Mold Remediation in Yonkers, NY

Hear me out on this: Yonkers, N.Y. would make a great port of call for river cruises on the Hudson River, and I think I can make a very solid case as to why.

The idea has been on my mind for a while, and maybe more now after taking my first U.S. river cruise in August with Viking on the upper Mississippi River and seeing how the small towns there market themselves and make the most of the attractions they have at their disposal. I'm also gearing up to take my first Hudson River cruise with American Cruise Lines in November, and it slightly pains me to know that I'll be sailing past, without stopping, the city I've called home for the past six or seven years -- and the attractions I strongly believe guests would appreciate on an itinerary like this.

American Cruise Lines is the only U.S. river cruise company operating itineraries on the Hudson River, and for the first time this year it extended its season here to include summer departures up the Hudson. Cruises visit several calls in New York state, including Sleepy Hollow, West Point, Kingston and Albany -- and of course New York City.

Just north of Manhattan, Yonkers is a 25- to 30-minute train ride on a MetroNorth train from Grand Central Terminal in Midtown, which brings you into the city's Beaux-Arts style train station downtown. But to really arrive in style is to arrive by boat (or river cruise ship) at the Yonkers Pier, a colorful, Victorian-era steel pier bearing the city's name in bold, block letters filled with lightbulbs that make the city shine as a beacon on the Hudson in the evenings and serves as a reminder of the pier's bygone era.

Summer is the best time to visit Yonkers, no question. There are a lot of public activities, like the free summer jazz concerts performed live every Friday night at the pier. The weather is warm and there's a cool, refreshing breeze off the river.

Though fall is still a great time to visit, as the crisp weather and fall foliage are in full effect up and down the river.

On the Yonkers waterfront

A walking tour of downtown Yonkers would be a great way to get acquainted with the city's history. Guests could walk through Van Der Donck Park and the Saw Mill River Daylighting project, visit the historic Philipse Manor Hall and stroll past the former Yonkers City Jail, which I promise is not as bleak as it sounds. This well-preserved property was indeed once the city's jail but has long been shuttered, and for years there had been talk of it becoming an art gallery of sorts, but that so far has yet to come to fruition.

A visit to the Science Barge is a must. It's a floating urban farm and environmental educational center, and I could see small or private group tours happening here for guests interested in learning about the native plant species that grow in Yonkers and its tributaries, the onboard hydroponic greenhouse and the science behind urban sustainable agriculture.

Active and more adventurous guests could head to the historical boat house of the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club and learn about the club's 138-year history before heading out on the water for a short paddle along the shoreline. As you well know by now, I'm a proud member of this club and can personally attest to some of the best views of the city skyline from our composite kayaks.

Gardens and art just up the road

Visitors could spend a leisurely morning or late afternoon at Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, a public park featuring a mix of Indo-Persian, Beaux Arts and Greek architecture that is located about a mile north of downtown in the Greystone neighborhood. Like many New Yorkers who make the day trip up here, I think guests would enjoy losing themselves on a guided or self-guided walking tour of the Walled Garden, the Vista and the winding paths surrounding the Temple of Love.

No grand tour of Yonkers is complete without visiting the Hudson River Museum. It has permanent and rotating exhibitions from art periods influenced by this area, and it has a planetarium with shows exploring the mysteries of our galaxy, including one arranged to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". And then there's the Amphitheater, the museum's crown jewel (in my opinion), which hosts weekly live musical performances in the summertime. On my perfect itinerary, guests would be treated to private concerts, for an evening of the arts under the stars.

The "Hollywood on Hudson"

And I'm hoping one day soon that backlot studio tours, the kinds I remember taking at Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles, will one day be available at Great Point Studios and Lionsgate Studios, which opened on the Yonkers waterfront a couple of years ago. They continue to expand their massive $500 million campus that will eventually consist of a million square feet of sound stages, offices and backlots.

The studios are the reason why the mayor here has endearingly and officially branded Yonkers "Hollywood on Hudson."

A girl can dream, right? That is what I know I'm best at in travel and what I've done since finding my way to Travel Weekly about three years ago -- time that has gone by so quickly and is now, bittersweetly, coming to an end. This is my last river cruise insight for Travel Weekly, as I've moved on to my next port and chapter in my career as of Sept. 13. And while I'll miss this particular publication corner that is the River eNewsletter, you can still follow along on my travels on Instagram.

On the site of the former St. Denis School, the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School is the district's 1st new school built since 2000.

Patch Staff

|Updated Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 7:37 pm ET

YONKERS, NY — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was a special guest at the brand new school named in her honor.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, the Yonkers Board of Education, and Superintendent of Schools Aníbal Soler, Jr. along with local and state officials welcomed Justice Sotomayor on Monday for the opening of the school district’s newest school.

The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School, located at 121 McLean Ave., serves over 600 students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade and the local community. The new school opened its doors to students on September 5, and is the first of three new schools to be constructed as part of the city's plans to rebuild the aging infrastructure of its public schools.

Built on the site of the former St. Denis Catholic School, the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School is the first Yonkers public school constructed since 2000 and is designed in compliance to the city's strict green building standards.

The school’s sustainable features include photo voltaic solar panels, green roofs, high-efficiency electric heat pumps (no fossil fuels used for heating), extensive natural daylighting with sunshades, low water use plumbing fixtures, fresh air ventilation with MERV 13 filtration, LED light fixtures, recycled content in materials and low VOC interior finishes and furnishings.

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"The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School is the first of its kind in our District and is a model moving forward as we continue to rebuild our schools," Spano said. "Our local schools are the heart of our neighborhoods and should be made accessible not only for educational enrichment, but also for the benefit of the families who live in the area. We are fortunate for the opportunity to welcome and dedicate a new school in recognition of the positive change Justice Sotomayor represents to our students and District."

The new school is the first phase in implementing the Yonkers Joint Schools Construction and Modernization Plan, which began in 2016. The average age of a Yonkers public school is 75 years old with many as old as 100 years old, making them some of the oldest in the state, according to school officials. NYS passed legislation for the creation of the Yonkers Joint Schools Construction Board, which bonded for the cost of the new $75.6 million facility. The state allocated $53 million for the project’s total cost.

"Today would not be possible without the commitment of the Yonkers State Delegation, our State leaders and school stakeholders in supporting our efforts to improve the environments in which our children learn," Spano added. "Let’s keep up the momentum in fighting for the needs our students and their families deserve."

Sotomayor was born in the Bronx on June 25, 1954. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit where she served from 1998–2009. President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009.

"The naming of a school is an awesome task for a community and we chose to name this school in honor of Justice Sonia Sotomayor because her legacy is an extraordinary example of resilience, of rising above adversity, of breaking barriers and lifting others as she rises," Yonkers Board of Education President Rosalba Corrado DelVecchio said. "This school stands as a tribute to her unwavering commitment to justice, education, and community. It will not only serve as a place to inspire academic excellence in two languages, but also as a center for the entire community, where students and families come together to thrive. Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Spano with the Trustees, and the dedication of everyone involved, we have created a lasting foundation for the future, where generations of Yonkers students will be educated to empower themselves and to make their own mark on the world."

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YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- There was a special honor in Yonkers on Monday for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor after a school named in honor of the Bronx native officially opened in Yonkers.

The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School will serve 600 students from pre-K to seventh grade.

The $80 million school is the first public school built in Yonkers in 20 years and parents have found plenty to love.

"You can't use the elevator without a keypad, which is nice. For the children, it's organized. They don't leave the classroom without an adult, which is very soothing," said parent Christina Hydar-Gonzalez.

More schools are in the pipeline, because according to the mayor and students, the new facilities are desperately needed.

"Many of our schools are over 100 years old, paint was peeling, stairwells were becoming hazardous," said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.

Students told Eyewitness News that they didn't have air conditioning or heaters which made it hard and uncomfortable to learn.

In addressing the politicians, administrators, teachers and students, Sotomayor applauded the school's bilingual and bicultural curriculum in a district that is more than 60% Hispanic.

She stressed the importance of a school that functions as a resource to the entire community in the form of adult education, health care and social services.

"It helps us address some of the barriers that we know that may be a struggle for them, that people are private and don't really want to share about, but once they are here we can help address some of those gaps," said Yonkers Superintendent of Schools Aníbal Soler, Jr.

Sotomayor's message is sure to inspire generations of students to set lofty goals that are achievable.

"A good education can help you achieve any dream you might have, as a Supreme Court Justice I have far exceeded any dream I had as a child," Sotomayor said.

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