I am a city girl.  Born and bred in Brooklyn, I feel most at home in cities whether in this country or abroad.  But as of late I have been realizing that there are a handful of places in my home state of New York that have I strong feelings for. Sleepy Hollow is definitely one of them especially during this time of year.  A couple of years ago I started visiting realizing how many beautiful, historic, and unique attractions there were here. All of that while maintaining that small town feel.  Two years ago I took part in my first Sleepy Hollow Halloween activity; a nighttime tour of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery . Though I have yet to read the tale with a similar name, I was hooked.  This year I have returned to complete another Halloween activity that I had been hearing so much about: The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.  Also known on Instagram as #pumpkinblaze I struggle to explain how magnificent and magical this experience was....

Jay Gould.  That is a name that remains in my head for two reasons. The first is that he was a third owner of a home I recently visited called “Lyndhurst”. The second is that he is also the villain behind why President Ulysses S. Grant’s popularity decreased later in his lifetime.  Ironically on the day I visited Lyndhurst, I came home to write about my visit to President Grant’s tomb , which is why these two places will always be linked in my mind. Describing Lyndhurst as a home is kind of like describing a Ferrari as a car.  The home was originally built in 1838 for Mayor William Paulding and his family. At that time the home was half the size as it was on the day that I visited. Paulding and his family called their home “Knoll” at the time.  The Gothic Revival style of the home was created by AJ Davis, an American architect who was like a nineteenth century version of Frank Lloyd Wright. These two visionary m...