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This 1927 statue was built to commemorate the soldiers and sailors who fought in the Spanish-American War. |
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The Spanish-American War statue is located in the center of the roundabout adjacent to Hartley Park. |
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Hamilton Elementary, one of 10 public elementary schools in Mount Vernon. |
City Hall is home to the offices of the mayor and the five-person city council. |
Your Lunch Hour Best Bets to…
Tick, tock…
Fix a Flat/Get Your Car Checked:
Surgical Auto Repairs
40 N Macquesten Pkwy
(914) 665-3770
Longtime customers rave about the fast and affordable service for both quick oil changes and big repairs. Perfect for getting your car fixed on time and within a budget.
J & B Body Works
(914) 664-8080
38 Beach St; jbbodyworks.com
With a focus on personal service, Joe, the owner, will ensure that your car comes back looking as good as new.
Buy a card/gift/flowers:
Epicure Candy Co
31 South St
(914) 699-0642
epicurecandyco.com
With everything from gum balls to imported gourmet chocolates, this candy store offers gifts and treats that anyone with even a slight sweet tooth will appreciate, for any holiday or occasion.
Badolato’s Gramatan Florist
8 E First St
(914) 668-0831; badolatosgramatan.com
Badolato’s offers same-day delivery for all bouquets. Tropicals, fresh flowers and plants, as well as gift and fruit baskets, greeting cards, and candles are available.
Work out
Sports Underdome
657 Garden Ave
(914) 663-2323; sportsunderdome.com
Get off the computer and leave the BlackBerry in the car while improving a golf drive or playing soccer anytime of the year in this indoor sports complex. It’s open until midnight seven days a week.
Specialty Fitness Inc.
9 W Prospect Ave
(914) 665-2084; betterworkyourbody.com
Offers monthly health and fitness
seminars, a “better your body” boot camp to slim down, Pilates, and personal
training sessions.
Have your shoes repaired
Boris Shoe Repair
71 S 3rd Ave (914) 665-3531
They do two things, and do them well: Fix broken shoes and ensure that shoes fit properly. What else do you need?
Get your hair cut (men and women)
Fleetwood Barber Shop & Salon
685 Locust St
(914) 663-4247
fleetwoodbarbershop.com
Don’t let the name fool you—opened in 2005, this ultra-sleek salon with an urban vibe is definitely not your father’s barbershop. Fleetwood offers a full range of hair services for both men and women.
Get your hair cut (women)
Backstage Cosmetix
550 E 3rd St
(914) 530-5121
backstagecosmetix.com
Open until 7 pm Tuesday to Saturday, this salon is a great option for an after-work haircut. Women’s and children’s haircuts, weaves, coloring, and even makeup applications are all offered.
Dry Cleaning
Sparkle Cleaners
533 Gramatan Ave
(914) 664-9100
Known for quick turnarounds and
courteous service, Sparkle is also popular for giving honest appraisals on whether a stain can actually be removed.
PM Pit Stop
Where to grab dinner after work when the kitchen @ home is “closed.”
Johnny’s Pizza
30 W Lincoln Ave
(914) 668-1957
“Since the forties, this Mount Vernon classic has been offering thin, cracker-crisp pies with a dash of attitude,” food writer Sexton reports. “Expect to hunt for parking, and expect slightly gruff service. Plus, Johnny’s is cash-only and offers no slices —still, it’s worth a visit to a Westchester pizza icon.”
Solano’s Lincoln Lounge
209 Stevens Ave
(914) 664-9747
“This pizza bar, offering square, pan-baked pizza has legions of fans,” Sexton says. “Its edges are crisp and deliciously oily—get your pies fully-loaded for the full-on Lincoln Lounge experience.”
Ristorante Buona Sera
546 Gramatan Ave
(914) 665-9800
ristorantebuonasera.com
“If you’re looking for a welcoming menu of Italian-American classics that include fettuccini Alfredo and clams oreganata, Buona Sera is a consistent, highly rated, red-sauce standard,” says Sexton. Plus, it offers a mid-week, $15.95 prix fixe dinner.
Where to Play Hooky
Shhh! We won’t tell if you won’t tell.
Willson’s Waves is the perfect place to escape office boredom and bring out the inner child. With a wave pool, two 18-foot water slides, a spray deck, and a water playground, this county-owned park is perfect for cooling off on a steamy day or bringing along the kids for some fun time off. For the architecture buffs, the original 1928 English Tudor revivalist style bathhouse borders the wave pool (parks.westchestergov.com/willsons-woods-park/willsons-waves)
Where to Celebrate That Promotion
Ripe Kitchen & Bar
151 W Sandford Blvd
(914) 665-7689; riperestaurant.com
“Westchester’s premier Jamaican restaurant serves jerk chicken, reggae, and Red Stripe—it’s the perfect place for the crew to knock back a few in celebration,” food writer Sexton says.
The City’s Best-Kept Secrets
Mount Vernon is home to Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site, which was an important locale in early American history. Built in 1764, the stone church was used by both the British and Americans as a field hospital during the Revolutionary War. To this day, a bell, which was cast in 1758 at the same foundry as the renowned Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, hangs in the church tower. The remnants of a village-green cemetery, with gravestones dating back to 1704, surround the church. The green was the site of the “Great Election of 1733,” when John Zenger was charged with libel for his reporting on the election. The “Zenger Trial,” as it was known, and Zenger’s subsequent acquittal helped to establish freedom of the press in the colonies, which was later enshrined in the Constitution.
And BTW…
• The Mount Vernon Public Library is the largest library in Westchester. Built in 1904 with a $50,000 donation from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, the library holds more than half a million volumes.
• The classic 1979 Coca-Cola ad “Hey Kid, Catch!” was filmed at Memorial Field stadium in Mount Vernon. The ad featured former NFL defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene and became immensely popular after the commercial played during the 1980 Super Bowl.
• Actor Denzel Washington was born in and spent his childhood in Mount Vernon. Washington credits the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon for teaching him life lessons that helped him stay out of trouble while he was younger.
