We sleep in and set out from Liberty Landing around 11 o’clock. It’s going to be a smooth day with very little wind and we’ll have the tide at our back for half the way! As we leave and look across at Manhattan we see all the interesting “art” and architecture. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d be enjoying the outside deck at the top of the building on the left. How the heck does that stay connected???
It’s not long before the George Washington Bridge comes in to view. It’s another double decker bridge with the lower level having the nickname of Martha. The bridge connects Manhattan to the Palisade’s of New Jersey. As you can see from the picture there’s a tiny lighthouse at the base of the eastern side of the bridge. Yes, it’s the cutest lighthouse EVER! They call it, are you sitting down?, “The Little Red Lighthouse.”
Shortly after that we pass Yonkers. Now, to me, that’s a pretty funny name and fun to say, Yonkers. It turns out the name is a little more noble than I thought. The Dutch title Jonkheer means “young gentleman” or “young nobleman.” An early settler by the name of Adriaen Van der Donk, had the title of Jonkheer (a lot of “onk’s” in there; okay, stop giggling). Anyhow, the name Jonkheer went through several iterations and it ended with Yonkers. Yonkers ranks 3rd in population in New York , Elisha Otis invented the safety elevator and Charles Harvey built the first elevated train. The funny name aside, Yonkers has a lot to be proud of.
After a while, in the distance we see the Tappan Zee Bridge. Boy what a site that is. The sun is out and it’s shimmering in all its glory. It’s “official” name is the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. You may disagree, but Tappan Zee sounds cooler and has an interesting history. The Native American tribe Tappan lived in this area of the Hudson, and the area is also rich with Dutch roots. The Dutch word for sea is zee, so, Tappan Zee. Nice!
We’re almost there, but not before we pass by another lighthouse. This is also cute in size, but this area has a sinister side. The lighthouse has had several names; Tarrytown Light and Kingston Light but the best one is Sleepy Hollow Light (insert spooky music). Sleepy Hollow, NY is named for the “Sleepy Hollow” from Washingon Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It was officially changed from North Tarrytown to Sleepy Hollow in 1996. This entire area has a great history worth investigating.
We’ll stay here for a couple of days and then continue north.
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