Westchester County is a county of New York State in the New York metro area. It lies to the immediate north of the New York City borough of the Bronx. A number of its villages and towns serve as bedroom communities for commuters to New York City, but Westchester itself is also open for business. Pepsico, IBM, MasterCard, Reader's Digest and other prominent corporations have their headquarters here. But it's not all work and no play. There's plenty to see and do in the county.
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Westchester County ranks number two (after NYC) for wealthiest areas in New York State, and is the seventh wealthiest county nationally. Westchester has long been associated with "old money", and some of the country's wealthiest families for generations have lived "upstate" to escape the crowds of New York City but close enough to the Big Apple for business or pleasure. The county maintains its rural appeal with thousands of acres of parks and through a political system of townships containing villages containing hamlets that discourages large cities and preserves small municipalities.
Bee-Line Bus System, ☏ +1 914-813-7777, beeline@westchestergov.com. Westchester County's Bee-Line Bus System provides wide coverage within the county and connects passengers to New York City subway stations in The Bronx. Yonkers and White Plains have the best service overall, with the system being generally densest in the southern portion of the county, but nonexistent in the northeast corner. $2.75, seniors & disabled $1.35, full pricing details.
In Mount Vernon, be sure to visit Saint Paul's Church, a National Historic Site. In Tarrytown, you can visit Lyndhurst, "America's most famous Gothic Revival Mansion", and Sunnyside, the home of Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle. Philipsburg Manor is a historic Dutch manor and mill restored to its appearance in the late 17th/early 18th century. You can visit it and Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate when you're in Sleepy Hollow.
Old Croton Aqueduct. Go hiking or biking on the trailway that tops the original (now defunct) water supply to New York City. The trail runs on the western side of the county, passing through Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, and Croton-on-Hudson. Visit a farmer's market or farmstand. Farms are scarce in this mostly suburban county, but agriculture is alive and well in the form of farmers markets.
Westchester has plenty of dining options for many types of cuisine. It has traditionally been known for its Italian-American food at numerous restaurants and pizzerias. For the affluent, Westchester features many fine restaurants with chef graduates from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY or the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. More budget friendly are old-fashioned diners where everything is on the menu; be sure to ask for the daily specials. You'll find a diner in nearly every village and hamlet. Also widely available are bagels and other foods associated with New York City delis.
The city of White Plains contains a number of popular bars and dance clubs located on Mamaroneck Ave. The Irish bars along McLean Ave in Yonkers are popular spots to have a drink at.
For medical, police, or fire emergencies, call 911. There are numerous hospitals throughout Westchester, including the centrally-located Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Westchester County typically sees ~28°C daytime highs and 6 rainy days.
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