Nicole Edenedo
Hear me out on this: Yonkers, N.Y. would make a great port
of call for river cruises on the Hudson River, and I think I can make a
very solid case as to why.
The idea has been on my mind for a while,
and maybe more now after taking my first U.S. river cruise in August
with Viking on the upper Mississippi River and seeing how the small
towns there market themselves and make the most of the attractions they
have at their disposal. I'm also gearing up to take my first Hudson
River cruise with American Cruise Lines in November, and it slightly
pains me to know that I'll be sailing past, without stopping, the city
I've called home for the past six or seven years -- and the
attractions I strongly believe guests would appreciate on an itinerary
like this.
American Cruise Lines is the only U.S. river cruise
company operating itineraries on the Hudson River, and for the first
time this year it extended its season here to include summer departures up the Hudson.
Cruises visit several calls in New York state, including Sleepy Hollow,
West Point, Kingston and Albany -- and of course New York City.
Just
north of Manhattan, Yonkers is a 25- to 30-minute train ride on a
MetroNorth train from Grand Central Terminal in Midtown, which brings
you into the city's Beaux-Arts style train station downtown. But to
really arrive in style is to arrive by boat (or river cruise ship) at the Yonkers Pier, a
colorful, Victorian-era steel pier bearing the city's name in bold,
block letters filled with lightbulbs that make the city shine as a beacon on the
Hudson in the evenings and serves as a reminder of the pier's bygone
era.
Summer is the best time to visit Yonkers, no question. There
are a lot of public activities, like the free summer jazz concerts
performed live every Friday night at the pier. The weather is warm and
there's a cool, refreshing breeze off the river.
The views at the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, a public park just north of downtown Yonkers, N.Y. Photo Credit: Untermyer Gardens Conservatory
Though fall is still a
great time to visit, as the crisp weather and fall foliage are in full effect up and down the river.
On the Yonkers waterfront
A
walking tour of downtown Yonkers would be a great way to get acquainted
with the city's history. Guests could walk through Van Der Donck Park
and the Saw Mill River Daylighting project, visit the historic Philipse
Manor Hall and stroll past the former Yonkers City Jail, which I promise
is not as bleak as it sounds. This well-preserved property was indeed
once the city's jail but has long been shuttered, and for years there
had been talk of it becoming an art gallery of sorts, but that so far
has yet to come to fruition.
The Science Barge in Yonkers, a floating farm and environmental education center. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
A visit to the Science Barge is a
must. It's a floating urban farm and environmental educational center,
and I could see small or private group tours happening here for guests
interested in learning about the native plant species that grow in
Yonkers and its tributaries, the onboard hydroponic greenhouse and the
science behind urban sustainable agriculture.
Active
and more adventurous guests could head to the historical boat house of
the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club and learn about the club's 138-year
history before heading out on the water for a short paddle along the
shoreline. As you well know by now, I'm a proud member of this club and
can personally attest to some of the best views of the city skyline from
our composite kayaks.
Gardens and art just up the road
Visitors could
spend a leisurely morning or late afternoon at Untermyer Gardens
Conservancy, a public park featuring a mix of Indo-Persian, Beaux Arts
and Greek architecture that is located about a mile north of downtown in
the Greystone neighborhood. Like many New Yorkers who make the day trip
up here, I think guests would enjoy losing themselves on a guided or
self-guided walking tour of the Walled Garden, the Vista and the winding
paths surrounding the Temple of Love.
Performances from groups such as the Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra play at the Hudson River Museum's Ampitheater every summer. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
No grand tour of Yonkers
is complete without visiting the Hudson River Museum. It has permanent
and rotating exhibitions from art periods influenced by this area, and
it has a planetarium with shows exploring the mysteries of our galaxy,
including one arranged to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". And then
there's the Amphitheater, the museum's crown jewel (in my opinion),
which hosts weekly live musical performances in the summertime. On my
perfect itinerary, guests would be treated to private concerts, for an
evening of the arts under the stars.
The "Hollywood on Hudson"
And
I'm hoping one day soon that backlot studio tours, the kinds I remember
taking at Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles, will one day be
available at Great Point Studios and Lionsgate Studios, which opened on
the Yonkers waterfront a couple of years ago. They continue to expand
their massive $500 million campus that will eventually consist of a
million square feet of sound stages, offices and backlots.
The main entrance to the Yonkers campus of Lionsgate Studios, owned and operated by Great Point Studios, which eventually will span a million square feet and feature sound stages, studios, offices and backlots. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
The studios
are the reason why the mayor here has endearingly and officially branded
Yonkers "Hollywood on Hudson."
A
girl can dream, right? That is what I know I'm best at in travel and
what I've done since finding my way to Travel Weekly about three years ago -- time that
has gone by so quickly and is now, bittersweetly, coming to an end.
This is my last river cruise insight for Travel Weekly, as I've moved on
to my next port and chapter in my career as of Sept. 13. And while I'll miss
this particular publication corner that is the River eNewsletter, you
can still follow along on my travels on Instagram.