Golfing in the New York City area

If you’re coming to New York for a golf vacation, you probably got on the wrong plane. Unless you’ve got an in at the private clubs (the New York area probably has more great private courses than any place in the country), it’s not a great area for golf. But if you must play while you’re here and don’t know any members of Winged Foot or Shinnecock, here’s some suggestions:

Best Upscale Public

Centennial Golf Club

Centennial is a 27-hole semi private facility in Carmel, NY – about an hour drive from Manhattan in light traffic. It may sound far but it’s hard to find a decent public course without driving at least 30-45 minutes; at that point, the extra 20 minutes is worth it for a good course. Centennial is a great layout with good conditions and good management. With 3 nines and a location far enough from the city, it’s usually possible to get a tee time, even on short notice. The peak rate is up to $135 but they also have pretty reasonable twilight (which generously starts fairly early in the afternoon) and off-season rates.

Mansion Ridge

Billed as the only public Jack Nicklaus-designed course in the area, Mansion Ridge is a very nice facility. It’s a semi-private course which actually tries to make its “members” feel like they’re getting something for their money and that feeling carries over to make you feel a bit like you’re at a private club; it’s a well-conditioned, well-run facility. The mountain-style layout is fairly challenging and the scenery is great. Like everything else it is about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, but close to the Woodbury Commons outlet Mall. Peak greens fees run about $140.

Good Mid-Priced Options

Lido Golf Club

In 1939, Lido Golf Club was chosen by a panel of golf experts as the 41st greatest golf course in the world, ahead of such venerable sites as Carnoustie, Bethpage, Oakland Hills, Olympia Fields, MidOcean, Brookline and Maidstone. (By the way, Timber Point on Eastern Long Island was voted #12, wedged right between Augusta and Oakmont; it’s now a Suffolk County public which costs less than $50 to play). Today, Lido costs about $50 to play and it’s well worth it. Though it is very much a public golf course and certainly has “local flavor,” the layout is great. You get a Robert Trent Jones links style course with holes on the water on Long Island (without paying $650,000 to join Sebonac). The course could use a little TLC, but every time I play, I think, “God ain’t making any more of this.” Weekend afternoons can be slow. Only 45 minutes from Manhattan.

Skyview Golf Club

One of the best kept secrets in New Jersey, Skyview Golf has been voted the most scenic golf course in the state. On top of that, it’s an interesting mountain layout with excellent conditions for a public course and reasonable rates. The front 9 is very challenging (you’ll score better on the back) including the crazy par-5 4th, which you may hate but it’s only one hole.

The Closest

Rivervale Country Club (aka Bergen Hills Country Club)

Despite an identity crisis – I have no idea why it has two names), Rivervale Country Club is a good option if you have limited time. It is probably the closest, decent course to Manhattan. Rivervale is a bit pricey (peak rate is in excess of $100) but you’re paying for the proximity to the city; midweek afternoon rates are much more reasonable. It’s a tight, well-maintained layout which has the feel of some of the private clubs in the area.

Sprain Lake Golf Course

Hey, it’s golf. Just over the border in Yonkers, this Westchester county public course is only a 20-minute drive from the Upper East Side. Though a bit on the short side, it is an interesting old-style layout on a great piece of property – bordered by water and in between the Northbound and Southbound lanes of the Sprain Brook Parkway. It’s quite inexpensive and is typically quite accommodating for last-minute tee times.

Pelham-Spilt Rock Golf Course

Pelham – Split Rock GC is New York City’s only 36 hole facility. Both courses are located in Pelham Bay Park (NYC’s largest park) in the Bronx, lying east of Co-Op City and just south of Westchester County. They’re ok. The Pelham Course was built in 1901 and is a links-style layout. Pelham’s sister course, Split Rock, is the “championship” layout and the better of the two. The courses are now managed by American Golf and there are plans underway to invest money in a new clubhouse and make other improvements. These courses are really close by, but it is still golf in the Bronx after all.

About our Golf Editor:

Jay Weiss is a lifelong New Yorker. He is an 8-handicap who lives in Manhattan. He is not a member of a private club, so he’s played most of the courses in the New York area.

New York’s Best Playgrounds for Children

New York is the greatest place for kids. When my daughters were a little younger I would buckle them into the double stroller, pack up a couple of sippy cups, hard boiled eggs and rice crackers for lunch and go see the sights. We would do the playground hop, stopping at every playground on our way across town. My destination was either City Bakery (for a chocolate cookie) or the Cupcake Cafe across the street in Books of Wonder (for a cupcake). It was a dilemma, cookie or cupcake – which one to consume? I never had to worry about it being fattening because pushing the double stroller was such a work out. I always tried to time my expedition to coincide with the farmers market in Union Square so that I could purchase my groceries and tie them onto the stroller. The only thing I had to be careful of were the moments when my daughters would charge towards the swings, leaving my unbalanced stroller to topple backwards. That could get messy.

One warm spring day I ambitiously walked all the way downtown and took the water taxi across the river from Manhattan to Brooklyn. I got off at Fulton Ferry Landing and bought the girls ice cream at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory located in a former fireboat house. I waited until we got to Jaques Torres in Dumbo until I fulfilled my sugar craving. There, I devoured some petite chocolate morsels. Then, we went to the playground under the Manhattan Bridge. I rested on the bench and my daughters tried out every slide and swing and made new friends with the other kids playing in the park. I had a great time talking to all the other moms and dads who were there. Parenting in NYC is a joy because there is so much that I can do with the kids that I enjoy as much as they do. Everyone is happy.

Best Playgrounds in NYC

Stuyvesant Town has multiple playgrounds. No cars in the center and a clean public bathroom close by. Whoowee! Look for Stuytown’s famous black squirrels.

Tompkins Square Park can get crowded but definitely the best place to people watch, lots of gorgeous, trendy Europeans. Be careful of broken glass.

Chelsea Waterside Playground is good for a hot day because of the fantastic water play areas. Bring a towel.

Visit Madison Square Park if you want some water play but don’t feel like dealing with the whole water scene in Chelsea. This playground is sweet and fun plus they schedule story telling.

Union Square Park is perfect after the farmer’s market. Stay away from the sand playground because kids want to take their shoes off and believe me – you DON’T want them walking around barefoot in it. Think kitty litter for rats.

The Glass Garden is NYU’s secret immaculate garden playground. It has a garden, green house, and hammocks. An oasis. My FAVORITE playground. Plus they do birthdays.

Teardrop Park between Warren and Murray Streets, east of River Terrace to North End Avenue. This playground is really hard to find but once you do it is worth it. The great slide is fantastic (I always feel compelled to go down it too) and the bluestone wall is fun. It’s near the monument to the Irish Famine which is also a good place to go because it is AMAZING. It is a built hilltop covered with Irish grass, wildflowers, thistle and has a reconstructed cottage from Ireland. Truly a surprising place in the middle of Battery Park.

Ancient Playground uptown I have to mention it because it looks so cool, though, we have never gone to it because I have usually exhausted my children by visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and by the time we walk by, it is time to go home and sleep.

Pierrepont Playground in Brooklyn Heights. I grew up going to this playground so I have a gazillion wonderful memories here – (remember the seesaw?). It is as popular now as it was when I was a kid. Actually more so, you might have to take a number to get inside on a Saturday.

This article was written for My Urban Sherpa by Victoria Kann, illustrator, educator, co-author of Pinkalicious, and mother of two playground enjoying children.

Summer is in full swing.

What is happening in New York? People are running from it. In August, when the temperature of the sun is surpassed by the temperature of the subways, the lucky New Yorkers leave town.

With a wonderful selection of nearby beaches and fresh lakes, perhaps it’s your turn to get out of town. The enticement of “free” opera, theatre, and music that costs you the day and all convenience is no match for the beauty of Montauk, Sandy Hook, or Barnegat Light. And if sand and sun aren’t your thing, try the bucolic charm of Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

For the sun and surf:

Block Island

Fire Island

Long Beach Island

Surf Reports
The problem here is inherent – the site is run by surfers. Are they going to be home typing when the surf is up? Still worthwhile.

Montauk
Gurney’s is booked. So this is handy.

Sandy Hook

For the bucolic:

Bucks County, PA

Hunterdon County, NJ

Dorset, Vermont

Travelling to New York? Bring along your dog.

People often wonder what to see in New York, what guidebook to consult, whose recommendations to heed, what time of year to visit…

I would like to offer that visiting New York with a friendly dog is an excellent way to see New York and to meet New Yorkers. Dog in tow, you won’t be able to enter the M.E.T or MoMA, but perhaps you’ve seen the current exhibition elsewhere, or perhaps you visit museums because you think you ought to. Visiting New York with a dog means that you will enjoy the city and her residents in a way no guidebook, nor concierge, not even, or perhaps only, Bill Fischer can arrange without renting you a dog.

People who love dogs are the warmest people. Whether or not they own a dog, people who like dogs are worth liking. Bring your dog to New York and you’ll meet people worth meeting.

New York can use some warming up. I lived in a building of Gramercy Park for several years knowing no one, no one knowing me, until I adopted a castaway Dalmation named Coco who soon became my identity in my building and neighborhood. I became known to the dog-owning and dog-loving population in my building and my neighborhood as Coco’s mother.

Here is my short list of places where you and your dog can fall in love with New York, and her residents.

If you are coming downtown with your dog, stay at the Soho Grand.
310 West Broadway @ Canal & Grand (212) 965-3000

If you are coming uptown, stay at the Lowell.
28 East 63rd Street @ Madison & Park Avenues (212) 838-1400

or The Carlyle
35 East 76th Street @ Park & Madison Avenues (212) 744-1600

Many neighborhood restaurants with sidewalk tables accommodate diners with dogs. Officially you may not bring a dog to the restaurant, but many restaurants permit dogs under toe at their café tables. Rather than bring the attention of the Department of Health to the establishments we like, let’s say that the neighborhoods with lots of outdoor cafes are Battery Park, the East Village, Union Square, Gramercy, the Upper East Side and Upper West Side.

For sure, you can bring your dog to Shake Shack
Madison Square Park @ 23rd & Madison (212) 889-6600

There are recommendations on dog-friendly bars for the public at Chow Hound.

If you’d like to outfit your dog with luxuries or necessities, you’ll want to visit

Canine Styles Uptown
1195 Lexington Avenue @ 81st & 82nd Streets (212) 472-9440

trixie + peanut
23 East 20th Street @ Broadway & Park Avenue South (212) 358-0881

And don’t miss Central Park. The park’s 843 acres provide miles of walking paths and its green lawns are often overflowing with friendly dogs. Local playgroups dot the park and provide ample socialization. There are a few rules you need to obey. Keep your dog on a short leash between 9 am and 9 pm. If your dog is aggressive, never let him off the leash. Finally, always pick up after your dog. Central Park Paws lists more information.

For more information, visit the dog listings at My Urban Sherpa or UrbanHound.com

New York Tourist Sites: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

The recently refurbished Ellis Island joins the Statue of Liberty as stop number two from a Circle Line cruise boat that departs from Castle Clinton each day from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm every 30 minutes. Castle Clinton is found at the South West base of Manhattan in Battery Park.

The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation staff has inadvertently created a scenario that enables visitors to share the frustration that the original immigrants, those arriving in New York via Ellis Island from 1892 until 1954 must have felt. Long lines, security stations, and mobs of people give you a glimpse of what 20th century immigrants faced. On a beautiful day in June, the short jaunt across the Hudson that is scheduled to take 20 minutes, took two hours, so you know.

The Statue of Liberty is beautiful, and historic, and the views of Manhattan from the water are spectacular. Ellis Island is a masterful renovation of a National Monument.

If you are short on time however, Ellis Island, might best be seen from the Manhattan shoreline, and visited in the beautiful book Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom, with photographs by Stephen Wilkes, an introduction by Bill Bradley, in an elegant presentation by SamataMason, published 2006.

What cannot be captured in a book, or from the comfort of your home are New York’s fabulous neighborhoods. My advice is to get lost in Chinatown, the Lower East Side, or Little Italy. From there, it is a short walk to Battery Park, where you can enjoy the beauty of the Statue of Liberty, and the promise of Ellis Island, without the inconvenience of the lines, the wait, or the crowds.

Central Park

Central Park is called Central Park because it is in the middle of Manhattan. It is also central, as in key, to many of the 8 million two-footed residents and their four-footed canine companions. Whether you live in the city or visit for work or pleasure, Central Park offers a delightful respite from the city’s heat, hard lines, schedules, and expense.

Central Park is free. Free to enjoy are gardens, lakes, fauna, and pop-up entertainment. Even a quick pass through the park will add joy to the day.

The Conservatory Garden at Fifth Avenue and 104th Street offers beautiful, structured & colorful open plantings and hidden shady allies in which to read a book or enjoy quiet conversation.

Delacorte Clock rings every half hour in song. Bronze animals spin around the clock, as children follow suit below. I’ve seen this a thousand times, and I still love it.

Harlem Meer at Fifth Avenue from 106th to 110th Streets offers a beautiful lake, decorated with heron, ducks, and the Canada geese the city had hoped to be rid of.

Loeb Boathouse mid-Park offers a café, restaurant, bike rental, boat rental, gondola ride, and clean bathrooms.

Sheep Meadow is an open field for lying about.

The Central Park Zoo is just the right size for little ones, two to six. With seal lions, polar bears, playful otters, nearby bathrooms and café, the zoo is a home away from home for stay-at-home moms and their toddlers, and toddlers and their nannies who stay at home with them.

The sparkle in the Park is added by the city’s residents who pass through on route to work or play, to walk their dogs, stroll with loved ones, or earn a few dollars by playing their instruments. These touches of magic you must discover yourself.

Canada Geese in Harlem Meer

Despite efforts of the NYC Parks Department to remove (humanely with Border Collies), the Canada geese from Harlem Meer in Central Park last week, a few remain. And more will come. Perhaps we can all be friends, or perhaps the Parks Department should allow NYC residents with Portuguese Water Dogs to have a go at the problem.

Canada Geese do make a lot of droppings that are a nuisance. I have had a resident couple raise offspring in the pond at my house for years, and have stepped in and cleaned up, a lot of these. But there is more good than bad in the geese for me. I like their confidence, joie de vivre and adaptability.

Our goose couple, Gus and Gladys, were ideal pets. They were free to come and go. And they did; arriving early each spring to build their nest, raise their young, and leaving by fall. They cared for themselves, fed themselves and entertained themselves. They were excellent watch guards, honking wildly at incoming cars. And they engaged with us on our schedule, taking little snacks of fish feed and corn from our hands when we offered it. Occasionally, Gus would come to the patio door and tap on the glass with his beak, but mostly we admired each other at a distance.

Sadly, the geese at my pond were no match for our Portuguese Water Dog, Daisy. So our pond is now goose free. Daisy is four. These former residents have moved to a local gentle stream, next to a small playground. They still come and feed out of my hand. But they have not tamed to people in general. The maintenance worker for the town noted that the geese only come to me, and that when I drive by, they honk wildly.

Four years ago when we met Daisy, we traded, unknowingly, a resident pond patroller, and lost a little contact with nature. New Yorkers are awed by real nature, as in the media fascination with Lola and Pale Male. Maybe the arrival of the Canada Geese each spring is something to marvel at.

Al Fresco Dining Options in New York

It is so delicious to be outside, and despite the damaging effects of the sun at noon, perhaps you want nothing more than to lunch al fresco. Better yet, wait until the end of the day, and enjoy an evening plein d’or in New York.

A short list we’ll be adding to of both conveniently located outdoor spots and destination spots for enjoying this gorgeous spring weather.

Bryant Park has several options for dining outdoors at the moment, all with complimentary Wi-fi. (Thank you Bryant Park

Bryant Park Grill: the food is ok but the atmosphere – lively, open and green is great. If you’ve got children in tow, don’t miss the beautiful little carousel at the southwest corner of the park.

‘wichcraft: delicious to go options of soup, salad or sandwich from Tom Colicchio combined with tables and umbrellas supplied by Bryant Park or the green lawn for reclining (no shade).

Central Park:
The Loeb Boathouse offers a lovely setting with fine food, great for a drink and a gondola ride or a paddle about.

Leaping Frog Cafe at the Central Park Zoo is delightfully clean, healthful and affordable (in comparison with a little snack at any nearby eatery). Indoor and outdoor tables shaded with thick wisteria vines, lovely ambience for your peanut butter and jelly on wheat toast with a side of goldfish and an unrecognizable fruit concoction in a plastic zoo animal you will not able to get away without.

Madison Square Park
Shake Shack is now open 11 am to 11 pm for all kinds of burgers (ham, cheese and Portobello mushroom), shakes and fries. Located in Madison Square Park, where you can also see a great sculpture installation of Roxy Paine’s. Thank you Madison Square Park for the Wi-Fi