A leisure walk at Untermyer Park and Garden, Yonkers

One of our favorite family get-together here in NY is going outdoor whenever we can. 

As I have previously posted in before winter comes, we were enjoying the last weeks of warm weather around the Big Apple and the surrounding areas. Mind you, winter is just around the corner and before we choose to curl up in our sofas holding a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of bakso (aaaah, ngebayanginnya aja udah enaaak :)), I make sure that we go out and enjoy the sun :).

And again, let me introduce you to Untermyer Park and Garden.

Beautifully situated at the bank of Hudson River, Yonkers, this park is a hidden gem. 

When we were there, there were not many visitors although the day was warm. 

Entah kenapa, kami selalu mencoba memanfaatkan waktu ketika hari cerah untuk pergi keluar kota. Padahal boleh dibilang banyak tempat-tempat seru di  New York City yang belum kami jelajahi. Deretan museum dan taman di tengah kota menanti untuk disambangi. Belum lagi godaan sale yang ampuuuun membahayakan dompet dan lemari hehe.

Tapi saat mendiami suatu negara, saya punya prinsip untuk mendatangi tempat yang jauh-jauh dulu, supaya yang dekat-dekat dan gampang dicapai dengan kendaraan umum bisa kita simpan untuk hari-hari yang dingin atau saat kita tidak punya begitu banyak waktu tersisa. Teman-teman punya prinsip yang samakah?

That's why beberapa waktu yang lalu, saat cuaca cerah, kami memilih mengunjungi Yonkers, satu kota yang tidak jauh dari NYC tapi kalau melihat beberapa referensi di laman traveling, sepertinya asyik juga untuk dikunjungi. And the day was warm indeed, in a way that it was more than 10 degree Celcius, karenanya kami berempat pun masih menggunakan jaket yang cukup membantu menahan angin.

And we are right! Hanya dengan menempuh perjalanan 45 menit, kami tiba di Untermyer Park and Garden, tujuan utama kami ke Yonkers kali ini.

Serasa musing semi..masih banyak warna-warni :)

Adalah Samuel  Untermyers, seorang pengusaha yang juga horticulturist yang bercita-cita merealisasikan Garden of Eden, atau taman firdaus. Bersama sang istri, Minnie Untermyer, mereka mencoba mengadaptasi konsep tersebut dengan membuat taman yang dihiasi 4 aliran air dan elemen surga lainnya. Di tanah miliknya di tepi sungai Hudson, dibangunlah taman Untermyer yang tengah kami kunjungi. Tidak hanya penataan tamannya yang istimewa karena bergaya campuran Indo-Persia dan Yunani kuno, namun juga pilihan tanamannya yang dilakukan secara selektif.

This Park has several parts, including the Walled garden, the Vista,  Temple of Love, the Rock Garden, the Color garden and the Sundial Garden.

We only managed to see 4 of them, minus the Color Garden and the Sundial Garden.

Salah satu bagian yang paling cantik menurut saya adalah the Walled Garden, atau taman yang terletak di dalam tembok khusus.

Mulai dari saat pertama kita masuk ke dalam kompleks taman ini, mata sudah dimanjakan dengan pepohonan rindang dan barisan bunga cantik di tepi kolam yang terbagi ke empat jurusan mata angin. Ada kesan misterius yapi mengundang kita untuk masuk lebih jauh ke dalamnya. Bahkan dengan kolam air yang saat itu tengah kering (karena konservasi air, kolam hanya diairi di musim semi dan musim panas), kami masih menikmati indahnya taman ini.

Welcome to the Walled Garden..

Di sisi kiri taman, terdapat kuil Yunani yang khas dengan tiang-tiang besarnya. 

Dengan mosaik keramik khas Yunani, di bagian bawah kuil ini terdapat kolam besar yang juga dihiasi dengan mosaik antik.

Cheeers :)

 Di sisi kanan, ada patio kecil yang elegan dan damai sekali. 

Right in the middle, you will see the famous sphinxes on top of the marble columns with the amphitheater right in front of it. Just marvelous...

The sphinxes :)

Jangan salahkan kami kalau sesi foto pun dilakukan tiada henti :). 

Not only me, but also Bo et Obi.

This Indo-Persian and ancient Greek-inspired park has more. Right next to the amphitheater, we will be awed by the Vista. Bagaimana tidak, tangga menurun yang dibuat dengan meniru model Vila D"Este yang terkenal di Danau Como, Milan, Itali. Kami yang sempat mengunjungi Danau Como di tahun 2008 serasa dejavu, dengan Sungai Hudson sebagai muara indahnya alam ciptaan-Nya.

Taking picture for more in the Vista? 

Of course :)

Here are our pose with the enchanting Hudson River as the background...

And next, as we strolled along the Hudson River enjoying the sunny day, even the trees in the wood set a s another perfect background for more photos.

Obi, while tracking in the woods along the Hudson River

We were then heading to the Temple of Love :) Aren't you intrigued with the name? And the classic wrought iron dome over the elegant four-column gazebo just gives you the romantic ambience instantly.

And with breathtaking view seen from this upper platform, it really deserved its loving name.

So, that's our little adventure in Untermyer Garden and Park. Really a good intermezzo amidst our day-to-day trip in the concrete jungle of New York City. And a perfect spot for photo session as well :). 

Ada yang mau main ke sini? 

Untermyer Park and Garden
945 N Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701
Open every day from 7 am to sunset
Check the complete opening hours at its website

Before winter comes...

At the end of fall like this, nothing makes me happier than having sunny days.

here come the sun...

Sungguh, hal sederhana seperti menikmati hangatnya sinar matahari di wajah bisa menjadi kemewahan yang mahal harganya saat musim dingin datang menyapa.

A few last weekends, New York City and the surrounding areas were blessed with balmy weather. My kinda weather :).

Tanpa ba-bi-bu, saya, Udi et anak-anak sudah sepakat untuk menikmati udara hangat ini di luar. Memanjakan 4 pasang kaki gatal dan tangan iseng yang bawaannya foto ke sana ke sini. A weekly dose of nature's wonders, I call it. Bon.. Pourquoi pas? 

Dan meskipun banyak tempat yang belum kami jelajahi di belantara New York City yang terkadang memekakkan telinga, kami lebih tertarik untuk menyusuri Hudson River. Ceritanya We're in a New York state of mind :), kalau kata Om Billy Joel #cieciecie #gegayaan. Sooo.. Long story short, Udi and I pinpointed the surrounding areas which are worth a visit.

And this time, Yonkers came out of the map :). Using Trip Advisor as our guide, the number 1 on the list in this area is Untermyer Parks and Garden, while the next one is Hudson River Museum.  The review says it's lovely but need more tender loving care. Well, let's find out!

About 45 minutes drive, we arrived at our destination.

And as I set my eyes on this gated garden, I fell in love with this Persian-style mixed with Grecian elegance. Perfected with the bella vista of the Hudson River. Tres maqnifique!

I know.. Extra maintenance will be more than welcome but even at its present state, the park is a beautiful spot that worth a visit.

We strolled around the covered park and no doubt we took tons of pictures. The Grecian temple, the couple of sphinxes on top of the marble columns, marbled mosaics, the vista, the temple of love, and more. Of which, if you don't mind,  I will share in the next post.

But another interesting part of our journey at that day was the trekking. 

We were practically the only groups in the woods that day. And how happy we were spending our time sitting on top of the piles of leaves, positioning our camera on the dirt and taking pictures. In the middle of the pathway :)

Aaah..kalau sudah begini bahagia memang sederhana.

Bisa menghabiskan waktu bersama keluarga tercinta, tertawa lepas di alam terbuka, saling membantu menyemangati kala hiking sudah mulai menghabiskan nafas, dan santai duduk di atas tanah lembab yang penuh dengan dedaunan menikmati indahnya sekitar. 

posing before the Hudson River at the back

Speaking of dedaunan, I was also on a special mission at that time.  Collecting some dried leaves for my dearest friend, Siti Hairul Dayah.

                                     

a special package..

I know fall folliage is probably over but its beauty lingers and I want to capture that and send this special package to Mak Irul. There, on the other side of the world, in a hot, humid, yet magnificent Jogjakarta, lives a great family that I adore. For being so modest, for being so real, and highly committed. 

Bagaimana tidak... Mbak Irul, panggilan sayang Siti Hairul Dayah, dikarunia 6 orang putra putri. Dan semuanya homeschooling. Itu juga yang membawa perkenalan kami pertama saat menjadi salah satu finalis Srikandi Blogger KEB. Homeschooling...mungkin banyak yang sudah tidak asing mendengarnya dan banyak yang sudah menerapkannya pula. Di tengah hiruk pikuk dunia pendidikan saat ini, saya mengerti sekali mengapa banyak yang memutuskan untuk mengajarkan langsung pada anak-anaknya hal-hal penting yang akan menjadi bekali mereka kelak di masa depan. Untuk itu saya salut dengan Mba Irul. Butuh dedikasi tinggi, disiplin luar biasa, dan kreatifitas yang tidak putus untuk bisa memastikan anak-anak menikmati dan terus berkembang lewat homeschooling. I got to admit I guess I won't beat that. Dan saya menikmati berbagai proses yang dilalui anak-anak Mba irul untuk terus memicu potensi diri dan membangun karakter mereka lewat catatan si emak. Mulai dari trip ke pantai, blusukan, sampai pencak silat dan masak bareng :). Thanks for sharing it yaaa mbak :)

ini dia Mba Irul dan kesayangannya...punten saya ambil dari blog Mba Irul http://catatansiemak.com langsung :)

Well... Benar kan...keindahan alam  bisa membawa kita menjalin silahturahmi dan belajar banyak. Selembar daun bisa membuat perjalanan biasa menjadi seru bersama keluarga :). Sederhana..tapi semuanya membuat kami makin memahami makna keluarga dan juga mengingatkan kita betapa luar biasa ciptaan-Nya. Alhamdulillaaaah...

Stay blessed, people :)

A Visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Hi, everyone..

Hope you all have a great week.

NYC is surprisingly warm, at least compared to last year. And it certainly gives extra time for me and my family to go out and enjoy the beauty of nature. My itchy feet certainly couldn't wait to go places :).

And last week, we went to Tarry town.

One ultimate destination: Sleepy Hollow cemetery.

I don't know exactly when I firstly start developing this new hobby of visiting cemeteries.

Perhaps it all started with that cute photo session at   Taman Prasasti Museum in Jakarta with Bapak Rudi Frakarsa et my dearest partner in crime, Joannes Tandjung :).

Taman Prasasti Memorial park, Jakarta..back in 2012 I guess..

But for sure, I keep bumping myself to those cemeteries here and there. Including this one, Sleepy Hollow.

one historic place indeed..

Sounds familiar?

Indeed..

There's a famous TV series bearing the same name and inspired by the history of this place.
Do you like watching it as well?

Around 45 minutes drive from NYC, we planned to visited many interesting and historical spot in Tarry town but apparently most of the mansions, like the one belong to the Rockefeller clan, are closed for this season already. So we directly headed to this famous spot for headless men and the pretty tombstones.

Where else but a visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

By the time we arrived here, it was almost deserted. 
Well, that was around 3 PM on Sunday, so perhaps not many were strolling around in the cemetery like the 4 of us :). But then we saw some people walked, and some cars parked, inside of the complex. Like us, many of them were holding the map and took pictures here and there. So I guess we all were intrigued to see the final resting place of Elizabeth Arden, Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie, Walter Chrysler and many more. Do those names ring a bell to you? Some do, I suppose.

It is quite a huge complex and the hilly structure of this place make it looks even more serene and beautiful.

Or perhaps, peaceful is more proper.

Tell me what you think..

Do you think it's spooky?

Or serenely beautiful? 

We also managed to peep the famous resident of this complex. 

Uncle Wash..or Washington Irving, who wrote the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is certainly one spot every one is intrigued to see. When I was there, I overheard the group tour explaining about Uncle Wash love life, which involved a fling with Mary Shelley. Yuuup, you're right, she's the author of the famous Frankenstein :).

And down further, the Pocantico river beautifuly snakes along the hilly cemetery complex. 

In one of the spots, we had the headless horseman bridge (marked 'not original') in the map :)) connecting the lower part of the cemetery to the uphill one.

Well, since we were there at almost sunset, it was super cold and became a bit spooky. Surely I didn't join the ghost tour there but happy enough just to walk around and take pictures around.

Psst, btw.. my smartphone got stuck while I was taking picture in Mr. Jones' corner. Simply blank and black screened. I'm pretty much superstitious so I took it as a sign that I had to call it a day :).

So, if you get a chance to visit NYC and are willing to drive around 45 minutes to Tarry Town, don't miss a visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do :)

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery 

540 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY

10591

Opening hours: 8 AM - 4.30 PM (sunset)
No entrance fee

Montauk Point Lighthouse, Long Island...traveling to the "end"

Have you traveled to the 'end'?
To the end of one island, in this case.

Yuup.. Long Island in this case.

Long Island has been long known for its famous beach and strips of well-established town like the Hamptons.

Saya ingat waktu kecil suka curi-curi baca novel Barbara Cartland #huaaahketahuanumurnya punya tante yad genrenya romantis gitu. Dan banyak banget ceritanya yang mengambil setting di Long Island. Tapi ini beda yaaa dengan Thousand Island yang kondang sebagai dressing salad :).

Last long weekend *I know, it's been a while ago :), we traveled to the very end of the Long Island to see the Montauk Point Lighthouse. 

Jadi ceritanya, kami tinggal di Astoria, yang termasuk dalam Borough Queens, atau 'kecamatan' Queens yang merupakan satu dari 5 boroughs di New York City. Selain Queens, NYC terdiri dari Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx dan Staten Island. 

Queens terletak di pulau Long Island, yang memang sesuai namanya panjaaaang bangeeet :)

Kalau diilustrasikan mungkin seperti ini ya..

taken from here

Tuh kan, panjang bangeet yang pulaunya :). Dari 5 borough di NYC, Brooklyn and Queens terletak di Long Island. Dan Montauk Light house benar-benar terletak di ujungnya Long Island :).

When I say the end, it is literally the end of the island :)..

It took around 1.5 hours drive from New York. You can either go there by car or train. If you drive, several routes can be used, including East on I-495 through Long Island Expressway, East on Route 27, East on Southern State Parkway and East on Route 27. All heading to Montauk Point. If you take the train, hop on Long Island Railroad from Penn Station, NYC, to Montauk. Then take taxi to Montauk Point which is about 6 miles from the station.

At that time, the weather was still a bit cloudy and cold. We have been staying at home for the last two days of the holidays as the kids were not in their fit condition, but we decided to go out while we have the sun. Not too many, but warm enough. So, although it was slightly late, but we managed to arrive there and make it right on time. Thirty minutes before the Light House was closed! 

Lucky us :)...

So we used our limited time to stroll around, climb the light house, buy some souvenirs and take pictures here and there...
After paying for the entry tickets (adults 10 USD, children 4 USD), we hurrily headed to the Lighthouse tower. 

Not easy...
Especially as we needed to climb around 137 iron stairs to go to the top :).
But if you have enough time, it would be a great experience for sure...

It's a historical landmark that is still actively used until now. As the first lighthouse built in New York State, Montauk Point Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Washington in 1796. Way before that, this specific spot used to be utilized by the Montaukett Tribe to watch fires in order to guide their traditional canoe home safely. Pretty much doing the same thing until now...Standing tall as beacons to make sure those passing this area can do so safely.


On top of the light house, you will see incredible view of the Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean from the Watch Deck. Too bad it was cloudy at that time..but we still enjoyed it.
And it was only the two of us, Bo and I, were up there.
Well, with one staff of the tower, of course :).

Good thing we found out about Abigail, the famous ghost (what a minute....a ghost, you said?? ) of the Montauk Point Lighthouse, when we were downstairs. Otherwise, we might not fully enjoy our lonely time up there :). Or perhaps the other way around...we would hear her whispering and greeting us up there. Ooow, now that's creepy :).

And the Lantern Room is awesome indeed..

Too bad we didn't manage to check the museum as they ushered us directly to the souvenir shop :). 

some parts of the museum that we saw..

Well, would love to back here again one day..

They have many events conducted in the area, including the sprint thriathlon, music festival, lighting the Lighthouse and of course christmas at the Lighthouse.

Check out more details on their website, including hours, admission, and more.

We really enjoy our visit to Montauk Point Lighthouse, Long Island...traveling to the "end" :). Have you been to the Lighthouse before? How do you like it?

Lake Montauk, Long Island, New York

That windy day ...
The greyish sky welcomed us as we stepped out of the car and breathed the familiar salty air from the Atlantic ocean.
How we love the sea...

But wait a minute...
The board says Lake Montauk.
Lake, not the ocean...

At the very end point of Long Island, Lake Montauk was once a fresh water lake, the largest in Montauk, until it was open to the sea in 1924 "as part of Carl Fisher's Montauk Resort".  Well, it was meant to be the "Miami Beach" of the North but apparently the hurricane in 1936 shuttered that plan along with the fishing village along this shore.
That's what the information on the board says. 

Somehow, this very spot remains a beautiful merge between the flowing lake and the ocean...

A we all witnessed that day...

Join us on Skywatch Friday and see different skies from many corners of the world..