My Suburban Escapes

I am averse to repetition. It’s a problem and one of my greatest faults. I can do what’s expected as long as I switch up the how and where. There’s so much to see out there that it’s hard to return repeatedly to the same place. I’m a Gemini on the cusp of Taurus, a twin soul on the edge of stubborn (if you believe in such), which seems to dictate this personality disorder. Take church for example. I love Christ’s Church Rye and am a card-carrying member. And I love Resurrection where I masquerade as a Catholic in episcopal clothing to accompany my family. But there are so many incredible churches to explore.  During Lent I like to spread my wings a bit, taking on something new rather than giving up something old and nasty.

Growing up in Louisiana as Whiskey-palians, we adhered to a Sunday schedule of church and lunch. After communion we’d keep walking right out the door with Dad stage-whispering “keep walking” and head to the country club for bloody marys and lunch.  Summers were spent at the camp on Lake D’Arbonne where we attended outdoor Hippie Church (so named as the minister wore cutoffs, flipflops and a beard) in our swimsuits by boat. In winter we had Ski-In Church on the mountain at Sunset Cabin at Deer Valley and at Easter, Church on the Beach at the Florabama, a honkytonk on the Florida/Alabama border where you worship with a Mudslide in hand while jamming to an evangelical band. Saturday night wrapped up in Sunday morning.  

This variety suited me perfectly. A great Sunday outing for me now is church coupled with a walk in the woods or church in the woods. You certainly don’t need a building in which to pray. I do my best work outside. As Thoreau said, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

This list lays out some easy strolls and some true hiking. Do some recon before you go:

Church in the Wilderness, 119 St. John’s Road, Harriman State Park, Stony Point, NY. 845.786.0366. www.stjohnschurchinthewilderness.org. Sunday services at 12:30pm.  St. Johns Rd Hikers Lot is just east of church.The Long Path (aqua trail markers) runs just west of lot on Lake Welch Drive and intersects Beech Trail.  Lunch in Sloatsburg at Characters (casual) or the Cantina at Valley Rock Inn (nicer – reservations recommended).

Graymoor, 1350 U.S. 9, Garrison, NY. 845.424.3671. www.graymoorspirituallifecenter.com. The Appalachian Trail runs through the northern section of Graymoor’s 400 acres of woods. Catholic mass is held Sundays at 11am or DYI church at one of the outdoor altars or chapels scattered throughout. Don’t miss St Francis Chapel and the statue of Mary and Jesus on the mountaintop. For the AT, park in lot at Franciscan Way and Pilgrim Road and walk north to a small field on right. Look for two trees with AT (white) blazes and plunge on in between.  Lunch in Cold Spring at Riverview or Hudson House (nice) or more casual at Le Bouchon or The Depot.

St. Philips Church in the Highlands, 1101 Route 9D, Garrison, NY. 845.424.3571. www.stphilipshighlands.org.  Sunday services at 8 and 10am. Hike at Arden Point just south of Garrison train station (park in southern corner of station and look for trail signs) or at Manitoga. Lunch at Dolly’s at Garrison’s Landing (train station). West Point is directly across the river, so close you could swim.

Lunch at Dolly’s at Garrison’s Landing (train station) or at Valley Restaurant at The Garrison Inn, 2015 Route 9, Garrison, NY.

Old Dutch Church, 430 Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY. 914.631.4497. www.visitsleepyhollow.com. Built in 1683 – the oldest existing church in New York. The Reformed Church next door was built in 1954 to accommodate the growing congregation, but services are still held at Old Dutch on Good Friday at 7pm and Easter Sunrise and summer services 10:30am Sundays. Stroll the 2 ½ acre cemetery surrounding the church and find the headstones of Andrew Carnegie, Washington Irving, Brooke Astor, Walter Chrysler, Elizabeth Arden and Leona Helmsley. Rockwood Hall is just up the road, an incredibly beautiful walk along the Hudson in the footprint of a former Rockefeller estate.  Lunch at Guadalajara (2 Union Street, Briarcliff Manor) Sundays 1-8pm (reservation advised).

Union Church of Pocantico Hills, 555 Bedford Road, Tarrytown. 914.366.6900. www.hudsonvalley.org. Currently closed but schedule a tour when re-opened to see the stained-glass windows by Chagall and Matisse commissioned by the Rockefeller family to adorn their little ol’ country church.  Hike Rockefeller State Preserve and have lunch at Blue Hill Café and Grain Bar (casual) or at Blue Hill at Stone Barns (fancy – reservations required).

Stone Church, 280 Henry Road, Cragsmoor, NY. www.cragsmoorstonechurch.info. 80 miles from Rye and a world apart. Regular services held May 29 through September 5. Hike nearby in Shawangunk Ridge State Forest or Minnewaska State Park Preserve. Lunch at Mohunk Mountain House (served til 2pm – reservations required – can hike Mohunk Preserve when you book a meal) or in New Paltz at Schatzi’s Pub and Beer Garden.

Chuang Yen Monastery, 2020 Route 301, Carmel, NY. 845.225.1819. www.baus.org. Closed for the winter but reopens April 2. Visitors welcome 10-3pm to stroll the grounds and pay homage to the Buddha in Great Buddha Hall. No reservation required. Hiking is right down the road (West on 301) in Fahnestock Park. AT trailhead and lot is on 301 just past the Canopus Lake. Lunch at Round Up Texas BBQ on U.S.9 (delish but kinda looks like the set of a horror film). Plenty of restaurants in Carmel.

Dover Stone Church, 3128 NY-22, Dover Plains, NY. 845.832.6111. www.alltrails.com. www.hikethehudsonvalley.com. Easy one-mile stroll along Stone Church Brook to the “church,” actually a cave with a waterfall inside named for its cathedral-like appearance. Park at Dover Elementary School (only after school and on weekends). Walk across 22 and go right. Pathway is between two houses on your left. Hike Lookout Trail (yellow blazes) for a little more exercise. Eat at Four Brothers in Dover Plains (casual) or Las Mananitas in Brewster (nicer). Or grab a burger at the ‘60s classic drive-in, Red Rooster.

The Bamboo Forest at Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary, One Playland Parkway, Rye. 914.967.8720. www.friendsofreadwildlifesanctuary.org. A cathedral of trees. Find your way to the center and listen to the wind blow through the bamboo reeds.

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