Holidays

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A Chelsea Carol

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Prologue

Snow is falling and the season is upon us. Travel to 'ground zero' in Chelsea.  This Manhattan neighborhood has recently received facelifts in the form of 'The High Line' and 'Chelsea Market', but you will avoid both.  A world on a smaller scale awaits, filled with iconic winter pleasure; hot chocolate, ice skating and 'The Night Before Christmas' will help you celebrate on a winter afternoon.

...the poem

Before setting out on your walk, reacquaint yourselves with the famous holiday poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863).  Originally written for his children in 1822, it was at first published anonymously and rapidly grew in popularity, becoming one of the world's most well-known Christmas poems.  Son of Reverend Benjamin Moore, Bishop of New York and President of Colombia University, Clement was born in New York City and inherited the family estate of Chelsea, which originally extended from 8th avenue to the Hudson River between 19th and 24th Streets.  He donated a sizable portion of this estate  to the Episcopal Diocese upon the condition that a seminary be built on the site. Moore continued teaching Oriental Studies and Greek there until his retirement in 1850 when he retired to Newport, Rhode Island. 

After reading through the poem, compare these three recitals and enjoy the contrast between the spoken word, Edison's 1905 and the animation of the ASL version.

Travelogue

Pack & Prepare

 

 

 

  • make sure to bring a mobile device with internet capability to follow along the projected route.

 

  • bring skates, if you own them.  Don't worry if you don't, you can rent skates at the Sky Rink.

 

  • Trip length:  2 miles, approx. 3-4 hours. Check hours of Sky Rink & Seminary prior to visit

1.  "...then we'll go ice skating!"

  • The Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers (Pier 61, 23rd Street & the Hudson River Park.  )         Start the afternoon by twirling and racing over the ice at the Sky Rink.  Now a popular sports and event venue in Manhattan, these piers are the site where the Titanic was scheduled to dock in 1912.  The doomed Lusitania also left from these piers in 1915. In spite of historical tragedy, nowadays, the Piers are a large and busy establishment.  Pay the $10 fee and rent skates for $5, if needed and spend an hour exercising during the General Skating Hours.  Time yourselves,  GSHours tend to begin at 1:30 or 3:00pm. Skate for about an hour & then continue on to the Seminary before it closes in the late afternoon. 

2.  a secret winter garden

  • Walking from the Piers along West 22nd Street on your way to the Seminary, you will pass Clement Moore's home (444 W. 22nd St). Built in 1836, Moore resided here until 1850, when he retired to Rhode Island.  Although he donated most of his estate to the Church, Moore was concerned about expansion in the rapidly growing city and sold land for housing, as well.  Moore hired James N. Wells to design and build residences on these plots and these Federal style brick homes exemplify a style which greatly affected future neighborhood development . 

 

Built on an apple orchard and land donated by Clement Clarke Moore, this Episcopalian Seminary consists of beautiful Neo-Gothic buildings which are built around a Close, or gardens, complete with adirondack chairs, benches and old trees.  A quiet private oasis, the Seminary is open to visitors Monday thru Friday, from 9:30 - 6:00.  Walk from Moore's home back to 10th avenue and down to 21st Street, the Visitors Gate is on the southern side, half way between 10th and 9th Avenues.  Ring the bell and after being buzzed in, enter the office on your left to sign in.  When you have done so, leave a photo id as security & you are free to stroll the gardens and enjoy a moment of peace during the busy holiday season.  This is a campus for The General's theological students, faculty and their families.  The buildings include residences, a children's day care, a library and the beautiful "Chapel of the Good Sheperd" where services are open to the general public.  The High Line Hotel occupies the western end of the buildings. Take a moment to imagine Moore penning his poem by the fireside one evening at his old home on this estate in 1822.

 

3.  Chocolate and Quiche

Le Grainne Café (183 Ninth Avenue) 

A culinary reward for your winter rambles should involve something rich and warm...whether it be 'pain au chocolat', a cup of hot chocolate, or something other savory french treat.  Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at this truly neighborhood bistro located in the second oldest home in Chelsea, before continuing on your adventure.

4.  christmas on the avenues

Glitter, evergreens and the joy of window shopping.  Stroll through Chelsea, stopping to peruse holiday merchandise, just for the fun of it.  Begin with the three unusual suggestions listed below.

 

 

 

Walk off all of that chocolate by strolling down to this wonderful eclectic antique store on 18th Street, near 8th Avenue and satisfy your craving for holiday nostalgia.

 

 

 

 

  • STORY (144 Tenth Avenue @ 19th Street)

Walk west from 8th to 10th Avenue, on the corner of 19th Street and check out this unique 'concept' store whose focus changes, like a magazine changes its editions, throughout the year.  The inspiration of entrepreneur Rachel Shechtman, the store picks different themes and then transforms itself accordingly.  Like an art gallery/shopping boutique, the entire focus of its offerings and design is transformed every couple of weeks. Stop by to see what's in this week's store windows.

This indoor flea market is located on the corner of foodie paradise, Chelsea Market.  A Brooklyn export it contains art, vintage, design and fashion items from about 29 different independent vendors.  Do your Christmas shopping all at once...or hold off and simply enjoy the buzz, colors and energy.

 

 

  • While in the area, end your trip by taking advantage of the vast array of hard-to-get ingredients offered inside the market. Purchase some traditional Christmas fare... Blue Points, anyone?  Roast Suckling Pig?  Duck or Plum Pudding?...Chelsea Market to the rescue!  

Epilogue

strike a  balance between

giving

'Gifts That Inspire' - nyt          nyt's 'Neediest Case Fund'    'Where to Volunter in NY' TimeOut

'Ways to Give Back As a Family'  MommyPoppins     

Pay it Forward - anonymous gifting to people around you... pay the toll of the car behind you. Leave a gift outside the front door of someone in your neighborhood.  Be creative.  Take no credit.  Tell no-one

& indulging

Cook that Christmas meal using your newly purchased ingredients and then sit back on your sofa & watch a holiday film..or Hulu a Christmas show from one of these famous TV episodes

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Autumn Orchards - Rockland County

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“Behold the apples’ rounded worlds:
juice-green of July rain,
the black polestar of flowers, the rind
mapped with its crimson stain.

The russet, crab and cottage red
burn to the sun’s hot brass,
then drop like sweat from every branch
and bubble in the grass.

They lie as wanton as they fall,
and where they fall and break,
the stallion clamps his crunching jaws,
the starling stabs his beak.

In each plump gourd the cidery bite
of boys’ teeth tears the skin;
the waltzing wasp consumes his share,
the bent worm enters in.

I, with as easy hunger, take
entire my season’s dole;
welcome the ripe, the sweet, the sour,
the hollow and the whole.
”
— Laurie Lee

Prologue

As summer moves into fall, take a drive and explore the season.  Autumn colors, a lake-side walk, orchards and home-made pies...all are just within your reach by crossing the bridge into Rockland County.  

 

two recipes...

 

Look over the dishes below, one savory and one sweet and then check your kitchen cabinets to make sure your kitchen in fully stocked with all necessary ingredients.   You'll be returning from your voyage loaded down with local produce (apples, pumpkins & squash) and will be cooking up a storm.

 
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the last frontier...rockland county

Rockland is New York State's southernmost county west of the Hudson River.  A short commute from Manhattan and Westchester, Rockland remains one of the lesser known sections of the greater metropolitan area.   It is less spoiled and congested than many other neighboring regions.  A combination of rural and urban communities with modern and historical twists, on this trip you will travel back in time, to an area of old farmsteads & rolling hills...simply get in your car & cross the river. 

Travelogue

Pack & Prepare

  •  you will need access to a car 
  • apple picking & a brisk walk require comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing, in case the weather is brisk.
  • In order to use the trip's interactive map and to take your own beautiful photos, bring a mobile device with internet capability.
  • Trip length:  this is a full day trip.  Visit during the fall  - prime apple picking time (consult each farms picking schedule before setting off).

1.  Coffee & a Slice of pie

'Pie Lady & Son' (366 N. Highland Ave. 9W, Nyack, NY)  

Begin your day by stopping off at this family-run bakery and take your pick of the many available baked goods; a slice of home baked pie, a muffin, or a cup of well brewed espresso.  In 1996, 'Pie Lady' Deborah Tyler, began selling pies made in her Nyack kitchen and she and her son Wil opened this small pie shop in 2010, becoming a true fixture in the Rockland community.  Enjoy your meal and make sure to purchase an entire pie (or two)  to take home with you at the end of the day.

 

2.  a lake-side walk and a lost village

Rockland State Park (299 Rockland Lake Road, Valley Cottage, NY)

Now that you're fed and warm, continue your drive north on 9W until you come to the second entrance to Rockland Lake State Park on your right.  Enter the nature preserve, bear straight ahead and then a little to your right.  Park your car in Lot #1 and take your choice of activities. The entire loop around Rockland lake is about 3 miles long and you can choose to walk the entire distance, or take a shorter stroll instead.  There are benches and picnic tables in case you want to bring a picnic lunch.  

Take a left along the lake side path and walk counter clockwise on the eastern side of the lake. You will come across the ruins of the Knickerbocker Ice Company (1851), hiding in the wooded hillside.  Before the advent of refrigeration, this lake was a major purveyor of ice to New York City.  In order to transport the ice, it was placed on inclined railway cars and moved down the mountainside to the waiting Hudson River where barges would transfer it to the city.  While the Ice Company was destroyed by a fire in 1926, the small town, with homes, summer bungalows and a fire house remained until the early 1960s when the State Park was formed. Enjoy the fall scenery and the natural beauty of the lake. You can always return another day to explore Rockland Lake's ghost town.

3.  Apple trees and winding roads

Think small, think hard-work, think local.  Two family farms connected by a scenic drive through the woods of Rockland.  Visit each farmstead & try to find small ways to patronize both businesses if you can.  While different in style, each orchard provides a lesson in persistence (they were founded in 1891 & 1711 respectively).  They are valuable examples of continuity in a world of impermanence and mega-modern agriculture.

Dr. Davies Farm  (Two locations; a farm stand on Dr. Davies Road, and an apple orchard at 306 Rt. 304, Congers, NY)

 

Perhaps the smaller operation of the two farms you will be visiting today, you can visit Davies' in two parts, beginning by taking the 3rd street on your right after Rockland Lake, onto Dr. Davie's Road.  

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of this road lies a charming 1836 homestead and it's little produce stand where you can purchase some cider or perhaps some local cheddar cheese.  This was home to artist Arthur B Davies and his wife Dr. Lucy Meriwether (one of the first female physicians in the US and a relation of Meriwether Lewis - of Lewis & Clark fame). The functioning farm operation (begun in 1891) is now quiet and peaceful, serving as a reminder of what the Lake's lost village homes might have once been like.

 

 

 

 

 

Continue on 9W north to Rt. 304 & you will come upon a second Davies' farm stand. Stop here to purchase a pumpkin or take a hayride and then carefully cross the road to the apple orchard on the opposite side.   This orchard is a fairy tale delight for small children with its silvery tree trunks and low lying fruit. In the distance, the Palisades rise up imposingly, silhouetted against the sky. 

South Mountain Road (New City, Rockland County, NY/ 4½ mile drive)

Head back to 9W and drive north until you arrive at a hairpin turn on your left where the eastern end of this historic road begins. As you follow the its curves, enjoy the bends and hillsides on either side.  Over time, various artists have made their home here, including industrial designer Eva Zeisel , Kurt Weill, Barry Bostwick and playwright Maxwell Anderson, whose daughter, Hesper Anderson wrote a wrenching memoir, with the road's name as its title.  Look for High Tor State Park on your right and enjoy a leisurely drive to your next destination.

The Orchards at Concklin (2 South Mountain Road, Pomona, NY)

Owned and farmed since before the American Revolution in 1711, this farm is still farmed by the Conklin family.  Rent a 'picking pole' and pick your own apples on the weekends during the fall season.  Afterwards, go to their farm stand and buy some of their famed apple cider donuts.

Epilogue

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limit life's possibilities - consume seasonally

last stop  - cropsey community farms 

(200 S. Little Tor Road, New City) On your way home, drive south on Little Tor Road and make a brief stop at this farming cooperative, located on an old family farm (1769).  Formed in 2011, with 32 acres available for farming, this farm offers a first hand experience of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  A member of this cooperative receives fresh seasonal produce on a weekly basis, has access to open farming days and knows where their food is coming from. Cropsey Farm is a perfect example of this increasingly popular practice.  Visit the barn where the weekly produce is displayed, and take a stroll around the fields.  Perhaps you can find a similar organization in your neighborhood by consulting some of the links below.

return home to the family table

Loaded down with pumpkins, pies, apples and cider donuts...Use the Prologue recipes to cook up a storm and enjoy the fruits of the day.  Share any personal recipes which your family may have also enjoyed with our community,  at the bottom of this page.                             

                                      "food Fight" - activism & Education

'kumquats at 3:00 in the morning.  strawberries in December'.  In NYC we pride ourselves on being able to get anything, anytime.  Perhaps your visits today will inspire you to investigate farm cooperatives & local seasonal produce available in your area.  Click on the links  below to investigate different ways of adjusting your lifestyle to the earth's rhythms.  Live the seasons and see them reflected on your plates and dining room tables. 

Local Harvest - 'Real Food, Real Farmers, Real Community' : Find CSAs in your area

Eat Wild - Find ways of accessing wild food locally

Grist - 26 Food Films you Have to Watch - short films & videos about food consumption around the world.  Inspiring and educational.

Watch TED talk with Dan Barber about the surprising parable of Foie Gras

Japanese film Samsara uses simplicity and strong visual images to make a visceral point about industrial food production.  Watch this 10 min clip. 

The music video below is a wonderful example of music and food activism.  Listen & Learn.