Margaret89

The Vernon Hills Shopping Center in Eastchester is located on Route 22 (or White Plains Road), only a short drive from the Hutchinson River Parkway and the Bronx River Parkway. Vernon Hills are home to several higher-end clothing stores and restaurants. Customers can shop at Ann Taylor, the Gap, Lord and Taylor, Brooks Brothers, Talbots, Papyrus, and New York Sports Club, as well as at other popular retail chains. They can find something to eat at the Fig and Olive, which serves delicious Mediterranean dishes, though they are a little pricey. Haiku, an Asian bistro and sushi bar, is across the street. (Though I have never eaten there myself, online reviews are, unfortunately, somewhat negative.) I can, however, attest that the Westchester Bagel Café, which is a few doors down from Haiku, serves good diner fare and mouth-watering pastries. Vernon Hills also has a Fresh Market for those who want to avoid the crowded, endless aisles of larger supermarkets like A&P or Shop Rite. There is also a Huntington Learning Center at the shopping center for elementary and high school students who need extra help with their schoolwork. Parking at Vernon Hills is free.

Of course, since Vernon Hills is a major shopping center catering to the inhabitants of both Eastchester and Scarsdale and is located on a main road, the surrounding area suffers from a high volume of traffic during certain times of the day. Vernon Hills offers a fun few hours of shopping if you are willing to brave the congestion on Route 22.

While the other reviews about Purchase provide great insight into the area for people who are considering residence there, I thought I would provide the perspective of someone visiting the town on a day trip. Purchase is home to one of PepsiCo, Inc.’s offices, whose extensive grounds make up the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden. This garden, which is open to the public free of charge, is truly a gift to both the residents of Purchase and visitors from elsewhere in the county. The gardens at PepsiCo are located on Anderson Hill Road, directly across from the Neuberger Museum at SUNY Purchase, and are easy to get to from the Hutchinson River Parkway.

I visited the gardens recently with my friends, and we spent a pleasant few hours walking along the winding gravel paths which led us from sculpture to sculpture. Many other families also took advantage of the sunny weather to explore the gardens. Children ran across the open lawn and fed the ducks paddling in the pond, and dogs trotted along next to their owners. People ate their lunches at the benches and tables that are provided for picnickers.

Some of the cherry trees were just starting to bloom when we visited. Although most of the other trees and bushes were still dormant, they will reawaken into full color as the weather gets warmer. The landscape, though still stark, interacts with the art to provide visitors with a very different viewing experience with each piece. Certain sculptures are obscured behind a copse of trees or are nestled among bushes, which gives the viewer a sense of privacy or intimacy with the work; while other pieces stand tall for all to see in the middle of wide, open spaces, which allows the visitor to perceive the viewing of art as a public or communal experience.

The changing of the gardens with the seasons will, of course, also impact one’s perception of the sculptures, so I will be sure to visit again when the plants are in full bloom. The residents of Purchase are very fortunate to have such a treasure so close to home!

This past Saturday marked the first annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on McLean Avenue, an event that exemplifies all the best of what this neighborhood has to offer, namely, the strong sense of community that brought so many people together to make the parade a success. Representatives of the neighborhood's schools and clubs marched in the parade, including the St. Barnabas Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, St. Paul's Elementary School, P.S. 19, several Irish cultural societies and dance schools, the Nepperhan Community Drum Corps, the Suburbia Roller Derby team, and Yonkers police and firefighters.

As this (incomplete) list indicates, Southeast Yonkers is an active community. The hub around which the neighborhood is centered is St. Barnabas Parish and its school, St. Barnabas Elementary. (St. Barnabas Elementary has a Bronx address because its front door is in the Bronx--the school itself straddles the border between Yonkers and the Bronx.) There are several other good schools in the area: P.S. 19, St. Paul's, and Mark Twain, which makes Southeast Yonkers an ideal place for raising a family. There are many clubs--both independent and school-associated--for children to participate in after school and over the weekends. The Woodlean Boys and Girls Club runs a kids' basketball league over the winter and a baseball/softball league in the spring. As someone who has grown up in the area, I made many friends on sports teams and in after-school clubs. I had a fun childhood here, and I highly recommend the area to families with kids.

Southeast Yonkers has attractions for older people, too. McLean Avenue is home to many good diners, restaurants, and pubs. Cross County Shopping Center--the oldest shopping center in the U.S.--offers great shopping to Yonkers residents. It has recently undergone some major renovations and has opened up several new stores and restaurants. Cross County also has a movie theater, a Stop-and-Shop, and a new gym called Blink.

The public transportation in Southeast Yonkers is pretty good. Buses can take you to Cross County, White Plains, the Bronx, and into Manhattan. The Woodlawn Metro North station and the Woodlawn subway station are not far. Despite all this, it is still more convenient to own a car.

For all that Southeast Yonkers is a vibrant community, it is not very diverse. The neighborhood that is centered around St. Barnabas Parish is mostly Catholic. This community was primarily German in the early 20th century, and has become predominantly Irish and Italian in recent decades. There also are no GLBTQ community centers or gay/lesbian bars in the area. Although I love living in Southeast Yonkers, this is something that people will want to consider before moving here.