Places Where We Lived Part 4 - Cold Spring

Cold Spring N.Y.










Haldane Central School (Above, right and below right)











The Smoking Wall (Above)

The Village of Cold Spring




































Tunnel To Hudson River

Village History:

Until 1818 Cold Spring was a small settlement nestled on the shores of the Hudson River at its narrowest point -- although folk lore would have it that the it was christened by General George Washington when, around 1780, he took a sip of water from the spring and announced, "Cold Spring."

The village of Cold Spring grew up around the West Point Foundry. The foundry, which opened in 1818 and made guns, cannons and steam engines, employed 1,400 people at its height and closed in 1911. Most of the housing in the village dates from that era. The West Point Military Academy is visiable directly across the Hudson River from Cold Spring Harbour.

Fun Fact:

The Village of Cold Spring Board gave the green light for Paramount Pictures to film a scene from their big-budget remake of "War of the Worlds" on the lower half of Main Street. The shooting ran from 3:00 pm to 7:00 am every day from December 6 through December 9.

The scene promised to be a spectacular one in the $270 million Steven Spielberg picture, and it was. Tentatively titled "Out of the Night." In it, hundreds of people are trying to board a ferryboat to cross the Hudson River to escape from the alien invasion. Cruise’s character jumps on the boat just in time, as alien blasts explode a nearby ticket booth and generally wreaks havoc on the nearby surroundings.

Bear Mountain Parkway

Bear Mountain Outlook

View from Perkins Drive

Places Where We Lived Part 3 - The Catskills


Lt Brender Highway Harris N.Y.
Bethel N.Y.









Walnut Mountain Liberty N.Y.













Woodstock Mucic Festival site Yasgur's Farm










Harris Hospital from Route 17











Village of Livingston Manor










Livingston Manor





Liberty High School









Liberty Elementary



























“You bet I arrived overnight. Over a few hundred nights in the Catskills, in vaudeville, in clubs and on Broadway.”– Danny Kaye

The Catskills

The Catskill Mountains (also known as simply the Catskills) a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are not, despite their popular name, true geological mountains, but rather a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau. They are sometimes considered an extension of the Appalachian Mountains into Upstate New York, although they are not geologically related. The Catskills are west of the Hudson River and lie within the bounds of six counties (Otsego, Delaware, Sullivan, Schoharie, Greene, and Ulster).


The name "Catskills" did not come into wide popular use for the mountains until the mid-19th century — in fact, that name was disparaged by purists as too plebeian, too reminiscent of the area's Dutch colonial past, especially since it was used by the local farming population. It may also have been a continuation of the British practice, after taking possession of the colony in the late 17th century, of trying to replace most Dutch toponyms in present-day New York with their English alternatives. The locals preferred to call them the Blue Mountains, to harmonize with Vermont's Green Mountains and New Hampshire's White Mountains. It was only after Irving's stories that Catskills won out over Blue Mountains, and several other competitors.
While the meaning of the name ("cat creek" in Dutch) and the namer (early Dutch explorers) are settled matters, exactly how and why the area is named is a mystery.
The most common, and easiest, is that bobcats were seen near Catskill creek and the present-day village of Catskill, and the name followed from there. However there is no record of bobcats ever having been seen in significant numbers on the banks of the Hudson, and the name Catskill does not appear on paper until 1655, more than four decades later. (Source)

The Concord Resort and Casino (aka - The Jewish Alps Headquarters)

Places Where We Lived Part 2 - Elmsford

1624 Woodside Drive, Elmsford N.Y.


























Cookie Crisp!!!~George, Ricky and Joey should get the reference.












On another trip to Fishkill N.Y. I jumped off the NY State Thruway and made my way towards Rt 100a. Except for the homes, you would not recognize the old neighborhood. The entrance to Woodside drive, once dominated by several Victorian style homes, is now a commercial business park. The bridge that we called "the wall", where we spend many a time contemplating our future exploits, is completely gone, and the stream that it once covered is now obscured by asphalt. The Shell station across Rt 100a is still there but instead of the tennis club to its immediate right, there is a professional office building - progress, maybe not?
The KnollWood Country Club maintenance shack is still right behind our old house, but now there is a fence demarking the two properties - I guess they got smart after we "borrowed" their gulf carts so often.

I came across this quote about time; it seems apropos.

"The present is the point at which time touches eternity". - C. S. Lewis

Places Where We Lived
Part 1 - Yonkers



984 Mclean Avenue, Yonkers N.Y.















The old building still sits on top of a pizzeria













View of Mclean and Sterling

View of Sterling Ave (right)


St Barnabus Park (Below)









St Barnabas Church (Above)



This is where we played stick ball (Below)








View of Mclean from St Barnabus Park (Above)


“I came from a real tough neighborhood. I put my hand in some cement and felt another hand.” – Rodney Dangerfield

Public School (P.S) 11 (Below)

Merk Chemist - there since 1886 (Below)










P.S. 11 baseball field (Below)









Hillview Resevior on Kimball Ave (Below)











On a recent trip to NY I decided to exit the Taconic Parkway at Mclean Ave and visit our old nieghborhood. It's true that one cannot go back in time, but I found Mclean Heights to be preserved as if it were still 1979. In fact it is cleaner and even more quaint.
On Mclean Avenue between Bronx River Road and the NY State Truway there are several Irish pubs and restaruants. There are several Irish shops and many actually speak in Irish tongue. The pizza shop under our old building has incredible pizza. I ordered a cheese slice and walked the neighborhood, just like old times. It was an enjoyable outing. I hope that you enjoy the pictures.

“'The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make.'” – William Morris