New 18th Congressional District. Sound Shore area was in the 17th

Congressional redistricting has claimed its first victim.

Mark Rosen, a Larchmont Republican who had announced his intention to seek the Congressional seat now held by Democrat Rep. Nita Lowey, dropped out Wednesday.

“Given the redistricting that was just announced, I regret that I can no longer run the effective race we envisioned with Congresswoman Nita Lowey. My kids go to Murray Avenue School. This is our home. And, we are not moving. The redistricting has me living outside of Ms. Lowey’s district, and I regret that I must leave the race.”

He lives in Larchmont, which like other areas of Westchester County,  moves into Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel’s district.

Lowey is getting all of Rockland County, which Engel had mostly represented, as well as the Bronx.

Rosen will endorse Joe Carvin, Rye Town Supervisor,  who dropped out of a run for U.S. Senate against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand last week.

On the State Senate side, Democrat George Latimer, current State Legislator, announced a run, which he told us will also be harder–to Democrats– due to redistricting:

“More Republicans in communities like Bronxville, Eastchester and Yonkers and Democrats in New Rochelle and White Plains were artfully carved out,” he told theLoop.

“This will be a much tougher seat to win than under Suzi (Oppenheimer)”

map courtesy Mark Rosen for Congress

Chicken at Muscoot Farm, Katonah

The New Rochelle City Council voted this week against a law allowing residents to have up to six hens on their property.

Councilman Barry Fertel was quoted as saying, “I was concerned of complaints about people having hens on their property. Even if we changed the law (back), people with hens in place would have been able to keep them. Chicken coops aren’t the most attractive thing to put in your backyard, and there would be some clucking issues.”

Several people have written to the  Council, asking for the right to raise chickens at home.

Trump Plaza, New Rochelle. Submitted to the Looppool on flickr by simplyinnocuous

Kirby was carelessly abandoned outside the New Rochelle Humane Society, giving her transition to shelter life a rough start. Her acclimation didn’t go easily at first; Kirby’s pleasingly plump size compounded her problems because she was too big to fit into a private enclosure.

But Kirby managed to work things out, at least for the time being. The 5-year-old girl has been given free roam of one of the shelter’s staff areas, and has clearly crowned herself queen. Kirby will undoubtedly be more than comfortable in a home of her own. Shelter life is just not her thing.

Come meet Kirby for yourself. Open every day for adoption, the New Rochelle Humane Society is located at 70 Portman Road. Call 632-2925 or visit the shelter’s website.

George Latimer at one of his "Coffee with George" meetings in Mamaroneck

Assemblyman George Latimer,  Rye Democrat, may not have voted for the re-configured State Senate districts, as he told us last week, but he’s going to run for the seat being vacated by longtime Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer.

Latimer announced the run in a letter that went out to district leaders this week, which, according to LoHud, reads:

“The changes we need – the changes I have fought for all my life – involve sacrifice from everybody, not just from ‘the other guy’,” Latimer wrote. “Property taxes are too high, and I have worked hard to address that major worry many of us face; it always comes up as the #1 local issue homeowners are concerned about.”

At least two Republicans have announced their intention to run for the seat: Bob Cohen, a New Rochelle businessman who was narrowly defeated by Oppenheimer in 2010; and Diane DiDonato-Roth, a North Castle councilwoman.

Cohen spokesman Bill O’Reilly responded:

“We welcome Mr. Latimer into this race, but find it head-scratching, frankly, that he would bring up property taxes in his announcement. Westchester families pay the highest property taxes in America because of what George Latimer did as a county legislator and as an assemblyman. He and the other career politicians are directly responsible for the staggering property taxes Westchester families pay today. On top of that, Mr. Latimer voted against last year’s historic property tax cap vote and he went MIA for Governor Cuomo’s pension reform vote last week that will ease costs on local governments. We look forward to discussing all these issues at length throughout this campaign.”

Latimer spokesman Brian Hegt:

Bill O’Reilly is a mouthpiece for the Senate Majority who has once again proven that the misrepresentation of facts is the only way they can hold onto their gerrymandered majority. Here’s the truth: George Latimer worked with the Governor to establish the lowest individual income tax rates in decades and repeal the MTA Payroll Tax for Small Businesses. In 2009, he voted against the State budget, which included a series of taxes and he also opposed the soda tax and entertainment tax. As Chairman of the County Board of Legislators, property taxes decreased for 3 years consecutively while George was in that position. We thank Mr. O’Reilly for his warm reception into this race and look forward to debating the FACTS, with Mr. Cohen, Ms. Roth or Mr. Terenzi, whoever the Republicans choose to nominate.

After posting our Cool Finds Friday on Viva Grande, the abundant no-frills New Rochelle fruits and vegetable market, New Rochelle historian Barbara Davis wrote in with some fascinating, well, history:

The building that houses Viva Grande Farms has the distinct honor of being the former home of Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle, Tom & Jerry, Deputy Dawg and a host of other animated characters created by Terrytoons.

Erected in 1915 – 1916 as the lodge hall of the New Rochelle Council No. 339, Knights of Columbus, (est. 1898), the building served as the fraternal organization’s meeting place and community hall until 1949. That year, Paul Terry purchased it and relocated his flourishing animation studios from the nearby Kaufman Building (270 North Avenue), where his pioneering firm had begun in 1934….

When Terry selected 38 Centre Avenue as the new home for his growing company, he made sure it was also within a few blocks of the train station, as many of his top animators lived in Manhattan. Also, he chose a site just a block from a string of thriving vaudeville and motion picture theaters. They were readily available viewing venues for the scores of cartoons his company cranked out each week. In this building, Terry continued to ramp-up the pace of production. Of his business he often remarked, “Disney is the Tiffany’s, and I am the Woolworth’s.”

By 1951, his industrious animators were producing up to 26 Technicolor cartoons and several million comic books each year. The pace continued until 1956 when, as the 1,000th cartoon and a television show were on the drawing boards, Terry suddenly sold the company and property to CBS for millions of dollars. Terrytoons continued under the ownership of CBS/Viacom until the 1970s, when the animation faded out altogether.

Think of that next time you’re buying tomatoes.

Mamaroneck parade

Mamaroneck parade

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Lincoln Avenue, New Rochelle

2nd Avenue, NYC

Photos: Jacqueline Silberbush and Sandra Geroux

from the New Rochelle Humane Society:

Mr. Ed is a friendly, medium sized very handsome young guy. He was found wandering around, lost and very sad.

He’s looking for a nice family to live with. He’s hoping that they have some kids who will play with him and join him on family walks.

You can meet this dog today! We are open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm and Thursdays from 2pm to 8pm!
Open 7 days 10-4pm, Thursday 2-8pm.   914-632-2925

New Rochelle Humane Society

If you’re ok with no-frills produce shopping, (and at these prices, you will be) don’t miss Viva Grande Farms in New Rochelle.

This is no high end artisinal farmer’s market, just real fruits and vegetables at very low prices.

In the outdoor area, everyday stock, such as potatoes, peppers and apples may be sprinkled with white asparagus or meyer lemons, you never know, it always changes. Inside, more vegetables and fruit, cheese and dairy, and meats. Flowers are also available in a separate building.

One visitor writes on Yelp,   “Listening to the Korean managers speaking Spanish on the store’s public address system is one of the high points of my week.” Cash only.

Viva Grande Farms 38 Centre Ave. New Rochelle, NY 10801 (914) 576-9235. No web site.

 

Photos: Jacqueline Silberbush

The All-County Jazz Festival is tonight at 8:00 pm, hosted at Mamaroneck High School.  The two All-County Jazz Bands, including seven MHS students, will be led by guest conductors Jason Rigby and Dan Brown.

Also performing will be Mamaroneck’s Jazz A band, and  jazz bands from New Rochelle and Hastings-on-Hudson High Schools. Tickets may be purchased for $10 at the door, students with ID free.

Proceeds benefit the Westchester County School Music Association. Students with ID are free.

from the New Rochelle Humane Society:

Mr. Paulie is a 6 year old male Yorkshire Terrier. He and his son Jetter were surrendered to us when their owners were no longer able to care for them.

Paulie would love to live in a quiet adult home where he can snuggle up to his humans. He is house trained and far too mature for any silly chewing on the furniture!

You can meet this dog today! We are open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm and Thursdays from 2pm to 8pm!

For those of you who can follow this sort of gerrymandering, State Rep George Latimer, who represents the 91st Legislative District in Albany, sent along the actual bill language that carves up Senate Districts in New Rochelle.

It slices and dices between the 35th Senate District (now Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins) and the 37th Senate District (Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer).

Latimer is voting no.

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This poor cat. Tuesdays we usually post people’s pets (send your pictures in!) but we have to find this cat a good home.

Sally arrived in a cooler. When a group of workmen noticed Sally darting between cars they coaxed her to them. Not having a carrier, they picked the only thing they had on hand to transport her safely to the New Rochelle Humane Society.

Sally is missing a paw and a tail and a home. What she is not missing is the joy she finds in someone petting her.  Adoption $90 Sally is spayed, vaccinated, tested negative for felv & fiv and microchipped. Sally also comes with a real carrier, collar, ID tags, follow up vet exam and bag of Science Diet cat food.

New Rochelle Humane Society
www.NewRochelleHumaneSociety.org

Have a pet you love, that needs a home or just know a great one? Submit a photo to our flickr pool or by email, and we’ll feature it in “Pet Project”

I can’t wait to see your comments on this one. OK, sports fans:

Local authors Jon Chattman, who lives in Mamaroneck and Allie Tarantino and Rich Tarantino who grew up in New Rochelle  (Allie teaches at Ward Elementary School there)  have written I Love the Red Sox/I Hate the Yankees: Personal Stories About the World’s Greatest/Worst Team, Fans, and Traditions.

The authors will be signing their book at the Barnes & Noble in Stamford on March 17 at noon. Their publicist tells us:

It’s hard to believe, given the Yankees’ success and the jumpers that continue to board the bandwagon throughout the world, but many people hate the Yankees and love the Red Sox.

Finally, there’s a book that will tell you why by taking you inside baseball’s most celebrated rivalry. I Love the Red Sox/I Hate the Yankees captures all the emotions—from adoration to loathing—in a unique flip-book format that bolsters the only right side of the Beantown/Bronx argument.

Full of interesting trivia, hilarious history and inside scoops, I Love the Red Sox/I Hate the Yankees  shares the fantastic stories of legendary Red Sox managers and star players, including Ted Williams, Jim Rice and David Ortiz, as well as the numerous villains who have donned the pinstripes over the years. Like two books in one, this completely biased account of the rivalry proclaims the irrefutable reasons to cheer the Red Sox and throws everyone from the Yankees “core four” to their announcing team under the proverbial bus—showing that there really is no fine line between love and hate.

When these two hated rivals go head-to-head, the entire sports world is always watching.  I Love the Red Sox/I Hate the Yankees will show you once and for all why you made the right choice.

If you can’t stand paying $4.50 a gallon for gas, we put together this interactive listing of gas prices at stations throughout the area with the help of gasbuddy.com

You can even join gasbuddy to add your own gas price discoveries. As of this morning, White Plains, Scarsdale, New Rochelle and Brewster are the places to pump.

photo: geograph.org

Two news items out of the New Rochelle Police Dept. that may seem contradictory.

Serious crimes, such as  aggravated assault, murder, robbery and burglary increased 21 percent from 2010 to 2011.  (If you like numbers, the department reported 1,589 of these serious crimes in 2011, up from 1,311 in 2010. The 2011 tally is below the 2008 level of 1,758 and, according to police, 18 percent below the total in 2002.)

LoHud quotes City Manager Charles Strome as saying said the rise in crimes could, in part, be attributed to changes in the way certain crimes, like aggravated assault, for example, are recorded.  But, he said, “There’s no question the numbers in our Police Department have been reduced and we still have a bad economy. And these things sometimes add up to these situations.”

On the other hand…

The same report shows New Rochelle ranks as one of the five safest cities among cities its size nationally in 2010.

The city was the fifth-safest city nationwide out of 60 cities with comparable populations, making this the 11th consecutive year of it being one of the five safest.

How do you account for an apparent contradiction? Or is it?

30 Aviemore Dr., New Rochelle

The listing for this home in Larchmont Woods, New Rochelle boasts its starter home capability.  Over size master bedroom with bath, guest or maids room with bath. formal dining room, and elegant living room with fireplace, hardwood floors, updated windows. walk up attic and usable basement with adjoining garage.

See this home and all the MLS listings at theLoop Real Estate Marketplace.

How did this happen? According to the Daily News, “Iona felt its chances for an NCAA Tournament bid were so remote that coaches and players dined at separate restaurants to watch the NCAA Selection Show Sunday evening.

Now the Gaels (25-7), only the second at-large team ever picked from the MAAC in the conference’s 31-year history, are getting set to take on BYU (25-8) in an NCAA first-round game in Dayton Tuesday night, with the winner getting No. 3 Marquette in Louisville Thursday night in the round of 64.”

More at ICGaels.com

photo: ICGaels.com

Many people first moving to the Mamaroneck School District, with about 5000 students in six schools, and coming from the Village of Larchmont, the Village of Mamaroneck and the Town of Mamaroneck, are surprised to find there are no traditional school bus routes.

Unlike most school districts in the County and the Country, children here do not ride school buses to and from their homes to school, unless they attend a private school within a certain distance. The latter provision comes under New York State law.

Historical reasons for this include the “neighborhood schools” concept, and practical reasons include the fact that families sending their children to private schools, even as far as Greenwich, still pay taxes to the Mamaroneck District and are entitled to some services.

Now, with the tax cap, according to the Lower Hudson Valley Council on School Superintendents,  if New York State funded or reduced the mileage limits for private school out-of-district transportation from 15 to 5 miles, and allowed consolidation of services, it could save over $3.5 million in one year. The Mamaroneck School Board is also investigating cost savings related to completely outsourcing its transportation services.

Tuesday night, the Mamaroneck School Board discussed the idea of public transportation for kids at:

• French American School (Upper School- Mamaroneck)
• German School (White Plains)
• Holy Child (Rye)
• Iona Prep (New Rochelle)
• Rye Country Day
• Ursuline School (New Rochelle)

You can imagine the response from parents of the approximately 100 private and parochial school students in grades 6-12, who may soon be on Bee Line buses to school. In some cases, the commuting time is estimated at an hour or more.

The Mamaroneck Board will continue this discussion March 20 at 7:30 p.m. The full presentation can be viewed on the district’s website .

 If you can’t stand paying $4.50 a gallon for gas, we put together this interactive listing of gas prices at stations throughout the area with the help of gasbuddy.com

You can even join gasbuddy to add your own gas price discoveries. As of this morning, White Plains, Scarsdale, New Rochelle and Brewster are the places to pump.

We are talking a lot about food today …you will see a recipe from a local Greek restaurant chef at 3:00.

But Larchmont blogger Hugh Yeman is not buying his ingredients. He is picking them:

This morning I was sitting at Aroma Coffee Roast, drinking my tea and tinkering with a website as usual. Jack noticed the stevia sweetener sitting on my table, and we got talking about sweet and tart foods. He loves tart flavors for their own sake, whereas I tend to see them as an accompaniment and counterpoint to sweetness. He likes apple pie with no added sugar. I’ll talk your ear off about the importance of adding just enough sugar to offset the tartness of the near-obligatory Granny Smith apples.

The conversation moved on to other kinds of tart pies, such as strawberry-rhubarb and my all-time favorite, strawberry-raspberry-rhubarb. Then I started talking about wineberries. This was a lot less unlikely than you might think. Actually, it’s hard to get me to stop talking about wineberries.

The wineberry is a Japanese cousin of the raspberry, and it does very well for itself right here in Westchester. As an invasive species it may not be fondly regarded, but I can’t help but smile at the red undertones it splashes onto the landscape. The stems arc through the bracken, loosely stitching their way over the dun cheerlessness like a gravity-defying garland. If you take a walk in the Marshlands Conservancy on a sunny day, like my wife and I did last weekend,

MORE

photo: Hugh Yemen

When Tivey’s family moved away, they look everything with them except her. Fortunately, the building owner found Tivey in the vacant apartment and called the New Rochelle Humane Society shelter for help.

A real sweetheart, Tivey is just eight months old and well deserving of a second chance.

She is anxiously awaiting a family who will love her for the long-haul at the shelter, 70 Portman Road. The Humane Society is open every day for adoption. Call 632-2925 or visit the shelter’s website.

Tuesdays, we feature photos of one of the towns that help define us. Submit your photos to our looppool on Flickr or email us.

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Taranto's (and OMG Cakes sign in window)

Have you ever been to Taranto’s, that little deli on the Post Road in Larchmont? You know it’s good because the fire fighters and the cops eat there.

And have you ever tasted their red velvet cake? OMG. Now, OMGCakes is the brainchild of Hedy Taranto of New Rochelle, who makes her cakes and pies to order and will even deliver within five miles.

Hedy writes, “Almost every time someone tastes one of my cakes, they say “Oh My God! This cake is so good” hence the name, OMG Cakes. They are so good that I will put them up against any other on the market.”

Are you up for that challenge?

OMG Cakes at Taranto’s, 2325 Boston Post Road, Larchmont, NY and omgcakes.com

Sound Shore Medical Center, New Rochelle

Consumer Reports Magazine is reporting that you may not want four Westchester Hospitals to be your first choice for care.

Four Westchester County hospitals receive an “F” for safety in the CR rankings, based on hospital-acquired infections, how well hospital staff communicate with patients about medications, readmissions, and discharge planning.

The Westchester hospitals cited as “lowest performing” were

• St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers,
• St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers,
• Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville
• Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle.

St. Joseph’s Medical Center was listed as the fourth worst in its study, ranking 62 percent lower than the national average. Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville was the seventh worst, according to the report, with a score of 57 percent below the national average.

Consumer reports listing follows:

Larchmont Train Station 5:17pm, Oct. 20, 2011 by Elisabeth Pollaert

The image that teased the Day in the Life of Larchmont exhibit on posters and press was this one above, of the Larchmont Train Station. It was taken by Elisabeth Pollaert, a professional photographer in Larchmont.

She says the train photo (and others in a series) were taken using a tripod.

“I set up in a place that I thought looked good, with the sunset in the distance, the clouds overhead, and the station lights in good places, and I just waited for trains to come in.  Every time a train came in, I took pictures from the time it approached the station until the time it pulled out.  As it got darker, I used slower and slower shutter speeds, which is why on that one shot, (see Closing Photo today at 6:00 pm) you only see one person, the one who stood still, and everyone else looks like a ghost, because I was using a reasonably slow shutter speed by then.”

Ms. Pollaert was a hobby photographer who turned it into a career, and has a special love for travel photography.

“What is really amazing to me is to capture a sense of a place, to have someone say, ‘wow, I sort of feel like I have been there now.’  One tour guide, in Syria, was frustrated that I never took pictures of the things that he pointed out to me, the things that tourists always take pictures of.  He asked, ‘what do you want to take a picture of, then?’  I replied, ‘Syria.  I want to take a picture of Syria.’  I think he thought I was a little nuts.”

Big Peru Shaman -Elisabeth Pollaert

One recent project took her to Ethiopia.  “I went there to photograph the work that a group of volunteer neurosurgeons do there.  The organization I went with is K.A.N.S., the Korean American Neurosurgery Society. They go there and train local neurosurgeons and do operations.  There is a big problem there with pregnant women not getting enough folic acid, which results in a condition where there a lot of fluid in the brain of their baby and it has to be drained surgically.  If it’s done in time, the child will be fine.  So they do a lot of those operations, also back issues, herniated disks, and helping accident victims with fractured spines.”

Pollaert in operating room in Ethiopia

Her next project will be a lot closer to home, “Shelter Cats,” taken on an iPhone (so as not to scare the cats with a camera) at the New Rochelle Humane Society.

“My goal is to show that shelter cats are beautiful and amazing animals,” she says. The photos will be shown at The Voracious Reader from April 8th through 22nd.

When the New York Times wrote this little gem up recently, I was embarrassed to say I didn’t know about R Patisserie . But that’s all over now.

It’s the kind of place you expect to stumble upon in Europe, where welcoming spaces appear in unlikely storefronts. Here, local artwork hangs on beautiful wallpaper with chandeliers above and rescued furnishings below.

Owner John Reverol, a graphic designer and art dealer moved into a loft bldg in New Rochelle, but he said  something was missing in this town. “There was no decent coffee house.” he says with a French accent. “I said, ‘what New Rochelle needs is a coffee house like the ones in the City.’” And by City, he meant New York or Paris.

And so a former balloon store was transformed, opening last April.

The signature brew here is a Brazilian blend, Delicioso, but cappucino, espresso, lattes and soon teas by the ounce are available.  90% of the pastries arrive at 5:00 am from Balthazar.  Sandwiches include the “R”: cracked-pepper turkey and Swiss on a baguette, with mustard, mayonnaise and thinly sliced green apple.

“It’s a place people to want to stay, not just for coffee. I seem to have hired good, engaging young local people. I want you to feel you’re not in a coffee shop, but in someones living room.” In the Spring, he says, looking across the street to the historic Trinity church surrounded by lush foliage, “it does feel like home.”

To that end, John struggled to find the perfect wallpaper, something that would capture “modern France, not too stuffy or old-fashioned.”  Here’s an ironic tribute:  after a month of searching European designer stores, he found it in the Benjamin Moore store near the New Rochelle Stop and Shop.

R Patisserie, Cafe and Tea Boutique, 302 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle; (914) 358-1841, rpatisserie.com.

If you noticed that I’d been a bit remiss in posting this afternoon, this is because while working at my computer today, my 3 year old rescue Standard Poodle, Charcoal, made it known that something was terribly wrong.  By the time I caught on, he was practically driving me to the Veterinarian himself.

Abandoning a well-planned afternoon, I raced to Stamen Animal Hospital, where he was stabilized by Dr. Maria Violi, pronounced to be in shock and X-Rayed to reveal a twisted stomach, gastric dilation volvulus, or bloat.

I gathered my children, returned to the vet, and we were warned to expect the worst.  Because surgery was required and 24 hour monitoring was best, we got him to the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, one of the best animal emergency surgical facilities anywhere.

Please put their phone number in your address book, PDA or iPhone and on the fridge.

Charcoal remains there tonight. He’ll be there for several days. And what I learned is the dogs most at risk for developing this are Standard Poodles, Wolfhounds, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Labrador Retrievers, Irish Setters, Saint Bernards, Malamutes, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, and Akitas. Generally, any dog that is of a large breed and has a deep chest has an increased risk of developing bloat.

Write down the number and hug your dog for me.

Animal Specialty Center 9 Odell Plaza  Yonkers, NY (914) 457-4000  Off Executive Blvd. exit on the Saw Mill.

If you spend any time following #westchester on twitter, you may know the chatty girls at the Chat Shop. We think of it as a virtual talk-fest where no one yells and you can come and go as you please.

Readers have come up with a Westchester “bucket list,” each making a list of some of the local treats they’d like to experience before they well, you know.

Have a peek.

photo: Jacqueline Silberbush

Museum of Arts and Culture at NRHS

The Museum of Arts and Culture at New Rochelle High School goes Greek in March as part of a national initiative to celebrate Ancient Greek culture and remind us of the importance this culture has had on us. The celebration, March 8 – April 5, is called Greeks/Modern Lives.

A New Rochelle Senior writes in  Westchester Happening about the art, acting and film that’s on its way.

Manitoba was brought into a crowded New Jersey shelter as a lost dog and, if you can believe it, was never claimed. A collie/shepherd mix, he was transferred to the New Rochelle Humane Society in hopes of finding a home.

He’s clearly well-prepped for a job as a pet. Manitoba knows how to how to sit, lay down, roll over, shake, spin and catch! He is neutered, housebroken and walks well on a leash.

What more could you want?

The New Rochelle Humane Society, located at 70 Portman Road,  is open seven days a week for adoption.  Call 632.2925 or visit newrochellehumanesociety.org.

 This 80-acre island a quarter-mile off Davenport Neck in New Rochelle was part of Thomas Pell’s purchase from the Siwanoys and was sold in 1667 to Jacob Leisler for a group of Huguenot settlers. In the early 19th century the island was leased to Thaddeus Davids, who intended to build an ink factory there.

The Civil War intervened, and Davids Island was sold to the U.S. Government, which established DeCamp General Hospital there for the treatment of wounded soldiers. This subsequently became Fort Slocum, a recruiting and training center for troops through 1957 and the Army Information School until 1965.

The following year, it was sold to the City of New Rochelle for $1.

Unoccupied since that time, it was declared an Urban Renewal Area in 1977.

(editor: latest plans for Davids Island are for County parkland. Con Ed wanted it for a nuclear power plant and Donald Trump for development.)

–from Larchmont Then and Now: A Photohistory, Fountain Square Press, copyright 2002 by Anne Marie Leone and Judith Doolin Spikes. Used with permission.

bottom image: Wikimedia commons

Pulpo al Olivo: Warm Octopus with olive sauce and sweet potato fries

Those of us lucky to have been to Peru find the food here at Cholo’s Kitchen unmistakably authentic, and everyone seems to love the atmosphere: bright colors, larger than life movie posters and the feeling that you’re sitting in someone’s cozy kitchen in a much warmer clime.

Now six years old, Gino Ernesto and his mother have a loyal following of New Rochelle regulars, “but most of my customers,” he says, “come from Larchmont and Pelham. Word has spread.”

Humitas Verdes, most popular, are freshly ground Peruvian corn and spices cooked in a corn husk. Many variations of fish, meat and vegetarian dished are always available, but check the chalkboard for specials. Try a mango, papaya, or avocado smoothie. Beer and wine available.

Cholo’s Kitchen (4 Lawton St, New Rochelle; 914-235-0094; choloskitchen.com).

 Know a Cool Find? email us!

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Ridge Hill, Yonkers

Speaking of why some towns get shopping and others do not, (and thanks for your comments on the Armonk supermarket story,) with Whole Foods’ announced move into Port Chester, and Ridge Hill opening in Yonkers, Talk of the Sound recently asked what

Best Buy
Whole Foods
Fairway
Target
Barnes and Noble
and Kohl’s

had in common?

They are “some of the retailers who recently took a pass on New Rochelle. The old adage in real estate is location, location, location. Well, for the purposes of future development in New Rochelle, it should be parking, parking, parking.”

How do you think New Rochelle can begin to attract the kinds of businesses it wants, if there are any left?

Joyce Havinga and friends

A recent article in Slate reports an increase in the number of home births- mothers leaving the hospital completely out of the equation when having a baby.

It’s just not happening around here. In 2010, out of 11,104 births in the County, 34 (0.3%)  were intended home deliveries.

And on top of that, Westchester  County has among the highest C-section rates in the country. About half the births at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, Sound Shore in New Rochelle and the Westchester Medical Center are C-sections. The national average is closer to 34%.

When Joyce Havinga-Droop moved to Larchmont from Holland, she found this startling. Both her daughters had been born at home.

Two years ago (today) Joyce gave birth at home in Larchmont to her youngest daughter. “People expressed a lot of unawareness like ‘I didn’t know it was legal!’,  or ‘Is it safe to give birth at home?’, she said, “and ‘I didn’t know you could do that in the US!’ All clear indications that choices about birth are not well known.”

A few weeks later Joyce quit a career in the diplomatic world to become a doula, someone that provides non-medical support to women and their families during labor and childbirth, and also the postpartum period.She is in the process of becoming certified.

“My passion is to guide and assist pregnant women in giving them the birth they want and delivering them the empowerment it provides.”  Doulas, while rare in Westchester, are available to work in teams in your home environment to comfort, assist and work through various positions during labor.

“Being at home, precious bonding time with our newborn was the big reward,” Joyce says. “She did not have to be separated immediately to go to a warmer or to be weighed. Later her sisters came in to meet their new sibling. I would not have wanted to miss these very intimate moments with my family.”

For more information about home birth, Joyce recommends:

www.hudsonvalleybirthnetwork.com,

www.childbirthconnection.org,

www.birthingnaturally.net,

Glen Island, in New Rochelle, was built in 1879 by steamboat magnate John Starin as America’s first amusement park.

It drew visitors from all over the country and established New Rochelle’s reputation as a desirable place of residence near New York City. The park declined following the 1904 “General Slocum” steamboat disaster in the Sound and closed sometime before Starin’s death in 1909.

The 102-acre, six-island site was acquired in 1924 by Westchester County, filled in and transformed into a county park, whose Casino, built on the foundations of Starin’s Grand Cafe, hosted the top swing bands of the 1930s.

–from Larchmont Then and Now: A Photohistory, Fountain Square Press, copyright 2002 by Anne Marie Leone and Judith Doolin Spikes. Used with permission.

If you’re sticking around, there’s plenty to do. Here are some suggestions from the Journal News to do with kids, and as always, watch our Coming Up column.

If you’re leaving for the break, listen up:  In light of a marked increase in local break-ins, police say prep the house to make it look like you’re not away.

Speaking at a crime prevention workshop last week, Town of Mamaroneck police urged residents to create a “vacation plan” that includes steps like putting house lights on timers and stopping mail and newspapers. Alerting neighbors to your departure is another wise move, they said.

In addition, the Town also has a “dark house” program that under which residents can notify police that their house is going to be vacant so they can keep a closer eye on it. Residents in other municipalities can request police drive-bys as well.

Holidays, vacations times and summer breaks are burglars’ biggest opportunities, police said.

photo courtesy audobon center on flickr

Eco-friendly hybrids and sporty foreign numbers have their place, but, Nick Pagani only has eyes for Big American Cars.

“I go down to my garage at night and I sit and look at my cars,” Pagani says. “To me, they’re beautiful.”

Pagani – a guy born and raised in Pelham Manor who restores cars in the same New Rochelle shop his granddad opened in 1920 – has no shortage of stuff to gaze at.

His collection of 80 vintage cars frequently appears in period-piece movies (often with Pagani behind the wheel) such as Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler and Angel Heart. Pagani’s wheels are currently being used in the production of Inside Llewyn Davis, the latest Coen brothers’ movie.

This car will be driven in a Coen Brothers movie by Justin Timberlake

There’s usually one parked each morning in front of Aroma Coffee in Larchmont, where Nick generally starts his day.

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Python from Animal Embassy

Spend a few hours on a gray February day or evening in a great adult or kid’s program. Good ideas for Winter Break, too!

Thursday, February 16, 7:00 pm

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN (1974) – This multiple Emmy-award winning TV movie stars Cicely Tyson as a woman in the South who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lives to become a part of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  Based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines. Ossie Davis Theater, Free.

Saturday, February 18, 3:00 pm

Julia Breanetta Simpson performs Harlem on My Mind

Harlem on My Mind is a one-woman musical journey through the dynamic period in history known as the Harlem Renaissance. Created and performed by Julia Breanetta Simpson, Harlem On My Mind is directed by Shaunelle Perry with musical direction by Ken Levinsky. This dazzling show celebrates the music of ‘Duke’ Ellington, Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and others. Along the way you will explore the poetry of Langston Hughes and encounter the larger than life personalities of Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Josephine Baker. Recommended for ages 12 and above. Ossie Davis Theater. Suggested donation: $2.00. Made possible by the Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library. 

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Trooper is a 4 year old terrier mix living in New Rochelle.  His favorite thing to do is play catch. According to Loop photographer Jacki Silberbush, who captured this shot, “He may look small, but can seriously catch it every time.”

Have a pet you love, that needs a home or just know a great one? Submit a photo and we’ll feature it in “Pet Project”

The following complaints were recorded by Larchmont police during the last week:

Larceny: On Iselin Terrice someone entered a vehicle that was left parked and unlocked in the victim’s driveway, removing property valued at $500. Feb.4.

Penal Law Arrest: A man from New Rochelle was arrested after a altercation with a cab driver and hitting the cab causing damage. The 23 year old man was released on bail. Feb.5

Penal Law Arrest: In Los Angeles, a woman was arrested based on a Warrant of Arrest filed by Larchmont Police Detectives after an investigation of a Grand Larceny at Citibank on Palmer Avenue on Feb. 3.  Jacqucolyn Sanders was arraigned and remanded to the Westchester County Jail on $7500 bail.

235 Paine Avenue, New Rochelle

What would Thomas Paine think of the old neighborhood, now one of the most desirable in the area?

This listing says this 6 bedroom 2 bathroom Tudor style Colonial is full of warmth and character.

Tudor style Colonial nestled on a .39 level parcel surrounded by homes of similar stature in the desireable neighborhood of Paine Heights. The warmth & character of this light filled home is enhanced by the newer windows recently replaced in 2008. Many original details add to the charm of this home. The large fireplace in the living room awaits many memory making cozy nights. This well appointed home with hardwood flooring, awaits your signature touches. With the convenient location walk to all!

Check out all of the MLS listings in theLoop Real Estate Marketplace.

Cold turkey commute. Don’t even think about lighting up while waiting for your Metro-North train. Doing so could get you kicked off the platform, up to $50 in fines or a trip to jail.

The MTA‘s new ban on outdoor smoking starts today, following a months-long grace period the agency gave smokers to get used to the idea. The ban, which had a soft launch in November, prohibits smoking on Metro-North and Long Island Railroad outdoor platforms, as well as ticketing and boarding areas.

The ban does not apply to Metro-North stations in Connecticut.

Violators have gotten away with just warnings since November. But after several months of  leafleting, signs, announcements and electronic alerts, the MTA now expects passengers to play by the rules.