Home of the Headless Horseman

We started up the Hudson River, a 315 mile river that flows from north to south.  The Native Americans called the Hudson River "Mahicanituck" or "the river that flows both ways".  It is tidal as far as Albany and it actually can flow in both directions as the tides come in and out.  We attempted to travel with the current, but heavy rains upstream caused the current to be against us.

Yonkers.

We passed by Sing Sing Correctional Facility

We arrived to our destination Half Moon Bay Marina.

Today we rented a car and visited Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Walmart, West Marine, Stamford, CT. and an authentic Italian restaurant - and all in one day.  The towns are so pretty and the greenery is very lush.  We saw beautiful historic homes, authentic Italian restaurants, little bakeries, colorful flowers and many different varieties of trees and plants.

Tarrytown with its small stores and delicatessens is a picturesque town about 25 miles north of Manhattan.

Stained glass window in the Tarrytown Police Station, is that the headless horseman?

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is listed on the New York State and the National Register of Historic Places. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is very large, beautiful and well manicured, even on a rainy day. 

The Bridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

The horseman himself is allegedly a Hessian soldier from the Revolutionary War who was decapitated by a cannonball and now roams Sleepy Hollow on his horse, with his severed head resting upon the pommel of his saddle.  The Horseman is said to be incapable of crossing the bridge at the town entrance (a possible reference to the belief that ghosts cannot cross water).

Cemetery is very large and beautiful, many purple Japanese maples.  We want to come back in the fall.

Washington Irving, author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and other famous people including Elizabeth Arden, Andrew Carnegie, Walter Chrysler, and William Rockefeller are buried here.  

 Monument to Union Soldiers

Old Dutch Burying Ground

I later learned that I am Dutch and have ancestors, the Van Covenhoeven's, who lived and died here.

King needed boat parts from West Marine and the closest store was in Stamford, CT.  As a bonus there was a Walmart in White Plains.  It was quite an experience to go to this Walmart.  It is in the downtown section, complete with a parking garage, 2 stories and no produce.  We walked around the store and thought it odd that there were no groceries.  We happened on a escalator and saw the groceries were downstairs!  The grocery carts rode up and down on their own escalator.

We drove on to West Marine and purchased the boat parts.  By now we were all hungry.  A quick look at YELP and we had an Italian restaurant right in the same parking lot as West Marine.  We felt that we had a true Italian experience with this restaurant.  Food was great, and the service was great, but the chefs were polite but aloof.  We knew we weren't in Texas.  I had the lobster tortellini and it was excellent! King and Phil chose lasagna.  One of our best Looper meals.

Back to our marina for another night, Half Moon Bay at Croton on the Hudson.