Pleasantville
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York. Pleasantville is the longtime mailing address for Reader's Digest, even though their headquarters is actually in nearby Chappaqua.
Understand
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Before being incorporated in 1897, the land creating the village of Pleasantville was settled by communities of Lenape Native Americans. After being incorporated as a stop on the New York and Harlem Railroad in 1846, the soon-to-be village flourished with its close proximity to New York City, rapidly growing in popularity with its proximity to New York City.
Nowadays, Pleasantville is a charming town centered around its train station in the center of downtown. While offering all the amenities of a bigger city, the village has been able to keep its small-town feel, making it a popular option in the Lower Hudson Valley for families looking to raise their children. Pleasantville is also home to a secondary campus for Pace University, which allowed the village to be youthful in spirit.
Downtown Pleasantville is very walkable compared to its counterparts in Westchester County, and has a solid amount of independent restaurants, boutique shops, and grocery stores. The Jacob Burns Film Center, located in the Rome Theater in downtown, was one of the first movie theaters in Westchester, and focuses primarily on independent, documentary, and world cinema.
Much like the rest of the lower Hudson Valley, the village experiences hot, humid summers with highs upwards of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (high 20s Celsius), and cold winters with daytime highs around 40 degrees Fahrenheit(low single digits Celsius). While snow is common, there is usually no snowpack in the winter due to the freeze-thaw cycle.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- Westchester County Airport[dead link], 240 Airport Road, White Plains (New York), +1 914 995-4860 (airlines). The closest airport, about 15 minutes drive. Rental cars are available.
- Stewart International Airport, 1180 First St, New Windsor, +1 845 564-2100. Another alternative to the congestion of the 3 major airports. Allegiant Air, American Eagle, and JetBlue operate flights from Florida and Philadelphia (Mar 2021).
- Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport: The three major international airports in the New York City area offer service to just about anywhere. Westchester-based taxi and livery cars offer regular service to and from the three internationals from most areas of the county. New York City yellow cabs will take to you Westchester in a pinch, but the fares can be exorbitant. If staying in Westchester, ask if your hotel offers shuttle service.
By car
[edit]- Pleasantville is easily accessible from the Saw Mill River Parkway, which runs along the village's western flank, connecting with the Taconic State Parkway to the north (to Albany and the I90 east-west portion of the Thruway system) and the Henry Hudson Parkway into New York City.
By train
[edit]- 1 Pleasantville station Express service between Pleasantville station and New York City's Grand Central Terminal is about 35 minutes. A one-way ticket from Grand Central also costs $11.25 off-peak and $14.75 peak. Local service is available between other Metro-North commuter stations. On-board train fares are subject to a stiff surcharge, so buy your tickets from the vending machines at the station or online on the MTA TrainTime app. Full weekday and weekend Harlem Line schedules are available online.
Get around
[edit]
Downtown Pleasantville is not very large, and with free parking in downtown being nonexistent, you are better off walking. While paid parking is available in most parts of downtown, spots are narrow, require difficult maneuvers, or have confusing signage. Meters do not have to be paid on Sundays and at nighttime, and usually cost around $1 per hour. Free parking is available on most streets a quarter mile to half a mile in any direction from downtown, with the most accessible parking being northeast of town center. Downtown and the surrounding areas within half a mile of downtown are relatively safe for pedestrians, with sidewalks in good order, and plentiful crosswalks with good signage for drivers.
See
[edit]- 1 Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd, ☏ +1 914-747-5555. The nonprofit center five-screen cinema shows over 400 curated series, international films, and documentaries every year, and is one of the leading suburban art houses in the United States. They also offer over 100 special events every year, including talk series with filmmakers, actors, authors, and activists, and live music performances. $16 for a general admission ticket with a $1.75 online surcharge.
- 2 St John's Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Ave. Gothic Revival church designed by architect Charles A. Hoag and constructed in the early 20th century using rough-hewn granite blocks, with a limestone-like cast stone trim. On the National Register of Historic Places since 2017.
- 3 Marmaduke Forster House, 415 Bedford Road. Historic house over 200 years old that was originally built in 1786 as a farmhouse. Over its lifetime, it has been remodeled in a Gothic Revival style and Queen Anne style, keeping some of its past characteristics during renovations. Now on the National Register for Historic Places, the house functions as office space.
Do
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Parks and preserves
[edit]- 1 Rockefeller State Park Preserve, 125 Phelps Way. Dawn-dusk. The park is the former property of the Rockefeller family, who since 1983, have been slowly donating the land to New York State to be preserved and safeguarded. The preserve offers 45 miles of scenic carriage roads that were originally used for carriage driving, but are now are designated as multipurpose trails, although horses are still common sights along the trail. Just make sure to be on the lookout for horse poop while walking. $6 per car, $15 for a horse.
- 2 Graham Hills Park, Bedford Rd (Route 117) (A mile southwest of downtown, across from Pace University), ☏ +1 914-231-4500. 8am-dusk. Situated on 400 acres of wooded terrain in between the Saw Mill River and Taconic Parkways, the park has five miles of single-track mountain biking trails geared towards experienced mountain bike riders. The trails are rocky and challenging, helmet is required, and additional protection is recommended. There is a parking charge.
- 3 Opperman's Pond Park, 3 Lake Dr (Half a mile southwest of downtown on Bedford Rd). Dawn-dusk. Large pond with a small trail that goes around the lake. During the summer, fishing is allowed (catch-and-release), and during the winter, ice-skating is allowed (weather-permitting).
- 4 Nannahagan Park, 232 Lake St. Dawn-dusk. A multipurpose park centered around a pond with a walking trail. Offers playground equipment, a basketball court, a field, and the pond allows catch-and-release fishing. The pool on premises is only for town residents that have a membership.
Physical activities
[edit]- 5 North County Trailway (The parking lot is located one and a half miles southwest of town center, directly after the entrances to the Taconic Parkway and Route 9A.). Built along the railbed of the former Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad, the trailway provided rail service in the late 19th century and early 20th century from the Bronx to Putnam County. Nowadays, it is a 22.1 mi (35.6 km) paved, multi-use path that spans from Eastview to the Putnam County border, and provides access to many of Westchester's parks, preserves, and village downtowns. In some sections of the trail, the railbed is still visible. Free parking at the Pleasantville entrance.
- 6 Westchester Table Tennis Center, 175 Tompkins Ave, ☏ +1 914-741-0738. M-Sa 10am-10pm, Su noon-10pm. 21,000 square foot table tennis facility with over 30 tables. Day pass includes paddles and ping pong balls. Offers monthly USATT-rated 4-star tournaments. $15/day for adults, $12/day for kids under 20.
- 7 Pleasantville Country Club, 110 Nannahagan Road. Private nine hole golf course five minutes from downtown Pleasantville. Has a pool, tennis and pickleball courts, and a driving range. Designed in 1926 by A.W. Tillinghast. 2121 yards, par 32. 8AM-6PM.
Other
[edit]- 8 Pleasantville Farmers Market, 10 Memorial Plaza (In the train station parking lot.). Sa 8:30AM-1PM. Largest year-round farmers market in Westchester, offering local produce, freshly baked bread, and more. Voted the Best in Westchester by the Westchester Magazine for 11 years in a row. Not all vendors accept credit cards, so bring cash.
- 9 Zwilling Cooking Studio, 270 Marble Avenue (Parking lot is located along Castleton St.), ☏ +1 914-385-3499. Office: M-F 9AM-5PM, classes Tu-Su 12PM-6PM. The studio for the knife company offers instructional classes on cooking world cuisine, sharpening knifes, and mastering basic cooking skills, and is family-friendly, and beginner friendly. $100.
- 10 Usonia Historic District, Usonia Rd. The street is home to a planned neighborhood by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed three out of the 47 houses in the neighborhood, the remainder being designed by many of his students in the Usonia style. Nowadays, the neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places, and while all of the houses are privately owned, many visitors do driving tours of the neighborhood, taking time to admire the unique architecture style that is rarely seem anywhere else in the country.
Buy
[edit]1 Prospero Winery, 123 Castleton Ave, ☏ +1 914-769-6252. M-F 8:30AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-2PM. Locally owned and operated winery producing four types of wine using California Gold Coast grapes, in addition to selling raw grapes and winemaking equipment. The winery allows customers to "fill their own container" for a 20% discount.
2 The Village Bookstore, 10 Washington Ave. M-F 10AM-7PM, Sa 9AM-7PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Quaint neighborhood book store selling a variety of genres of books, including autographed and rare copies, in addition to having author visits and book clubs. The store is frequented by President Bill Clinton, who can often be seen skimming books on the shelves. Paid parking is available in front of the store and around the back.
3 Glass Onion Originals, 4 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 914-741-6294. M-Th 10AM-6PM, F-Sa 10AM-7PM, Su 12PM-5PM. Gallery gift shop that offers a variety of unique gifts ranging from clocks, scarves, jewelry, and garden items. All of the items are produced by American artists and designers and are handpicked for sale by the owner. Rated Best in Westchester for two years.
4 Lil' Chocolate Shoppe, 15 Washington Ave. M-F 10AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM. Small but overflowing shop with an incredible variety of homemade chocolates and other sweets. Custom pieces can be made, and all the chocolate sold is homemade.
5 Rhoda, 73 Wheeler St, ☏ +1 914-769-0391. M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 12PM-6PM. Small boutique clothing shop offering unique clothing described as "independent fashion with a floral twist." Clothing is usually discounted and at a reasonable price.
Eat
[edit]Budget
[edit]Mid-range
[edit]- wood and fire, 59 Marble Ave, ☏ +1 914 747-2611. noon to 10pm. Pizzeria.
Splurge
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Go next
[edit]Pleasantville is in central Westchester County, and surrounded by Chappaqua to the north and west and Briarcliff Manor to the west. Pleasantville is also close to New York City, and is less than 30 miles north of Manhattan.
| Routes through Pleasantville |
| Katonah ← Chappaqua ← | N  S |
→ Elmsford → New York City |
| Amenia ← Chappaqua ← | N  S |
→ White Plains → New York City |