child $22/20/18; htours
9:45am, 1:45pm & 3pm), the
Rockefeller family’s old
European-style estate
perched on a bluff high
atop the Hudson River.
The exterior is stately
neoclassical revival
while inside it’s more
fine art gallery than
summer home. Outside,
the carefully sculpted
gardens, dotted with
modern art installations
from the likes of
Giacometti and Picasso,
are a delight to wander
through.5 p44
The Drive » Start this 32-
mile drive by crossing over the
Hudson River at one of its widest
points on the 3-mile long Tappan
Zee Bridge to South Nyack. (It’s
the state’s longest bridge, and
although experts question its
current structural soundness, it’s
still safe to drive on. Construction
of a new span, costing more than
$4 billion, is to begin in 2013
and will take six years.) Take the
Palisades Pkwy north from here.3 Bear Mountain &
Harriman State Parks
Shockingly, only 40
miles north of New York
City is a pristine forest
with miles of hiking
trails, swimming and
wilderness camping. The
72 sq miles of Harriman
State Park (%845-786-
5003; http://nysparks.state.
ny.us/parks) were donatedto the state in 1910 by
the widow of railroad
magnate Edward Henry
Harriman, director of the
transcontinental Union
Pacifica Railroad and
frequent target of Teddy
Roosevelt’s trustbusters.
Adjacent Bear Mountain
State Park (%845-786-2701;
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/
parks; h8am-dusk) offers
great views from its 1305ft
peak, with the Manhattan
skyline looming beyond
the river and surrounding
greenery, and there’s a
restaurant and lodging at
the inn on Hessian Lake.
In both parks there are
several scenic roads that
snake past mountain-fed
streams and secluded
lakes with gorgeous
vistas; you’ll spot shy,
white-tailed deer, stately
blue herons and – in the
remotest regions – even a
big cat or two.
Head to Fort
Montgomery State
Historic Site (www.nysparks.
state.ny.us; Rte 9W; museum $2;
h9am-5pm Wed-Sun mid-Apr- Oct 31) in Bear Mountain
for picture-perfect views
from its cliffside perch
overlooking the Hudson.
The pastoral site was
host to a fierce skirmish
with the British on
October 6, 1777. American
soldiers hunkered behind
fortresses while they tried
to hold off the enemy; the
ruins are still visible in
the red earth. A museum
at the entrance has
artifacts and more details
on the bloody battle.
Start: 1 The Cloisters
For some authentic Italian food and an old-school
vibe, head to Arthur Ave (aka Belmont), the Bronx’s
answer to Little Italy. Tracksuited Albanians, well-
dressed old timers and nostalgic Italian families
(likely now living elsewhere in the city or Jersey) sip
espressos and browse the bakeries for traditional
favorites. Stop in the enclosed Arthur Avenue
Market (2344 Arthur Ave; h8am-6pm Mon-Sat) for a
sandwich or cannoli. Just off Arthur Ave, Roberto
Restaurant (%718-733-9503; 603 Crescent Ave btwn
Arthur & Hughes Aves; hlunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat) has
a great reputation; its fans swear, with frightening
passion, that it’s New York’s – not just Belmont’s –
best Italian restaurant.
The best way to get here is to head south from
the Cloisters and take I-95 Cross Bronx Expwy to
Webster Ave.ARTHUR AVE
DETOUR:
NEW.YORK.TRIPS.1
(^) HUDSON V
ALLEY