Our Chicago friend, Lee, has a pied à terre in Westchester.
Named Wixon House, it's his country home that he visits whenever he has an urge to be near Manhattan, Connecticut, or the winding roads of upstate New York. Nestled amongst historic New England villages...
...the house is within proximity to the elite West Point Military Academy, historic Hyde Park, and the elite Culinary Institute of America.
Recently, I visited his home for the first time. Please use this link to read about it:
I was such a good guest that he was eager to have me return and bring Lewis. Lee was especially intent on giving Lewis--who is a Manhattan-born "city boy"--a lovely time in the pacifying countryside. So, we aligned our schedules and set a date. Lee flew to La Guardia Airport and had his usual car service drive him upstate to the house. (Hating NYC's large yet crumbly airport and its year-round delays, he vowed to start using the private airfield in Westchester, which costs extra). He intended to prepare a dinner (with relaxing beverages) for us, since we would arrive by train at 9pm.
Lewis and I left our jobs at different times (two hours apart), so we planned to take separate trains from Grand Central Terminal for the hour-long journey to Lee's home. My departure was earlier than Lewis'. In our travels abroad, we used 10 beautiful train stations, and the European ones are situated in handsome surroundings. NYC's main terminal is not. The background story is that the previous station remained dilapidated and overburdened because its owner, the Vanderbilt family, was greedy and cheap (the epitome of a NYC tycoon). Even when an 1902 train crash killed 15 passengers and injured 30, the railroad didn't care. Only when a competing railroad started building the grandly-spacious Pennsylvania Station in 1904 did this station become a reality. Alas, now it is marred by never-ending traffic congestion, incessant car horns, litter, uncollected trash, and a pollution-stained exterior.
I'm certain that greedy developers are eager for an opportunity to put a skyscraper on top of it. They already put one on the station's property behind it, and they demolished the building beside the station for another skyscraper.
Once inside, you get some relief by the remnants of the original Beaux Arts design. I headed for the Information Desk: an iconic circle with four-faced clock atop it.
Obtaining my train's departure time and track number (things can change after you buy your ticket), I realized that I spare time. While waiting for my train, I browsed the Grand Central market. I decided to be gracious houseguest and bring some goodies to my host (I already had a bottle of wine).
The food is overpriced... because you pay for the convenience. Despite the high cost of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for $22-per-pound, I got some for our dinner. I also got a duck terrine.
Strolling along the side concourse, I admired its high ceilings, open space, skylights, and marble.
In the main hall, I looked up and glimpsed the star-studded ceiling.
The stupendous space has a cozy feel. You can find a place to stand and nobody bothers you. There's a flow of tourists, commuters, Manhattanites heading to the subways downstairs, consumers pausing at the shopping galleries, diners munching in the food court, and shoppers at the new Apple store.
...and then you're in a neglected cellar that is overdue for clean-up and a renovation.
Stations in Europe and Asia look hugely better. Yet, that is the grandest station in America's wealthiest city. Disgusting.
Making it worse, the corrupt Metropolitan Transit Authority doesn't invest to keep its trains clean. Look at the filth on the headrests. For the high price of $34 one-way tickets, riders deserve better quality! Who wants to rest their head on a filthy seat for an hour? For that much grease/gunk to accumulate proves that the seats weren't cleaned in years! They are all like that.
It's also practically a crime (certainly a ripoff) that paying $34 only takes you such a short distance, yet it requires a whole hour (due to outdated trains).
The MTA should also allow for legroom in ALL of its seats (unlike ours). What idiot designed seats like this? What idiot approved them? That's how another passenger and I were forced to sit for our journey, because the trains are greedily crammed. It's like a third-world country.
Our decrepit train chugged slowly over the northern tip of Manhattan island onto the mainland of New York State. That area is named Spuyten Duyvil, which is Dutch for "Spouting Devil". The Dutch were the first Europeans to live there, and their name remains. In fact, the water between Manhattan island and the borough of The Bronx is called Spuyten Duyvil Creek. The railroad bridge, riverfront park, local train station, and the whole Bronx neighborhood is called Spuyten Duyvil.
To compensate for the unpleasantly slow/dirty train ride, Lee awaited me at his local train station. Unlike in most of the five boroughs of NYC, it had a functioning elevator. It was a treat!
Lee greeted me with a warm hug, soothing classical music on the stereo, and a comfy seat with lots of legroom. He told me that we needed to do a few errands at the grocery market and liquor store, before we drove to his home.
In reality, he was stalling--while a surprise was arranged at Wixon House. Within an hour, we finished, and that's when Lewis telephoned to say that he left work early and was already on the train. Alas, an incompetent railroad employee directed him to the wrong train! He was riding north on the opposite side of the Hudson River.
In most places, that is not catastrophic, but New York State uncaringly never built east-west train routes. Greedily, it only built north-south routes to feed itself with people from upstate!
Therefore, Lewis would have to take the train all the way back to Manhattan, switch to another train (wait for it to depart), and ride north again! Such an inconvenience for America's wealthiest region. Remember me calling it a third-world country?
Gallantly, Lee told him to get off the train and wait for us, while he sped over the river to fetch him. Within 30 minutes, we were united!
Parked in his garage, we entered the house and were welcomed by the aromas of appetizers in the kitchen.
Suddenly, from around the corner stepped my other Chicago friend, Ron. Lee had arranged a surprise by brining Ron to Wixon House for his first time. It was a reunion of people whom I connected!
Lee gave Lewis the "five-cent tour" of his lovely home. Below is the menu and wine cup that Lee brought back from a culinary expedition in Italy. He had them matted/framed as a keepsake.
*To see the magnificent trip that Lewis and I took to Italy, please use this link:
Strolling around with a martini that I mixed, Lewis was intrigued by the fact that when he opened the front door, he didn't see any urban lights... just fireflies. It was cozily nice.
It was almost 10 o'clock, but energy was high as Ron and Lewis prepared pumpkin ravioli and fresh sage/butter sauce.
Lee uncorked the Beaujolais that I brought, and I got the sautéed vegetables ready. Ron shaved some Parmigiano cheese.
At dessertime, we had cheesecake with fresh mint & berries.
We chose our seats randomly, and then discovered that Lee planned a surprise! Each of us was told to look under our plates. Under Lewis' plate was the "winning ticket" for a gift that Lee bestowed: locally-made lavender soap. It smelled dreamy!
While sipping cocktails, we conversed about our favorite TV shows. Currently, Lewis and I adore a BBC mystery series called Father Brown.
We are fans of British culture, and Lee is an an Anglophile, so he valued our opinion. He prefers a BBC show called Grantchester. Coincidentally, both shows involve parish priests who solve whodunits and assorted crimes. Their rural settings befit the area surrounding Wixon House.
By then, Ron served the salad, so we sat at the table.
It was almost 10 o'clock, but energy was high as Ron and Lewis prepared pumpkin ravioli and fresh sage/butter sauce.
Lee uncorked the Beaujolais that I brought, and I got the sautéed vegetables ready. Ron shaved some Parmigiano cheese.
At dessertime, we had cheesecake with fresh mint & berries.
We chose our seats randomly, and then discovered that Lee planned a surprise! Each of us was told to look under our plates. Under Lewis' plate was the "winning ticket" for a gift that Lee bestowed: locally-made lavender soap. It smelled dreamy!
Up to bed, we went. Lewis and I were given Lee's master bedroom en suite with a king-size mattress. Ron enjoyed the queen-sized, four-post bed with linen curtains. Lee slept beside him... in the adjacent room via a Jack & Jill bathroom. Pleasant dreams ensued, full of anticipation of the next two fun/relaxing days.
Please join us for the second part!
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