nice and the food is excellent.

G &R Deli Cafe at 2003 Route 52

https://www.gnrdelicafe.com/

https://www.facebook.com/grdelicafe/

Since I already had dinner plans, I ordered a Sausage, Egg and Cheese on a roll ($5.95) which was a bit more expensive than in the City but it was delicious. The sausage had a nice taste of sage and gave it a lot of flavor. I just relaxed outside in the parking lot and ate breakfast. Another time that I visited, I had the same version with bacon and both times the sandwiches were excellent.

The breakfast sandwiches at G & R Deli are excellent

After my snack, I got back to the Brinckerhoff Homestead at 12:00pm when it was supposed to open but around 12:30pm there was still no one there and I kept knocking on the door. That’s when one of the county members let me know that they did not open until 1:00pm. Since I had a list of places to visit that day and the time had been posted all over the internet, I asked if we could please start early. He agreed and I got a personal tour of the house. When I came back two weeks later, I better timed it for the 1:00pm opening to take pictures.

The Brinckerhoff Homestead at 68 Kensington Drive

https://kk-kz.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057186982344

The Brinckerhoff family is prominent in the Fishkill area and family members still visit the homestead so the house’s history is ongoing. The house is broken down into three sections as you can see by the picture. The original part of the home was built by John G. Brinckerhoff in 1755 and it consisted of the “Everything Room” on the lower floor with the hearth for cooking, a beehive oven and the large room upstairs for family living.

As John Brinckerhoff’s family grew, they moved out of the house and his brother, George G. Brinckerhoff moved into the home with his family. After the Revolutionary War was over and George G.’s assignment was over in the army, he returned to the house and in 1785 added the middle main addition of the house with four additional rooms. The larger rooms and high ceilings showed the family affluence in that they could heat the home.

When George died in 1812, his brother John and his family moved back into the house. In 1814, the family sold the house to the Purdy family. They lived in the house for the next 60 years and added the final addition onto the house to the left with a summer kitchen and an outdoor oven. It remained in the family until 1875 when it was sold to the Palen family who used it again as a farm. It was then again sold to the Moore family in 1926 and lastly sold to East Fishkill Historical Society in 1974 by developer Gustav Fink who was a developer in the area (East Fishkill Historical Society).

The rooms are decorated in period furnishings and when we started the tour, you begin in the oldest section of the home with the original kitchen area.

The “Everything Room” in the Brinckerhoff Homestead

This is where the family would cook, eat, do their work on farm affairs and socialize. There was also a small general store on the property as well. The upstairs was closed to the public.

You next moved into the main rooms of the 1785 addition which brought it the into then modern era with high ceilings and larger rooms so that the family had more living space and could entertain.

The Main Dining Room of the home which was set for Hot Chocolate service which again showed the family’s affluence as chocolate was very expensive then

We also toured the Living Room which was set for socializing and work women did for the home with needlepoint, weaving, and clothes making. There was still room for people to gather and entertain.

The Living Room of the 1785 addition to the home

Along the main corridor of the home in the addition was all sorts of artifacts from the Revolutionary War period and items from the time.

Our last part of the tour was the latest addition by the Purdy family when we toured the ‘Summer Kitchen”, which showed how the home had progressed over the years. Little by little each family brought it into the next ‘modern era’.

Both times I got to tour the grounds and the beautiful gardens that the volunteers maintained. Rock gardens and flower beds line the three acres of land around the house. Along with the flower beds, several historical buildings have been moved to the property including the one room schoolhouse from District 9 in East Fishkill that was built in 1826, the 1870 Icehouse which once supplied another home with its ice for the home to keep food fresh before the advent of refrigeration.

The Schoolhouse and the Icehouse and gardens

Another building that is still in use and is open when the house is open for touring is the John Hyatt Blacksmith shop from 1880. It still has some of the original tools and the blacksmith on duty still works the fire and performs tasks in the building.

The last building on the property is the Van Wyck Carriage Barn from 1845. It had been built by Judge Theodorus Van Wyck for his home that was built in East Fishkill that was torn down by the development of the IBM Campus in 1984. IBM paid to have the carriage house dismantled and moved to this property.

The East Fishkill Historical Society with the Brinckerhoff home in the center, the schoolhouse to the right and the blacksmith shop and the carriage house to the left

We took our time to tour the house and the grounds and on my initial visit I got to tour the schoolhouse, the ice house and the blacksmith shop to see the inner workings of these buildings and how they operated.

The docents had told me that they had recently held a ‘Strawberry Festival’ recently promoting the local fruit crops and serving complimentary strawberry shortcake that everyone enjoyed and was gone quickly.

I took what they said to heart and had planned to go to the Strawberry Festival the next year. Who knew it would be another three years before I attended the event (other things happened along the way like travel and Grad school), but in June 2025 I finally was able to attend the event. What a nice time.

The Strawberry Shortcake at the Strawberry Festival in the Fall of 2025

The grounds set up for the Strawberry Festival

The weather was a bit gloomy and cool for June but it ended up being a really nice day. They had all sorts of activities for visitors to watch and participate in. There were demonstrations in the Blacksmith Building and in the barn.

The demonstration in the Blacksmith shop

The Blacksmith during the demonstration

The wood and saw demonstration in the barn

There was wonderful entertainment on the patio of the house as a guitarist entertained the ever growing crowds that attended the event.

The guitarist on the deck playing music from the 1960’s and 70’s

A clip of the entertainment

I took a tour of the house and the schoolhouse as well. I never realized that things have not changed over the last two hundred years.

The old schoolhouse on the property

The inside of the school

Books and games

Maybe the current education system would benefit from this

Walking around the grounds that afternoon

Walking around the grounds that afternoon

The Strawberry Shortcakes were the star that afternoon and I had to say that the strawberries they used were so juicy. I had to practically elbow my way into getting one but it was well worth it.

The homemade biscuit and the sweet juicy strawberries

They really put a lot of strawberries in the bowl

Yum!

Before I left that afternoon, the Historical Society had a hayride around the property. I had not been on one in years, so I waited for the second trip. It was crowded on every trip it took and I forgot how much fun these were in the past.

The hayride around the neighborhood

Us on our turn on the hayride

The video of the start of the hayride

The video of the conclusion and everyone having a good time

I really enjoyed attending the Strawberry Festival and highly recommend if you can attend it in the future. It was an event I would have enjoyed as a kid and I did not see too many cellphones in site.

The Petting Zoo that afternoon

There are also Revolutionary War reenactments done on the property and for the holiday season the home will be decorated for the period Christmas holidays with an open house, so there will be things to do and see in the future.

When I returned in December of 2022, the curator invited me back to see the house decorated for Christmas. So while I was up seeing the decorated mansions of the Hudson River Valley the first, second and third weekends of December (read my blog on visiting the Hudson River Valley-Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Five-Christmas Again?):

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/27296

The whole Brinkerhoff Homestead site was decorated for a Revolutionary era Christmas and the tables were set for an Afternoon Tea Fundraiser. The displays showed both a Revolutionary War and Victorian theme. With the fire places blazing, it made the whole house smell of oak and pine.

The Brinckerhoff Homestead decorated for Christmas

The Brinckerhoff Homestead Christmas tree

The Christmas display case at the Brinckerhoff House of Victorian toys

Santa does visit the first weekend of December

Our next stop on the tour of homes was the Van Wyck Homestead Museum at 504 Route 9, the old Albany Post Road. The house had stood on the main transportation line during the Revolutionary War period and it had served as General George Washington’s northern supply depot during the war because of this location.

Van Wyck Homestead Museum at 504 Route 9 (the Old Albany Post Road)

http://www.fishkillhistoricalsociety.org/

In 1732, Cornelius Van Wyck bought 959 acres of land from the original Rombout Patent and built the smaller section of the home to the right in 1732. As the family gained affluence in farming and trade, the larger section of the home to the left was built in 1757 with larger rooms and higher ceilings again to show a family’s wealth.

Because of the location of the house in Fishkill on the main road of transportation and the strategic location near the mountains to the south, General George Washington requisitioned the home as the northern supply depot for the Continental Army in October of 1776. Here supplies were run through, army regiments passed and people were buried who died during the war. The house was also used as the headquarters and court marshals and punishments took place on the property (Van Wyck Homestead Museum pamphlet). After the war was over, the house and farm was returned to the family.

The historical marker of the original home

The way the house was furnished was slightly different from the Brinckerhoff Homestead that looked more like you were walking into someone’s actual home. The old Living Room of the Van Wyck Homestead is being used as a meeting room and a place to display items from the Revolutionary War.

The Living Room and Meeting Room at the Van Wyck Homestead

The Revolutionary War Collection at the Van Wyck Homestead

Towards the back of the home is a Library/Research area and we were able to see all the old books and records that are part of the home’s collection. This is where most people do their genealogy work and family research.

The Research Library at the Van Wyck Homestead

What both my aunt and I thought was interesting was when we entered the older part of the house and the old Dining Room area. Many of the artifacts were old Van Wyck family heirlooms that had been donated over the years.

The Dining Room of the Van Wyck Homestead

Some of the recent additions were the crib which had been in the family for five generations and had just been donated to the home as well as the painting over the fireplace had just been collected by the home. Like the Brinckerhoff Homestead, there are many members of the Van Wyck family who come back to visit and still live in the area.

The Colonial kitchen and hearth are in the oldest section of the home from 1732. This is where the “Everything Room” was located. Back when this was the only section of the home, this is where all the cooking, dining, family business and social activities were located. All sorts of kitchen equipment lined the walls and shelves to show life in colonial times. It was funny that much of it has not changed over the years, just modernized.

The original family kitchen in the 1732 section of the Van Wyck Homestead

Outside the home, the organization planted the outside gardens and there is a recreation of the old beehive oven aside the home. It gave you a glimpse of how food came about for these large families before supermarkets.

The Van Wyck Gardens showed how the house was self-sufficient at one time

After touring the grounds, we walked back to see the displays one more time. On my initial trip, the tour guide let me see the upstairs rooms. In the newer part of the home, they had been turned into storage and offices for the docents. In the older part of the home, the old loft area was used for storage, and it was pretty dusty. The house was closed for Christmas but will reopen in the Spring.

After touring these two homes, we were off to Wappinger’s Falls further up Route 9 to visit the Mesier Homestead in Mesier Park just off the beginning of Downtown Wappinger’s Falls. There was a concert going on in the park and my aunt said she needed a break from visiting these old homes. Too many arrowheads and Revolutionary War furniture so she stayed and listened to the concert while I toured the home.

The Mesier Homestead in Mesier Park

https://www.wappingershistoricalsociety.org/mesier-homestead

The Mesier Homestead is the home of the Wappinger Falls Historical Society, who maintains the home. The Mesier home is much like the other homes in that it had been added onto as the family grew and became more affluent. The original part of the home is currently going through a renovation and the President of the Wappinger Falls Historical Society explained that they just discovered the old hearth and oven and are currently restoring the historic windows.

The original part of the home is currently under renovation

Starting the tour at the front entrance of the home that leads to the formal Living Room that is decorated with Victorian decor. Again the large rooms and high ceilings showed the family affluence by showing how they could afford to heat their home.

The Living Room at the Mesier Homestead

The copies of the Mesier family portraits in the Mesier Living Room

The Living Room leads to the back Library where many additions of older books are held and where visitors can do research on their family history in the Wappinger Falls. Many are trying to trace their family’s history.

The Mesier Homestead Library and Research Room

The back area of the house is closed for renovations, but you can climb the stairs to the old bedrooms on the second floor. Here is where both the family and the family slaves then servants lived on the same floor.

The Adult’s Bedroom set during Victorian times

A woman’s boudoir during Victorian times

The rooms also showed a child’s place in the family where during Victorian times were treated like ‘little adults’ being trained for their future lives. Toys not just sparked the imagination but also prepared children for domestic life

Children’s playthings during Victorian times spurred imagination

On top of the recreations of the family life in both Colonial and Victorian times that the family lived through, there was an extensive collection of Native American items showing the original settlers of the region when the Lenape Indians lived, fished and hunted in this area before the arrival of the Dutch in the late 1600’s.

The Native American collection on the second floor of the Mesier Homestead

The last part of the tour ended in the formal Dining Room where the entertainment was done and the family took their meals. When I asked why these homes seemed so much smaller than homes like the Vanderbilts and Mills families, it was explained that these families were older, more established and did not have to show off their wealth. Since these were God fearing individuals, it was not acceptable to be ‘showy’. People knew they were affluent so they could show off but not flaunt it.

The formal Dining Room at the Mesier Homestead set for dinner

During the Christmas holiday season, the house is beautifully decorated for a Victorian Christmas with garlands and bows and period decorations. Most of these old homes are elegantly decorated as the families once had done during the holidays.

The Living Room at the Mesier Homestead at Christmas

During Colonial times, Christmas meant church services in the morning or afternoon and then a formal dinner in the afternoon. You might have pine, garland and berries decorate the house whereas during Victorian times, it was a much more elaborate affair. There would be a Christmas tree, garland and pine all over the home and gift giving. Christmas cards would have also decorated the home as well.

The Mesier Homestead foyer decked at Christmas time

The Dining Room table was decorated for Christmas lunch

After the tour, I took a quick walk into downtown Wappinger Falls which has a great downtown with terrific restaurants and a great view of the river and falls.

Downtown Wappinger Falls has such a unique look to it.

During Christmas time, the downtown had a quaint look to it with garland and wreaths decorating people’s homes.

Downtown Wappingers Falls during Christmas

The Christmas tree in the Wappingers Falls square downtown

The Bandstand decorated at night

Our last part of the tour was visiting the First Reformed Church of Fishkill at 717 Route 9 at the beginning of Downtown Fishkill, NY. This elegant old church with its historic cemetery was built in 1732 on land that had been set aside for the church.

The Fishkill First Reformed Dutch Church at 717 Route 9 with the DuBois House next door

The church was closed for the afternoon as services are at 10:00am on Sundays so I toured around the church and the cemetery. What was interesting about the cemetery is all the family plots and who was intermarried into whose families.

The cemetery behind the church is full of family plots including the Brinckerhoff and Van Wyck families

The cemetery in the Spring of 2025

Walking through this quiet but I intriguing cemetery

After touring the church and the cemetery grounds, I took my time and walked Downtown Fishkill which is lined with small but interesting restaurants and stores. The street had been lively the two times that I visited with people enjoying the outdoor dining and the perfect 80-degree weather.

Historic Downtown Fishkill, NY

City Hall in the Spring

https://shopdowntown.org/pages/shop-downtown-Fishkill-New%20York

The Van Wyck family vault is located in the church’s cemetery

The Veterans monument in Downtown Fishkill

Another church that I noticed but had not toured was the Trinity Church that was located on the other side of Route 9 down Route 52.

The Trinity Church of Fishkill at 5 Elm Street in Fishkill, NY

The historic marker in front of the church

The front of the church in the Spring of 2025

The historic plaque on the building

The church was closed at that time as services had been at 10:00am but I did take the time to walk around its historic cemetery.

The Terboss family plot in the historic cemetery

The historic cemetery with familiar family names

The church just proved to me how time passes by and how some of these places are forgotten. The cemetery slopes down to the woods and highway.

The role these churches once played in the community as not just a place of worship but as a meeting and gathering place for friends and neighbors has changed over the last hundred years.

During Christmas time, I revisited the First Reformed Church of Fishkill and it was tastefully decorated for Christmas and for holiday services.

The church was decked with wreaths and garland

The church doorway looked like something out of a Christmas Card

Downtown Fishkill, NY decorated for Christmas

CIty Hall decorated for Christmas

I searched that entire downtown from one end to another and I could not find the Fishkill Town Christmas tree.

While walking around Downtown Fishkill, I came across the Fishkill Creamery at 1042 Main Street and needed a quick snack on a hot afternoon. The store was really busy with people eating outside on the benches and tables. I stopped in and had a scoop of Strawberry Cheesecake and a scoop of Birthday Cake ice cream. Did it hit the spot! The Strawberry Cheesecake was especially good with chunks of fresh strawberries in it.

The Fishkill Creamery at 1042 Main Street in Downtown Fishkill

The front of the Fishkill Creamery

https://www.facebook.com/FishkillCreamery/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47724-d23864092-Reviews-Fishkill_Creamery-Fishkill_New_York.html?m=69573

After the ice cream, it was time for dinner (I always believe in saving room for dessert). Both times I tried Antonella’s Pizzeria & Restaurant at 738 Route 9 in Fishkill. You really have to search for the restaurant as it is located in the strip mall in the Shoprite Mall.

Antonella’s Pizzeria & Restaurant at 738 Route 9

https://www.antonellasrestaurant.com/

My TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47724-d5112543-Reviews-Antonella_s_Pizzeria_Restaurant-Fishkill_New_York.html?m=69573

The inside of the restaurant

The food here is really good. When I came up on my own, I just wanted something small, and I ordered the Cheese Calzone ($8.95). The thing was huge! The Calzone was so large that it could have fed two people easily. It was loaded with Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and they make a terrific marinara sauce that accompanied it. By the time I finished devouring the thing, I was stuffed. This after all that ice cream.

We returned to Antonella’s when my aunt and I returned to Fishkill for the touring since I was so impressed with the food and service. My aunt had the Sausage, Pepper & Onion Roll ($8.50) and I had the Stromboli Roll ($8.50) which had ham, salami, pepperoni, Ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses wrapped in a perfectly baked pizza dough.

The Stromboli at Antonella’s

Both were served with their flavorful marinara sauce. After a long day of touring, it was just what we needed. We also took plenty of time to relax and digest on this trip.

The Italian Meat Stromboli at Antonella’s are excellent for lunch and dinner

Yum!

It was really a nice day and there is so much to see and do in this part of the Hudson River Valley. I had not really explored Fishkill, NY so it was fascinating to see all these old homes and historic sites and know their place in history. Take the time to tour these homes and hear the family stories.

Remember to head back during the Christmas holiday season and explore these homes and the downtowns when they are decorated for the season. There is a special magic in the Hudson River Valley during the holiday season. Check their websites for more activities during the year.

When I returned in the summer of 2023, I was finally able to visit the Hopewell Junction Depot Museum at 36 Railroad Avenue in Hopewell Junction, NY. This tiny museum tells the story of the growth of the local railroads and their impact not just on the local community but the country as well as farm produce and dairy products were able to be shipped all over the country.

The Hopewell Junction Depot Museum at 36 Railroad Avenue

The entrance of the museum and the old Waiting Room

The museum is broken down into three sections: the Old Waiting Room area with the working potbelly stove and gift shop, the Train Station Manager’s Office and the Western Union communications office and the back gallery where the old Ticket Booth was located. This is filled with all sorts of railroad memorabilia from old railroad lamps to a display from the Borden Dairy Company whose plant used to be located across the street.

The back gallery of the museum

The Borden Dairy display

In the back of the museum, there is an old caboose that the volunteers are working on restoring. It is not finished as of this writing but they let me take a peek inside to see how the work progress is coming along.

The old caboose that is being restored on the grounds of the museum.

The old sleeping area of the caboose

The museum has lots of local and county information on the growth of these lines and their effects on the New York State economy. The museum has a lot to do and see.

(Please read the accompanying reviews on VisitingaMuseum.com to see a full description on these homes).

Places to Visit:

Brinckerhoff House Historic Site/East Fishkill Historical Society

68 North Kensington Drive

Hopewell Junction, NY 12524

(845) 227-4136

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057186982344

Admission: Free

Open: Sundays 1:00pm-4:00pm/Monday-Saturday Closed/June-August

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47922-d24829233-Reviews-Brinckerhoff_House_Historical_Site-Hopewell_Junction_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/8327

Van Wyck Homestead Museum

504 U.S. 9

Fishkill, NY 12524

(845) 896-0560

https://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/sites/Van-Wyck-Homestead-Museum-/details

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Wyck_Homestead_Museum

Admission: Free

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm/Monday-Saturday Closed/June-October

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47724-d263982-Reviews-Van_Wyck_Homestead_Museum-Fishkill_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/8339

The Mesier Homestead & Museum-Wappinger’s Falls Historical Society

2 Spring Street

Wappinger’s Falls, NY  12590

(845) 632-1281

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm/Check website for special events

Fee: Adult $10.00/Seniors $7.00/Children 7-18 $5.00/Members Free

https://www.wappingershistoricalsociety.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48799-d16919924-Reviews-Mesier_Homestead_and_Museum-Wappingers_Falls_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/4173

First Reformed Dutch Church of Fishkill

1153 Main Street

Fishkill, NY 12524

(845) 896-4546

Open: Church Services are on Sundays at 10:00am

https://www.facebook.com/FirstReformedChurchofFishkill/

Home Page

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47724-d263921-Reviews-First_Reformed_Church_of_Fishkill-Fishkill_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/8333

Hopewell Depot Museum

36 Railroad Avenue

Hopewell Junction, NY 12533

(845) 226-7003

Home

Open: Please check website for hours (right now every Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm)

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47922-d13000900-Reviews-Hopewell_Depot-Hopewell_Junction_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/10647

The Trinity Episcopal Church

5 Elm Street

Fishkill, NY 12524

(845) 896-9884

https://www.facebook.com/trinitychurchfishkill/

Where to Eat:

G &R Deli Café

2003 NY Route 52

Hopewell Junction, NY 12533

(845) 202-7669

https://www.gnrdelicafe.com/

https://www.facebook.com/grdelicafe/

Open: Sunday 7:00am-2:00pm/Monday-Friday 6:00am-4:00pm/Saturday 7:00am-3:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g47922-d24829555-r851173564-G_R_Deli_Cafe-Hopewell_Junction_New_York.html?m=19905

Antonella’s Italian Restaurant

738 Route 9 Suite 13

Fishkill, NY 12524

(845) 896-9191

https://www.antonellasrestaurant.com/fishkill-menu

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-10:00pm/Monday-Thursday 11:00am-10:00pm/Friday and Saturday 11:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g47724-d5112543-r851247421-Antonella_s_Italian_Restaurant_Pizza-Fishkill_New_York.html?m=19905

Fishkill Creamery

1042 Main Street

Fishkill, NY 12524

(845) 214-5544

https://www.fishkillcreamery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FishkillCreamery/

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-9:30pm/Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-9:30pm/Friday-Saturday 12:00pm-10:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g47724-d23864092-Reviews-Fishkill_Creamery-Fishkill_New_York.html?m=19905