Herban Nomad: Van Cortland House

we live in a loud city, among 8 million neighbors tightly woven into a quilt of traffic, bustling sidewalks, and sleepless streets. when you live in NYC, or any other metropolitan area for that matter, you need to get away to clear your head, listen to your inner voice, or just veg. out with a good book. i have always loved going for long drives, or in our case, a long train ride to a remote part of the city to find a hidden treasure with camera in hand. anywhere in NY you find a quiet spot, you will find a handful of territorial people not willing to budge for a seat on the grass - needless to say, quiet places are few and far between.

when i started at my current job, my boss gave me a book called, "New York’s 50 Best Places to Find Peace and Quiet" and i didn't put it to good use till this summer. the book mentions several spots that are mostly now bustling, but some of the best places are high up in the Bronx far away from the cabs, and tourists.

the site we chose to visit was the Van Cortland House up on the Bronx/Westchester boarder. the house sits quietly in Van Cortland Park and is very well preserved. since the Van Cortland's were in the mercantile business, the house sits close to the Hudson River where ships used to bring in the goods. i took a handful of pic's of the property, and interior - i do hope you get a chance to visit, and find you a quiet place to call your own...

Photos by: D. Ybarra