The first two-part blog post on onethingoneweek. The theme of it? A trip north to Westchester County. Specifically, we visited two places. One of them, the setting for this week’s #onethingoneweek, is Sleepy Hollow. You can wait until next week for the next one.
Sleepy Hollow. Many people have heard of the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, a story about the headless horseman popularized by Washington Irving. Irving was a resident of the village of Sleepy Hollow and used the village as the setting for the tale of the headless specter. Because of the story and it’s historical roots, Sleepy Hollow is considered one of the most haunted places in America.
Worry not. This week isn’t about anything terribly spooky. Our goal this week was to visit the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, also known as the Tarrytown Lighthouse or Kingsland Point Lighthouse. That was the goal, however, things don’t always turn out how you envision them.
We followed our GPS to the address of the lighthouse 299 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. Before I continue, let’s talk about the history of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was located a half-mile from the shore. The now-defunct General Motors factory’s years of landfill caused the shoreline to move a couple of feet from the lighthouse.
The iron tower opened in 1883, guiding ships away from the dangers by the shore. Five families operated the lighthouse over the course of its 78 years in operation until it was automated in the 50s. The lights on the nearby Tappan Zee Bridge rendered the lighthouse obsolete.
When we arrived at Sleepy Hollow, we were excited to go and explore the lighthouse. However, little did we know, the nearby area is undergoing renovation and development. The Edge-on-Hudson redevelopment seeks to renovate the old GM site and provide a mix of condominiums and brownstone-style townhouses. The new construction made it impossible to get a good look at the lighthouse. But no worries, where there’s a will there’s a way.
A little drive around the area led us to a park somewhat close to the lighthouse. Construction still blocked our way, but by following the shoreline, we got a better look at the lighthouse, at least at an angle. It wasn’t the impressive view we were seeking, but it was better than wasting our trip. Actually, I also brought my DJI Mavic. But guess who forgot to charge the batteries?
A little while down the shore, away from the lighthouse, was a long, rocky bridge-like structure. Separating me from getting there was a cement wall and iron railing. By dangerously climbing down the wall onto a ledge and scaling across, I made my way to the rock bridge. After walking further, I discovered there was a hole in a fence providing less dangerous access to the rocks. Whoops.
After admiring the view and pestering some geese, it was time for our next stop on our trip to a Westchester. Make sure you tune in next week for part two of this week’s #onethingoneweek. Also don’t forget, if on your #onethingoneweek things don’t go as planned, there is always something you can do to work around it.