This article is classified "Real"
Hartsdale is a small suburban village located 45 minutes north of New York City. It is in southern Westchester County of New York State. Nothing of real interest ever happens there, at least nothing that would make a hitchhiker [1] want to visit. If indeed you do find yourself in Hartsdale, the following information will help you vastly, or on the other hand the following information could possibly keep you away from Hartsdale. Geography ========= Hartsdale is a very hilly area. Every part of it is either located at the base of a hill, on a hill, or at the top of a hill. For this reason most people in Hartsdale get a lot of exercise by either walking or roller blading around town. There are parts of Hartsdale that natives use as landmarks when giving directions. A hitchhiker should understand these landmarks before visiting in order to find their way around. The Four corners ---------------- These are nothing special, they are just at the intersection of the three major roads in Hartsdale. These three roads are Central Park Ave., called Central Ave. by natives, East Hartsdale Ave., and West Hartsdale Ave. To further confuse people, East and West Hartsdale do not run east and west. East Hartsdale Ave. runs south-east then south, and West Hartsdale Ave runs north. Also anything north-east of the Four Corners on Central is considered No. Central, and anything south-west is So. Central. The Village ----------- This is a small part of Hartsdale where there are a lot of different shops, some banks, and some restaurants. The village is located along East Hartsdale and covers the area from Rockledge Rd. and East Hartsdale to the train station that is at the very end of East Hartsdale. The Village also boasts a farmer's market at the train station during the spring and summer. This is held on Saturday mornings. The only thing about the Village that should be kept in mind is that the train station is located here and provides direct access out of Hartsdale (see the "Getting Around" section below). Poet's Corner ------------- This is an area located off West Hartsdale. This area is called Poet's Corner because all the streets are named after poets. In Poet's Corner there are houses, all of which have the exact same layout inside. The only difference you may find from one to the other is the number of bedrooms in each house. College Corner -------------- This is another area of Hartsdale where all of the streets are named after the same thing. In this case it is colleges. This area is located off of No. Central to the south. This area, like all of Hartsdale, is very hilly, which makes some of the driveways very difficult to get into and out of. Places Of Interest ================== The very first Caravel ever is located in Hartsdale along its main street, Central Park Ave. It is only two blocks from the Four Corners. The story of how Caravel started here is very simple. One day Mr. Caravel was driving his ice cream truck down Central Ave. when just as he passed the Four Corners his truck broke down. He pulled over to the side of the road and, seeing as how it was very hot at the time, the ice cream began to melt. This is what gave him the idea to sell soft ice cream and so he built the first shop on the site where his truck broke down. Getting Around ============== In Hartsdale there are your usual types of public transport, that of bus, train, or taxi. What is unusual are the problems involved with using any of these modes of transportation. Buses ----- The only buses in Hartsdale are the Bee Line Buses. These buses only go north to south, south to north, east to west, or west to east. The problem here is when they do so. The north to south part is the easiest. There are two of these buses, the 20 and the BxM4C (express). The 20 goes from White Plains through Hartsdale into the Bronx then back again along Central. The express goes from White Plains to Manhattan. This bus is one-way only, meaning that going from Westchester to Manhattan, you will first have to get off the bus before you can return (so sitting in the bus all day just for fun is out of the question). Trains ------ The trains in Hartsdale only go north or south. The south-going ones go to Grand Central in Manhattan, and north-going ones into White Plains. For the hitchhiker short on cash [2] you can use the automated ticket machine at the station and buy a child's ticket that says you got on the train one stop before where you plan on getting off. Taxies ------ There is one taxi company in Hartsdale, and it is called West Side. Since they are the only taxies they are a monopoly and as such operate as one. If you call them, for this is the only way to get a taxi -- you can't just flag one down -- make sure that you say that you are calling for a taxi or you will never get one. If when you call it the person on the other end is very rude, or seems distracted, do not fret, this is normal and it is their standard operating procedure. Also they seem to have an odd concept of time [3]. In their view of time what they call 1 minute equals 5-15 normal minutes. Places To Eat ============= There are several places to eat in Hartsdale but they are mostly of the same variety. The following is a list of the best places to eat, what type of food they have, the price of an item, where they're located, and some general comments about the place. Mama Gea's, pizza, slice-$1.50, 15 East Hartsdale Ave. ------------------------------------------------------ The best pizza in Hartsdale can be found here. What makes the pizza, and the rest of the food for that matter, so good is the sauce that's used. This sauce's recipe comes from the owner's mother, so it has to be good. The food is made fresh from scratch every day. If you stop in try a slice of foccacia or an eppy roll. Bagel Emporium, bagels and baked goods, bagel-$.50, 329 Central Ave. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Like bagels? Well then you'll love Bagel Emporium. They make their bagels fresh every day. If you go in at the right time you can usually get a bagel that has just been made and is still warm and soft. Besides bagels they also have to offer several types of muffins, donuts, and cookies. Just want something to drink, well the choices range from soda, to juice, to milk, to flavored coffee. Dairy Dell, Deli, sandwich-$4.50, at the Four Corners ----------------------------------------------------- Dairy Dell is a convenience store. Not a 7-Eleven type place but a nice friendly place with a good deli counter. They offer a lunch club where you buy X-amount of sandwiches and then get one free. Also they have extra value meals that come with a soda and chips. Dunkin Donuts, coffee, small-$.99, 57 North Central Ave. -------------------------------------------------------- This is only mentioned because they have the best coffee anywhere and it's located close to the Four Corners. Akaihana, Japanese, meal-$10.00, 17 East Hartsdale Ave. ------------------------------------------------------- A good place to get some sushi, if you like sushi. They have very good food at a reasonable price, but for a passing hitchhiker without a load of cash this is a place to pass by and say "Oh. I heard about this place in the Guide. Oh well." If you do find that you have the funds, stop in and have a bite to eat. So to sum up the article, Hartsdale is a small village where nothing ever happens. Because of its hilly terrain you would need to get a taxi in order to go any place [4]. But, getting a taxi is about as easy as getting the government of America to do anything [5]. There are some good places to eat but your diet is somewhat limited to bagels, pizza, and sushi [6]. So I believe the old saying is true about Hartsdale: "It's a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to visit." [7] [1] Or anyone else. [2] And morals. [3] Better yet no concept of time whatsoever. [4] And the taxi drivers will know Hartsdale by the odd place names. [5] Well no, harder. [6] Which isn't bad for one day's meal plan. [7] Or something like that.