New Rochelle
New Rochelle is a city of about 80,000 people (2020) in Westchester County, New York. It is also the home of Iona College.
Understand
[edit]New Rochelle was founded by Huguenot refugees from persecution in France and named after La Rochelle. Huguenot Street is today one of the main streets in the city, and the fleur de lis is the city's symbol; you can see colorful plastic fleur de lis sculptures on several streets in Downtown New Rochelle. The city is only a little beyond the northeasternmost reaches of the Bronx and reachable from there by bus, car and commuter train, but it has its own character. It is an ethnically diverse city with many private houses, low-rise brick buildings, some pretty churches, classic mid-19th-century to Art Deco commercial and office buildings Downtown, the neo-Gothic buildings of the former College of New Rochelle and some secondary schools, an increasing number of modern high-rises and upscale cafes along with inexpensive shops and taquerias.
Get in
[edit]By train
[edit]New Rochelle is a stop on the New Haven Line of Metro-North between Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, New York City and Stamford. Travel time from Grand Central Terminal is approximately 35 minutes. Additionally, Amtrak serves the city via its Northeast Regional trains between Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Richmond. 1 New Rochelle station is at 1 Penn Central Railroad, next to downtown.
By car
[edit]The New England Thruway (I-95) traverses the city. Main Street, which is not a limited-access highway, is US Route 1. In part of Downtown, it bifurcates, with southbound traffic diverted to Huguenot Street.
By bus
[edit]A number of Bee Line Westchester County bus routes connect other towns in Westchester County and places in the Bronx such as the ends of the 2, 5 and 6 subway lines with New Rochelle, and if you are transferring from or to the subway or another Bee Line or New York City Transit bus, you can use your MetroCard and get a free transfer. However, the Bee Line buses often run only every hour or half hour, and actual bus arrival times are often as much as 15-20 minutes behind schedule but can also be ahead of schedule.
Get around
[edit]
Taxis are not too expensive if you need them, but while you may find some waiting near the train station (though this is not guaranteed), you may have trouble hailing them on the street. Uber and Lyft are also available but cost more.
Some of the Bee Line buses can be useful for local travel if they happen to arrive at a convenient time.
Much of the city is walkable.
CircuitNR
See
[edit]
- 1 Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 15 Shea Place (at Centre Ave), ☏ +1 914-632 - 3700, 15shea@optonline.net. This sizable Catholic church is a historic neo-Gothic building, completed in 1897, with a tall spire that can be seen for some distance. Outside the front of the church is a statue of Jesus with his hands upraised to bless passersby. Inside the church are fine stained glass windows.
- 2 Iona College, 715 North Ave. This private, Catholic college has a beautiful 45 acres (18 hectares) suburban campus.
- 3 Masonic Care (Formerly College of New Rochelle), 29 Castle Place. The College of St. Angela, as it was known from its founding in 1904 until it became College of New Rochelle in 1910, was the first Catholic women's college established in New York State. Its campus is now a retirement community. The campus is pleasant and full of neo-Gothic buildings, some of them mock-castles with fanciful crenelations. It probably isn't worth a huge detour, but if it's not out of your way, it is a nice sight to see, especially in April and May when many trees and bushes are in bloom. Toward the southern end of the campus, there is a building with a very peaceful though relatively plain chapel, with very nice paintings of the Stations of the Cross.
- 4 Thomas Paine Cottage Museum, 20 Sicard Ave, ☏ +1 914-633-1776. Th Sa Su 10AM-5PM. Admission $5.
- 5 Trinity Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, 311 Huguenot St (at Division St), ☏ +1-914-632-5368. This medium-sized church and the adjoining Parish House are quite pleasant neo-Gothic buildings, and they are very close to the train station, so it's quite worthwhile to walk past them if you are traveling on foot from the station. If you can get inside, you will have a chance to see beautiful stained glass windows in the very pretty sanctuary. The church is usually open only on Wednesdays, Sundays and church holidays.
Do
[edit]- 1 Davenport Park, Davenport Ave.
- 2 Glen Island Park (drawbridge at Pelham Rd & Weyman Ave), ☏ +1 914-813-6720. Daily 8AM–dusk. 130 acres (53 hectares) island on the Sound, with beach, picnic areas, boat launch, playgrounds, garden, and leafy walkways. Cannons, sculptures, and castles make for interesting exploration. Admission requires Westchester residency. Includes a restaurant on the site of the former Glen Island Casino that hosted some of the most famous musicians of the Big Band era. Parking: $5 with Park Pass, $10 without Park Pass; beach fees: TBD.
- Ruby Dee Park (Huguenot Street between Lawton Street and Memorial Highway). Named in honor of one of New Rochelle's famous residents, this park right next to the city's main library also contains a New Rochelle Walk of Fame that honors quite a few famous people who came from or lived in the city and the somewhat futuristic-looking Twilight of Dawn sculpture by R. M. Fischer. This small park is a relaxing place to walk through or hang out in, and is also the location of the New Rochelle Downtown Sizzle concert series, every Saturday 5-9 PM from late May to the end of September. Free admission.
- Hudson Park & Beach
- Bananas' Axe Cabana
- Sky Zone Trampoline Park
- New Rochelle Farmers Market
Buy
[edit]- 1 Squiggy's Dugout, 237 Main St, ☏ +1 914-636-7585, squiggysdugout@gmail.com. M Tu Th 11AM–5PM, W F 11AM–7PM, Sa Su 11AM–4PM. Exemplary comic and card retailer. Owner (used to?) teach appraisal classes at New Rochelle Library.
Eat
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- 1 Juicy Chicken Peruvian Rotisserie Bar and Grill, 6 Division St, ☏ +1 914-278-9820. Tu–Su noon–8PM, closed M.
- Jolo's Vegan Food Bar and Lounge
- Space Grill
- YUM Ice Cream
- Little Mexican Cafe
- 4 Bros Pizza
- Cestra's Pizza 4
- Town Pizza House Restaurant
- The Wooden Spoon
Drink
[edit]- Cafétero Coffee Company, 111 Centre Ave (In Modera - New Rochelle, just a bit south of Main St). M-Sa: 7:00 AM - 7:30 PM; Su: 7:00 AM - 6:30 PM. Popular cafe that also has savory and sweet food including chorizo/egg/cheese empanadas and some good "tropical" carrot cake with coconut and raisins. Ample seating inside and several tables outside.
- 1 R Cafe & Tea Boutique, 302 Huguenot St (between Division St and Centre Ave), ☏ +1 914-358-1841. 7AM-6PM daily. Serious coffee, very tasty tea and pastries from Balthazar Bakery 2½ blocks from the train station. The atmosphere is relaxing and they play nice Latin music on their sound system. They will ice any kind of tea for you. The rooibos is excellent. Pastries $1.70-6.50; tea $3.50-9.75; coffee $4-6 except for large quantities of coffee for brewing at home.
- Aura wine & Bar
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Residence Inn, 35 LeCount Place (downtown area), ☏ +1 914 636-7888. Check-in: Noon, check-out: 3PM. All rooms are suites, with kitchen and living room area. Walk through the garage to the grocery store next door. The largest suite has two bedrooms and can sleep six. Free breakfast buffet on top floor each morning, and free supper or snacks on some evenings. $189 and up.
- 2 Radisson Hotel, 1 Radisson Plaza, ☏ +1 914-576-3700, rhi_nrny@radissonamericas.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $133-296.
Go next
[edit]New York City or nearby Long Island Sound towns in Westchester County like Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Rye.
| Routes through New Rochelle |
| Philadelphia ← New York City ← | SW  NE |
→ Stamford → New Haven |
| New Haven ← Larchmont ← | N  S |
→ Bronx → Manhattan |
| New Haven ← Larchmont ← | N  S |
→ Bronx → Manhattan |
| New Haven ← Scarsdale ← | N  S |
→ Eastchester → New York City |
| New York City ← Pelham ← | SW  NE |
→ Larchmont → Stamford |