Tag Archives: Outdoors

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Admiring the Kensico Dam Plaza

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Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla, N.Y.

The Kensico Dam Plaza. A place I grew up five minutes away from, but a place I truly didn’t start appreciating until recently. There is nothing quite as jaw-dropping as the Kensico Dam and its architecture. I remember as a child we would go to the playground at the plaza and spend countless running around and playing on our bikes. But in our 20’s, my friends and I have found a new reason to visit the plaza, and we call it the “Sunday Recap”.

In our 20’s, it’s no secret on Saturday nights we like to go out and have a great time. We call it “living our best lives”. But as soon as Sunday rolls around, we are either regretting the decisions we made or are so proud of ourselves that we want to shout it from the rooftop. That is why my friends and I like to take a trip to the Kensico Dam on Sundays to do a bit of a recap of the night before.

By going to the plaza, we feel it allows us to get some much needed fresh air and exercise. We will do laps around the green field for hours, or until we run out of stories.

The dam is one of those places that no matter when you go, you will undoubtedly run into someone you know. Whether you want to or not. But my friends and I never let that stop us from going and having a great time in the sun.

Also, if you have children or younger siblings, I highly suggest visiting the Winter Wonderland Festival at the plaza during the holiday season. There is ice skating, a circus, children’s rides, a hayride and great local food vendors. Every year I take the children I used to babysit, as a fun night for everyone. They absolutely love it and I do too.

Be sure to check out the Kensico Dam Plaza, and maybe I’ll see you there. Here is a quick video I made on my visit! Enjoy 🙂

JK

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Exploring A Chilly Stone Barns

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JK at Stone Barns Center For Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, NY.

During my years as an undergraduate student, I would babysit regularly for a family who lived right down the street from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. For those of you who don’t know, Stone Barns is a beautiful farm in Pocantico Hills, full of lush green grass and gorgeous animals. I drove past this farm multiple times per week and every time I would be in awe. In the 45 seconds, I would spend driving along it, I would feel myself just relax and be inspired. It was unlike anything else I had seen in Westchester County, and each time I would see it, I couldn’t believe it was just a short ten minutes away from my house.

Now fast forward to this past weekend, I started to really think of where I wanted to kick off my blog. I thought about different restaurants and cafes, but it wasn’t until I remembered Stone Barns, that I felt confident in starting “Living Local”. What I didn’t take into consideration was … the snow. I dragged my friend to visit the walking trails at Stone Barns, so I could get a better sense of what it was all about. We walked through the snow and the mud and happened to pass a lot of other people exercising. Sadly, most of the animals were in their different huts to keeps warm. But even in the snow, Stone Barns was as spectacular as I remembered. The way the sun was setting right over the farm was breathtaking. I already can’t wait to revisit the farm, come spring.

After visiting Stone Barns, I checked out the center’s website and learned about all of the different events, resources and opportunities at the farm. In addition, Stone Barns offers an extraordinary array of educational programs to teach people how to create a “healthy, sustainable food system”.

Well, that’s it for this week, be sure to check out Stone Barns and please comment below where you would like me to visit next!

JK