Escape 2:

Hastings-on-Hudson and Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. A Walk Along the Aqueduct.

Living Here

Hastings-on-Hudson is home to two galleries and attracts residents with a penchant for the arts. Famed artist Jasper Cropsey once called Hastings home, and his former residence is now the Jasper F. Cropsey Home Studio and Gallery. The nightlife in Hastings is not extensive, but the village does possess many restaurants. They include local favorite Maud's Tavern, an excellent French restaurant, Buffet de la Gare, and Harvest on Hudson and Blu, which are perfectly located on the waterfront.

Hastings-on-Hudson owns 11 parks and fields for sports, but its biggest recreational draw is the Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway. The trailway follows the path of an aqueduct used to bring water from the Croton River to New York City during the 18th and 19th Centuries. It runs parallel to the Hudson River and affords spectacular views of the Palisades and the water. Along its path sit old ventilator shafts and flood equipment used as early as the 1700s. Owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the aqueduct is a favorite exercise and relaxation spot for many in the area.

The Hastings-on-Hudson School District consists of Hillside Elementary School, Farragut Middle School and Hastings High School. There are approximately 2,000 students collectively enrolled, and all three have been awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence.

Home prices in Hastings reflect its strong schools. The median house value in the village is just below $700,000, and at the end of 2007, the median home sale price was just over that figure. The average property tax for Hastings residents is just under $10,000.

A villager in Dobbs Ferry once described her town as "more New England than Westchester." With its sloping geography and intimate community, the village does seem better fit for rural Massachusetts than the outskirts of New York City. The community takes great pride in its schools, most notably their athletic teams. Main and Cedar Streets are home to many of the village's restaurants and shops, as well as a few of Dobbs Ferry’s seven art and pottery galleries.

There are no pubs, but two restaurants, Celtic Corner and Doubleday's, have lively bar areas at nighttime. For finer dining, Off-Broadway Restaurant is a favorite, and Sushi Mike's consistently rates as one of the top sushi eateries in Westchester.

Dobbs Ferry boasts the 70-acre Juhning Estate Nature Preserve and Gould Park, home to Dobbs Ferry High School's football team. The Eagles are the toast of the town, because they won three recent state championships. They were also named New York State's small school team of the decade for the 1980s.

Dobbs Ferry's public school system is comprised of the high school, Dobbs Ferry Middle School and Springhurst Elementary School. There are also three private schools: the Master's School, Our Lady of Victory Academy and Children's Village, a home for troubled boys.

The median house value in the village is under $550,000, and the average price of home sales at the end of 2007 was just over $600,000. The median property tax for Dobbs residents is nearly $9,000.