Question about Ossining

[dma1250]

Familyman Joe, I live in the general area and I must disagree with you on a number of points:
Restaurants: 2 restaurants in Ossining have recently gotten good reviewin in the NY Times. And there are a large number of excellent places very nearby. Croton has three 4 star restaurants and a number off other good ones. Peekskill has 6 or 7 excellent restaurants. Stone Barns, a 5 star restaurant, is about 15 minutes away. Yorktown Heights has Peter Pratt's Inn, another 5 star restaurant, as well as about 10 good-quality restaturants. And Mt Kisco, all of 15 minutes away, has a huge number of excellent restauransts. There are also good restaurants in Tarrytown, all of 5 minutes south of Ossining.
Boring Place: Well, compared to Manhattan perhaps. But there is a lot of art and music around the area on a regualr basis, so I hardly think I'd call it boring. There's an excellent art museum in Peekskill as well as a number of great galelries. There are lots of restaurants, coffee houses, and other places that have live music regularly. There are art shows and poetry readings almost every week at area libraries. There are a huge number of parks and nature preserves which regualry have workshops and events for kidd and grownups. We're 15 minutes from 2 other excellent museums (the Aldrich and the Neuberger) as well as Caramor, a fabulous music recital palce that has regualr concerts. In the summer there are outdoor concerrts every weekend as well as outdoor movies.
Boring People: Almost everyone I know in the area (I live in Yorktown Heights) is a graphic designer, artist, editor, architect, web-site something, or some other "creative professional." Most are from Brooklyn or the Upper West Side and came here for both financial and lifestyle reasons.

[dma1250]

Also, I would like to re-post the Northern Westchester Home Blog that I posted before (which lists events in the area), but I got reprimanded for violating the "no realtor advertising" rule--even though I am not a realtor and the blog is not connected to any realtor or agency. But if you search the postings you'll find it.

[KHermanek]

Hi Sukigirl,
I am hoping my realtor can get a appt to view 22, 26 and 56 Campwoods Grounds this Saturday but, I've heard stories that it's mandatory that you are a memeber of the Methodist church? Additionally, I have 2 Scottish Terriers, the darlings of my current nieghborhood and would want to place a fence in the yard to keep them in...is that allowed by the HOA? You sound terrific and I'm hoping wqe will be neighbors soon!
Thanks!

Originally Posted by gingerbread house

i live in campwoods grounds, and it is a very interesting place. firstly, you only buy the house and you lease the land from the campwoods meeting association (very cheap leases for 30+ years - we have one of the larger properties and pay $100/month). this arrangements makes houses very affordable - we were looking at condos for the price of our house. its also a lovely community arrangement - you know many of your neighbors, but also have plenty of your own space and i never feel that people are nosy or gossipy or know all that much about me. rather, i feel like i actually feel friendly with my neighbors. a couple times a year there is a party or picnic arranged by someone. however, the thing about campwoods is that its a bit kooky. basically if you come look at the houses you will know if its for you or not pretty quickly. there are lots of interesting people living here - artists, professors, ecologists, writers, antique restorers, cafe owners, etc. there are also a lot of retired/old people, which is why so many houses are currently for sale. we have lived here for 9 months, and i absolutely love it. we moved from the west village of manhattan, are in our 30s, and there are several other families in their 30s with small children who moved here from brooklyn. if its right for you, this place is a total steal and a great deal. but if you prefer a more traditionally suburban life, then it isn't for you. i recommend house #22 which is for sale, and is adorable. oh, that's the other thing about campwoods - these are cottages, with interesting layouts. some are in better shape than others, most are tiny, all are victorian era. loads of charm, depending on which house you look at. good luck!

[webmaven]

wobble cafe is just next door to Campgrounds. in fact, they live there. it's a friendly little place that's great for brunch. their website is www.wobblecafe.com.

i've lived in ossining for 20 years and it's a great town. Diverse, lots of community organizations. Brand new library and gorgeous new pool. Schools are good -- small class sizes.

[madtekwriter]

I am also looking at Campwoods--of major concern though, is nearby activities for my kids (aged 5 and 8). Can anyone tell me if there are playgrounds or other recreation within walking distance? Gingerbread?