Staycater

02/28/2022

A new state park — named for 19th century African American abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth — is planned for more than 500 acres of a former cement production plant along more than a mile of the Hudson River shoreline in Kingston and the town of Ulster, according to the governor's office.

It will be the first state park in the City of Kingston and the first new state park to open since July 2019.

Watch the announcement here: governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-new-state-park-named-sojourner-truth?fbclid=IwAR30slx7_rMLzWnMzqXSqPhfhBR-F5_31I9JTXfkZDc_dhjHxXDwzJUN-5M

📣🌲Today Gov. Hochul announced that a new state park planned along the Hudson River shoreline in Ulster County will be named for 19th century African American abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth. Born enslaved in 1797 in Esopus, Ulster County, Isabella "Bomefree" Baumfree freed herself from slavery in 1826 a year before legal enslavement ended in New York. Renaming herself Sojourner Truth, she became one of the nation's leading voices for abolition and universal suffrage in the mid-19th century. This will be the first state park in the city of Kingston. A former site of cement production, brick making, quarrying, and ice harvesting, the property includes the Hudson River Brickyard Trail which offers spectacular views of the Hudson River and 150-foot cliffs of limestone and sandstone.➡️ https://on.ny.gov/3tkhIBR

02/22/2022

Take a virtual stroll with Urban Park rangers on the Audre Lorde Walk at Silver Lake Park in Staten Island — the borough of parks.

Lorde was an "American poet, author, feminist, and self-described 'warrior,'” according to Q***r Portraits of History. She was born on Feb. 18, 1934 in New York City, and last Friday would’ve been her 88th birthday.

Raised in Harlem by parents who were Caribbean immigrants, she was the first black student to attend Hunter High School, a school for gifted girls, in Manhattan. From there, she published her first poem "Spring" in Seventeen magazine at the age of 17.

Lorde earned a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University and worked as a librarian before becoming a successful writer.

In the late 1960s, "she released her first book of poetry, and in 1976 she published 'Coal,' the poetry collection that brought her to prominence. It explored her intersecting identities as a black le***an feminist, and the injustices experienced when one was triply invisible, themes she would explore throughout her career," according to Q***r Portraits of History.

"She stood out as a black woman among white feminists who didn’t want to acknowledge racism, and as a le***an within the civil rights movement."

As an activist-author, she made an impact "in the fields of feminist theory, critical race studies and q***r theory," according to NBC News' Gwen Aviles, as well as through her work as an English professor at John Jay College and Hunter College, where she was the chair of literature.

She arrived at Staten Island in 1972 with her lifelong partner, Frances Clayton, and lived there for 15 years until 1987 on St. Paul’s Avenue in the St. George area.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978 and undergoing a mastectomy, Lorde wrote her book “The Cancer Journals.” Her other works include:
• "Zami: A New Spelling of My Name" in 1982 about her youth and sexual awakening
• "Sister Outsider," which featured her essay “'The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House,' which urged white feminists to confront racism and other related forms of oppression and to celebrate differences rather than tolerate them," according to Q***r Portraits of History

Lorde was the New York State Poet Laureate from 1991 until her death at the age of 58 in 1992.

"In 2021, as part of the second phase of NYC Parks’ initiative to expand the representation of African Americans honored in parks, [the promenade at Silver Lake Park] was named for Audre Lorde (1934-1992), a self-described 'Black, le***an, mother, warrior, poet,'" according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

Learn more about Audre Lorde and Silver Lake Park here: nycgovparks.org/parks/silver-lake-park/highlights/19841

02/22/2022

Go with a pal, a special someone, or solo to Date Night at The Met every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Enjoy live music, informal gallery chats with museum guides from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., buy-one-get-one free drink specials at the American Wing Café and Balcony Lounge, as well as art.

"All events are free with museum admission, which is always pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students with valid ID. Advance tickets are not required," according to the The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

For more information, visit: metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/date-night-at-the-met.

It’s Date Night at The Met! Bring a friend or special someone (or yourself!) for an evening of art, live music, and more within the hundreds of galleries and soaring spaces of the Museum.

02/22/2022

"This neighbourhood has always occupied an uneasy spot in the life of New York City. Starting in the 1870s, men who had been harassed out of California by that era’s anti-Chinese movement started settling into a corner of the infamous Five Points slum and turned to work that wouldn’t threaten white men, such as cooking and laundry. Soon after, the restaurants they opened began attracting bohemians; today, of course, every Chinatown in the USA is a playground for foodies. But because it is situated next to SoHo and Nolita, the inexorable creep of gentrification makes New York’s Chinatown a precarious home to dumplings that go five for a dollar. And the area faces other crises, most recently the anti-Asian attacks brought on by the pandemic. Even so, a century and a half after it got its start as a refuge from racism, Chinatown today is no less driven by its will to live," according to Condé Nast Traveler's Francis Liam.

“Life-long visitor … Liam meets the … business owners carving out a bright future.”

• Alimama Tea's mochi donuts and boba milk tea cream puffs at 89A Bayard St.
- Owner Janie Wang

• Mee Sum Cafe at 26 Pell St., opened on July 11, 1967, and offers dim sum and Hong Kong cafe-style dishes at affordable prices
- Owner Donald Moy

• Fong On, established in 1933, the oldest family-run tofu shop in New York City at 81 Division St.
- Heir and owner Paul Eng

• Wing On Wo & Co., the oldest continuously operating china shop in Manhattan’s Chinatown since 1925, at 26 Mott St.
- 30-year-old fifth-generation owner Mei Lum

• Hwa Yuan 華園 Szechuan at 42 E. Broadway.
- "In the 1980s, the legendary chef Shorty Tang was credited with introducing New York to cold sesame noodles, the dish that launched a thousand takeaway ships. His son Chen Lien Tang and grandson James Tierney Tang resurrected the long-gone Hwa Yuan in 2017," according to Liam. "It’s probably the finest fine-dining restaurant in Chinatown."

Po Wing Hong Food Market 寶榮行 at 49 Elizabeth St.
- Established in 1980, the market began as a modest store located on Hester Street, offering many products common in Cantonese cuisine, according to its website.
- The 41-year-old grocer’s shop is owned and operated by Patrick and Nancy Ng and their daughter Sophia Ng Tsao

• Noodle Village 粥麵軒 opened in January 2008 as a traditional Hong Kong style noodle restaurant, serving Cantonese noodle dishes, soup dumplings, congee, hot-pot rice, and more at 13 Mott St.
- Owners George E. and Steve

• Sichuan hotpot cuisine 水煮魚 at 34 Pell St.
- Yong Zhong Lim is a partner

• Hopkee Restaurant at 21 Mott St.
- Open since 1968, Hop Kee is a long-running no-frills, cash-only underground joint that serves traditional Cantonese-style comfort food late into the night
- Second-generation owner and operator Peter Lee

• K. K. Discount Store: Asian Goods, a mom-and-pop home goods and Asian decor shop that's been open since 1990 at 78 Mulberry St.
- Owners Mr. and Mrs. Ken Li and their daughter Norina Li

• pinkladycheesetart opened in 2020 serving fluffy Japanese baked cheese tarts at 11 Mott St.
- Twin owners Jean and Jen Lim

The people carving out a bright future.

02/21/2022

Joseph Yoakum's life as an artist proves that it's never too late.

"At age 71, artist Joseph E. Yoakum (1891–1972) began making landscape drawings of the places he had travelled to over the course of his life. 'Wherever my mind led me, I would go,' he said. 'I’ve been all over this world four times,'” according to the MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, where the late artist's work is currently on display.

"Drawn from memories, both real and imagined, his landscapes reveal a world no one has seen before or since: it is dense with swelling landforms, serpentine empty roads, and evergreen foliage, and almost always empty of people."

Yoakum's work was first featured in a group show at the MoMA in 1971. And after more than 50 years, it's not too late to see the current exhibit of his work, "Joseph E. Yoakum: What I Saw," which runs through March 19 at the museum.

• Locations, hours, and admission: moma.org/visit/

02/20/2022

In January, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the addition of 130 acres of open space to Sterling Forest State Park, adding new trails and public access to the 22,000-acre park in Orange County, about an hour’s drive north of New York City.

"From 1919 until the 1960s, a portion of the property added to the park was part of Greenwood Forest Farms, known as the first resort for Black New Yorkers," according to recordonline.com's Mike Randall.

"The neighborhood immediately to the west was founded by a group of prominent Black families from New York City. It became a haven for cultural and civil rights leaders from Harlem and Brooklyn, including writer Langston Hughes."

The vacation resort came to be known as the "The Colony," and "some descendants of the original residents now live in the neighborhood year-round," according to Randall.

Read more about the legacy of the park and Greenwood Forest Farms here: https://nystateparks.blog/2022/02/01/all-are-welcome-where-they-once-were-not/?fbclid=IwAR1YGKeDdACjC-L49pCY54ql3EjdIWV6C3LgXR4kWEzceJLdqLRSl7-b7W4

(Photo: NY State Parks & Historic Sites)

02/20/2022

The James Beard Foundation recently announced six recipients of its 2022 America's Classics Award, which included Wo Hop 17 Restaurant.

Wo Hop at 17 Mott St., in New York, N.Y.
• Owners: Huang family

"For the city that never sleeps, it’s hard to imagine a restaurant that better suits New York City’s hunger for delicious food any time of day. Wo Hop has inhabited the basement level of 17 Mott Street since 1938, serving a distinct brand of Chinese American food through a uniquely New York lens. Ming Huang took over the independent eatery from his uncle and describes the menu at Wo Hop as “old-fashioned, chop suey-style food,” a cuisine that Huang says is disappearing from many American Chinatowns. A trip to Wo Hop is the perfect end to any night, one that you couldn’t experience anywhere else in the world,” according to the foundation.

“The America's Classics Award is given to locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community. This year’s honorees join the ranks of over 100 restaurants across the country that have received the Award since the category was introduced in 1998.”

Eater described the restaurant, writing: "Wo Hop, New York, NY: One of the oldest restaurants in NYC’s Chinatown, Wo Hop stands as a testament to the old-fashioned Chinese American cooking that is increasingly hard to find."

America’s Classics Awards honor older, "timeless" restaurants — and kick off the James Beard Awards season

02/20/2022

New York Chinatown’s annual Lunar (Chinese) New Year Parade kicks off this Sunday, Feb. 20 to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.

• Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Parade route: Mott and Canal Streets, Mott and Canal to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, ending on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

• Before and after the parade, a festival with booths will take place from noon to 4 p.m. in Kimlau Square, Park Row in Chinatown.

For more information, visit: http://betterchinatown.com/

Chinatown goes all out for its Lunar New Year celebration by hosting a beloved tradition: The amazing Chinese New Year Parade in NYC.

02/20/2022

House Beautiful features "A Comprehensive List of Every Historic House Museum Featured in HBO's 'The Gilded Age,'” including eight from New York State.

• Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, N.Y. (video start time: 2:57)
- "A Gothic Revival-style structure, [it] was designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis."

• The Belvedere Estate in Tarrytown, N.Y. (video start time: 3:07)
- "The … estate was originally part of Philipsburg Manor, a 90,000-acre property built for Florence and Casper Whitney. … It now sits on just over 25 acres and acts as an event venue."

• Glenview Mansion in Yonkers, N.Y. (video start time: 3:24)
- "Now known as the Hudson River Museum, [it] was built during the Victorian era … [and] was designed by Charles W. Clinton in the 1870s."

• The Castle in Troy, N.Y. (video start time: 3:39)
- "The Castle — AKA the John Paine Mansion — was deemed the 'grandest house' in Troy, New York. It was built in 1896."

• Hart Cluett Museum in Troy, N.Y. (video start time: 3:54)
- "Built in 1827, the … museum is a work of Federal architecture designed by Martin E. Thompson."

• Hempstead House, part of Sands Point Preserve Conservancy in Sands Point, N.Y. (video start time: 4:05)
- "Located on the North Shore of Long Island, [it] was built for Howard Gould … and completed in 1912, after Gould sold the estate to Daniel Guggenheim."

• Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, N.Y. (video start time: 4:20)
- "Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park features an imposing Tudor-style abode. It is surrounded by landscaping by Frederick Law Olmstead."

• Rock Hall Museum in Lawrence, N.Y. (video start time: 4:35)
- "Built in approximately 1767, the … museum is a 2.5-story, Georgian-style home. It was restored to its original appearance in the 1950s."

02/20/2022

House Beautiful's "The 10 Best Gilded Age Mansions in the United States" lists two from New York State:

• No. 7. Westbury House, part of Old Westbury Gardens in Old Westbury, N.Y., on Long Island:
- “Situated on 200 acres, Westbury House is part of Old Westbury Gardens, the former estate of businessman John Shaffer Phipps. The dwelling was built by George A. Crawley in the Carolean Revival style of architecture.”
- The gardens will reopen for the 2022 season on April 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Directions by car and Long Island Rail Road and taxi: oldwestburygardens.org/planyourvisitextd/

• No. 8. Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, N.Y.
- “Run by the National Park Service, the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is a work of Beaux-Arts architecture, designed by celebrated firm McKim, Mead & White. It was built between 1896 and 1899.”
- The mansion is open for limited 30-minute ranger-led tours via advanced reservation only from Thursday to Monday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (closed on Tuesday and Wednesday): nps.gov/vama/planyourvisit/permitsandreservations.htm

And you can visit them all!

02/20/2022

The Cradle of Aviation Museum's "Flying Cars, Stars, and Mars!" launched today in Garden City, N.Y., featuring:

• Personal Air Vehicles: Four eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicles on display in the Future is Now Gallery

• Hubble Exhibit: The Hubble mission since its launch in 1990 and an introduction to the James Webb Space Telescope

• Mars Exploration: The Mars 2020 mission featuring the Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter. Drive a rover on the Martian surface in augmented reality (AR).

These exhibits at the air and space museum in Long Island will run through Feb. 27.

- Museum hours and admission: cradleofaviation.org/plan_your_visit/
- Directions by car and bus: cradleofaviation.org/plan_your_visit/directions.html

Check out the latest community post from one of your neighbors. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

02/19/2022

Kids Week with the Urban Park Rangers — Feb. 21 to 25, 2022.

Kids will get to experience nature in a hands-on and fun way during midwinter recess, for ages 12 years old and younger, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

• Check out the programs events here: nycgovparks.org/events/kids_week

While schools are out next week for Midwinter Recess, our parks are hosting Kids Week with the Urban Park Rangers! Join us for family-friendly hikes, scavenger hunts, birding, and more fun nature activities all week! Find a program near you: http://on.nyc.gov/2F1V1sL

02/06/2022

The splendor of Niagara Falls State Park, USA in winter.

02/01/2022

The Lunar New Year 🧧 kicked off with a bang 🧨 at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side, welcoming the Year of the Water Tiger 🐯.

01/31/2022

The LUMA Projection Arts Festival's 2021 feature "Firefly" is featured here by CBS Sunday Morning, as well as on the show's "Projection mapping: Art and technology illuminated" story: cbsnews.com/video/projection-mapping-art-and-technology-illuminated/ .

This year's festival takes place Sept. 9 and 10 in downtown Binghamton, N.Y., from 8:30 p.m. to 12:15 p.m.
• https://lumafestival.com/?fbclid=IwAR3a80qGYhGOoaXrfIK7J1cYASRlfqh6AQYrvtkLELqQw-Lph5ML_d5QjIM

01/31/2022

Storm King Art Center, the 500-acre outdoor museum located in the Hudson Valley, is open for Winter Weekends — Saturdays and Sundays only through March 27 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Ticket options: https://stormking.org/tickets/

• Directions by car and by train from NYC, as well as visitor information: https://stormking.org/plan-your-visit/

(Photo: IG / trish_mayo)

Today kicks off the first Winter Weekend at Storm King! We're open Saturdays & Sundays, 10AM - 4:30PM, from Jan - March. Don't forget to tag us in your photos with 📸❄️

Bike rentals and tram service will be available based on ground conditions. Look for the Food Truck near South Parking for hot drinks and cafe favorites like chili and cookies.

Photo: IG / trish_mayo

01/31/2022

Trumpeter swans chilling out near Cayuga, N.Y.

01/30/2022

After the ❄️ storm, Central Park looks like a winter wonderland. ⛄️