On Wednesday , Sept. 5, the Trips Committee will be sponsoring a trip to the Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers
Now a city park, the gardens, designed for Samuel Untermyer, a wealthy lawyer, were among the best in America in the 1920s and 1930s but were too costly to keep up after his death in 1940. They were in ruins when the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy started restoring the gardens in 2011, and in a short time it has achieved wonders. The trip will focus on the Walled Garden, based on Indo-Persian gardens of antiquity.
"Stephen Byrns, a New York architect with a substantial practice came upon the site and was mesmerized. The important remaining feature, in addition to the “Temple of Love,” was a walled Persian garden. The water feature had gone dry, the pools and surrounding mosaics were crumbling, the vistas were overgrown. As with Betsy Rogers a generation earlier, Byrns created a public/private partnership, rolled up his sleeves, engaged horticulturalist Timothy Tilghman and began the process of recovery. The results after a few years, are magical. Within the armature of the structure, with Marco’s advice, the garden has become something of a magic carpet. While not reproducing the original planting schemes it enhances the character of the space, creating a world apart, a landscape of imagination and, yes, reverie." (American Fine Art Magazine, July/August 2018)
To sign up you must go to the Activities Alcove, locate the Trips Book and enter your name.
On Wednesday, Oct 3 the Committee will be offering a walking excursion on the Walkway over the Hudson between Poughkeepsie and Highland. Residents may stroll at their own pace over the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge at 1.28 miles, a former railway bridge and now a New York state park, 212 feet above the river with 360º panoramic views. Join the mix of individuals who stroll, cycle, walk, jog, roller blade, walk dogs, and push baby carriages or strollers. Kendal participants must be able to walk the entire one-way distance. Wheelchair accessible, benches on bridge
Sign up in the Trips Book.