Saturday, March 15th, 2008
I found a cool little tool to help you get a rough picture of what your home is worth. It’s an internet tool, so you have to take it with a grain of salt.
My neighbor is in the home appraisal business and she says that people get really excited when they see their house value online. It’s usually pretty high. What you have to remember is that the website I am talking about doesn’t know the condition of your home. You also have to take into account what time of year it is and what people are willing to pay at that moment. Remember, your home is only worth what you can get for it on the market.
So, if your home is in decent shape, take a look at its estimated value. You can also see what your neighbor’s houses are worth and what they last sold for. That’s the really interesting part. They paid WHAT???
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Monday, September 25th, 2006
The absolute best time to go to Rye Playland is at the end of the summer. Just be sure to check their schedule to make sure you pick a day before they close up. Their hours get quite sparse towards late August - early September. This time of year is the best because the park is nearly empty. No heat and sweat, no kids running around dropping ice cream on your shoe and no lines. Yes, no lines.
We parked in the side lot and met Craig at “Ye Old Mill.” The official story of this ride is…
“As you enter this dark ride on a small boat, a voice tells the story of the gnomes who are protecting their jewels. You’ll encounter a giant dragon and a terrifying troll during this eerie journey.”
…but this may give you a better picture:
It’s a pretty cool ride. You float around a small canal in a little boat, that might tip over at any moment…seriously…be careful. Things move and make noise, but overall, it’s not too scary.
We went on only the best rides. The Log Flume and the Double Shot are musts…
…and of course all the roller coasters. You can never get sick of going on the famous Dragon Coaster…over and over and over…did I mention no lines?
There is something about Playland that you might not expect. I would call it a certain aire. As you walk around and have all sorts of fun, the sun starts to go down and it gets a little chilly. If you are there on a clear evening, you can go out on the pier and try to look across Long Island Sound.
The best part is just hanging out on the pier looking back at the park waiting for it to get a little bit darker, because the best part comes next.
The Ferris Wheel at night. Who says Rye Playland isn’t romantic? Riding the ferris wheel with a nice cool breeze messing up your hair offers a deserved break from reality. This might be the most memorable part of the day. You have to make sure you go on the ferris wheel almost at closing time to feel the full effect.
Besides the rich history of Playland (below), there were some movies filmed here, such as Tom Hanks’ “Big” and Wood Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown.”
Rye Playland’s History
Playland’s location on the shores of Long Island Sound already had a long history as a favorite recreation area of the local population by 1927. According to an early report of the Westchester County Park Commission, the area evolved rapidly as the population increased, until in the late 1800s fancy resorts were already giving way to bawdy hotels and rowdy amusement areas, attracting unsavory crowds. Angry local residents petitioned the Commission to purchase and redevelop the area. To create Playland the Commission purchased and razed two theme parks on the site, Rye Beach and Paradise Park.
Frank W. Darling was president of the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway Company at Coney Island when he was tapped by the Westchester County Park Commission to construct, operate and manage Playland. By then (1927) Darling had constructed amusement parks in New Zealand, at the British Empire Exposition in Wembley, and at the Modern Art Exposition in Paris, and was well known as an old amusement man, in experience, but not in years or enthusiasm.
Darling’s execution included a balanced, planned layout with the beauty of the architectural form evidenced in all buildings. Artists designed special panels on buildings; lighting was good but subdued; an integrated music system was installed to send out favorite melodies by Sousa, Wagner and Berlin over the entire area; landscaping was carefully planned and executed. The day after Labor Day, 1927, over 1,000 men began construction. Work was finished in time for the scheduled opening on May 26, 1928. Visiting experts immediately declared Playland to be one of the finest recreational centers of its kind in the country.
Frank Darling continued as Director of Playland for several more years and completed additional projects such as the Olympic-size pool, increased boardwalk concessions, an indoor ice skating rink, a scenic railway, and additional restaurants and picnic areas.
Playland’s 280 acres were intended to be the jewel in the crown of Westchester’s extensive park system. The County hired the award-winning firm of Walker and Gillette to design an Art Deco masterpiece. (As the only Art Deco amusement park in America, Playland is part of the National Register of Historic Places). Gilmore D. Clarke, the Westchester County Park Commission’s head landscape architect, created manicured landscaping throughout the park. The original design included picnic areas, restaurants, three ice-skating rinks, swimming pool, two beaches totaling approximately 7,900 feet of shoreline, in addition to the thrilling amusement rides.
The concept of a family-friendly amusement park appealed to the people of Westchester County and the New York City region. First season visitors far exceeded even the Park Commission’s optimistic predictions. Crowds flocked to Playland to ride the Whip, the Derby Racer, and more than a dozen other thrilling rides. Playland still boasts seven original rides that pre-date 1930. Click the image to the right to locate the rides (5 adult and 2 in the Kiddyland section of the park) then follow the links to see photos of the rides.
Playland proudly billed itself as “America’s Premier Playground”. Increasingly crowds came to witness–and participate in–spectacles and events. Playland evolved into much more than amusement rides; it became a place to see circus acts, dance under the stars, win a new car, and crown the most beautiful baby in Westcheser.
Playland enters its eighth decade as Westchester County’s venerable old man by the sea. But like its creator, Frank Darling, the park is “old in amusements but young in enthusiasm.”
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