Belize for the Scarsdale Adventurer
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
- Category: The Goods
Belize, a tiny country south of Mexico and east of Guatemala, is a dream travel destination for a Scarsdale adventurer. English is the official language, American dollars are accepted everywhere, many lodges and resorts are up-to-par with western standards, a visa is not required, they drive on the right side of the road, and the 4-hour direct flight along with the 2-hour time difference makes the travel part easy. No special vaccinations are necessary, although you may want to consider the typhoid vaccine if you're an especially adventurous eater...gibnut anyone?
So, when grandma agreed to babysit the kids for the week and we found a direct flight from Newark to Belize for half the price of a ticket to Europe, it seemed like a no-brainer. Having traveled extensively around the world through both developed and less developed countries, Belize was a good middle ground for the best things eachof these types of countries offer, including the adventure aspect (with toilets!) we were looking for.
Tripadvisor proved helpful in deciding where to stay, although the number of places 
listed with several hundred reviews and a five-star average made it difficult to determine which would be the "best of the best" for us. We decided on Black Rock Lodge in the jungle for four nights and Sea Dreamson Caye Caulker, one of the islands off the coast, for three nights.
Black Rock Lodge did not disappoint. Isaias, a lodge tour guide and professional cowboy, met us at the airport and drove us the 2.5 hours into the jungle, 30 minutes of which was on an unpaved road past cows and horses, neither of which moved for our car. He talked for almost the entire drive and we learned more about Belize than during any other time on our trip. What Isaias learned about me was that I had one fear about being in Belize, and he took it upon himself to try to help me overcome my phobia. Just outside the lodge, he pulled over and poked a stick into a hole. A large, hairy, red-rump tarantula jumped out and he 
nonchalantly scooped it up and started to play with it. I cowered in the van but my husband pet it and actually, smaller spiders now seem just a little less scary to me (and almost every spider is smaller than that tarantula).
Black Rock Lodge is situated along the Macal River on 13,000 acres of protected jungle. It's off the grid in the sense that all electricity is solar and hydro produced. Each cabin is tastefully furnished and has a private bathroom as well as a veranda with a hammocks facing the river. Meals are available and a 4-course gourmet dinner is served each night under a candlelit palapa. The lodge seats guests with each other and this "forced mingling" turned out to be one of the best and most unique aspects of the lodge. Many of the fruits and vegetables served come from their on-site organic farm.
Activities abound in the jungle. One day we went to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves with a guide (required). This was truly an unforgettable caving experience. A short hike was followed by a cool swim to the entrance of the cave. Within seconds of entering there was complete darkness if not for our headlamps. The cave formations are fascinating and the caving itself is just tricky enough to require one to be in decent physical shape (and not too scared of giant wolf spiders or bats). After an hour, we came to the main chamber of the cave that houses ancient Mayan artifacts as well as surprisingly well-preserved Mayan human remains.
Another day was spent hanging out at the gorgeous Black Rock property. Tubing down the river is free of charge and they'll even send a guide with you the first time around to show you the best way to get past the rapids. If you make it down the waterfall on your tube without being dumped you get a beer on the house. (We were 0 for 2 by the time we had to leave.) There's a beach on the river and a rope swing for those not afraid of a little rope burn. There is a well- marked hiking trail on property and if you have it in you to be on the lookout for snakes, (I literally almost bumped into a 15-foot indigo snake,) you'll be rewarded with scenic vistas and ample birdlife. In fact, you have a chance of seeing three kinds of toucans at Black Rock just while eating breakfast.
On our last day, we took a guided horse trail ride to an ancient Mayan ruin called Xunantunich. There are also opportunities to go cave tubing, zip lining, to Tikal in Guatemala, to a baboon sanctuary, canoeing, and to other Mayan ruins but we ran out of time.
We hired a car to take us to the water taxi in Belize City and stopped at the Belize Zoo on the way. The zoo is less of a zoo and more of an animal sanctuary for endemic animals that were rescued, sustained an injury preventing them from living in the wild, or donated. It was well worth the stop.
We hopped aboard the 45-minute water taxi ride to Caye Caulker, a very relaxed Caribbean-like island off the coast of the mainland with a population of 1,000. Sea Dreams Hotel is walking distance from the water taxi landing, as is everything on Caye Caulker. We used the hotel's beach bikes to get to know the island and enjoyed the included homemade breakfasts every morning.
We are not certified divers so we spent two full days snorkeling (and looking for manatees) in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Coral Gardens, and Shark and Ray Alley. Even snorkeling allowed for impressive views of life underwater. Although the coral is not very colorful, the sea life makes up for it. We swam with loggerhead turtles and sea turtles, large green moray eels, barracuda, countless tropical fish, eagle rays and stingrays, and a group of around 40 nurse sharks. Many outfitters on Caye Caulker offer diving and world-class fishing as well as paddle boarding, kayaking, and overnight adventure trips.
After watching one last sunset from the dock at Sea Dreams, we packed up and headed back to the airport, with reality settling back in with the screech of the airplane's tires in Newark. Our kids thought we went by ourselves to Belize to "check it out" before taking them there, and the truth is that we can't wait to take them to Belize. My son is looking forward to holding a tarantula and my daughter seemed particularly excited about the dog that lives at Black Rock.
Nicole Eisenman's Work on Display at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
World renown artist Nicole Eisenman has now extended her reach to Russia where her work is included in the Manifesta 10 show, a biennial of contemporary art at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Her painting shown here is included. Eisenman is an SHS graduate and the daughter of former Scarsdale Village Trustee Kay Eisenman. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated in 1987. Eisenman's work includes paintings and sculpture that examine gender, politics, and cultural norms and has been the subject of recent exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Museum St Louis, MO, USA (2014); the Berkeley Art Museum, CA, USA (2013); Studio Voltaire, London (2012); Kunsthalle Zürich, Switzerland (2007); and Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City (2005), among others. Her work was shown in the 1995 and 2012 Whitney Biennials. She won the Carnegie Prize in 2013. He works are owned my MOMA, the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kunsthalle Zürich; and Museum Ludwig, Cologne and she holds a teaching appointment at Bard College in 
Annandale-on-Hudson.
Prom Perfect
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
Spirits were high when the sun shone just in time for the pre-prom party at the high school on Thursday June 5th. Rain all day threatened to move the festivities indoors, but someone upstairs knew that the class of 2014 had earned the sunshine.
The students were especially dazzling this year – one more beautiful than the next. Girls sported up-do's, sleek twists, ponies and silky curls, some adorned with crystals were stunning. The fashion this year was long straight dresses in solid jewel colors of royal blue, red, emerald green with others in white, pastel pink and floral prints. The ebullient students and their proud parents had a picture-fest, posing for shots with dates, girls with the friends, boys with their crowd and some with parents and teachers. Spirits were high in the hour before the class walked the red carpet to board the bus for Glen Island Country Club where the word was the party went off without a hitch.
Commenting on the prom, faculty class advisor Oren Iosepovici said, "The prom was a wonderful testament to what this class has been as a whole. It was incredible watching everyone bond, dance, and basically have a great time. A great culmination to what has been a terrific class!!
See our gallery of the stunning class of 2014 below: - thanks to Jon Thaler for some of the photos)
The Scarsdale Outdoor Workout
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
- Category: The Goods
Summer is here and who wants to be rubbing elbows with spin-mates inside the gym when you can be outside working up a sweat with a friend? Grab a ball, a resistance band, a medicine ball, some hand weights, a yoga mat or a picnic blanket and call a friend for an early morning workout in your yard. Other good outdoor workout venues include the Bronx River Parkway trail, Kensico Dam or any of the Scarsdale or Eastchester Parks or schoolyards. All you need is a place to run and a fence, bench, or basketball pole to harness your resistance band. If you prefer to end your day with a workout, go to one of the Scarsdale parks where you are permitted to drink a post-workout beer (though not on school fields.)
Here is a 30-minute work-out designed by Equinox trainers and fitness experts Pamela Newkirk-Arkin and Webb Travis. They joined me at Hyatt Field in Scarsdale to run through atotal body strength and cardio work out.
1. Run- Begin by taking a 3-minute run around the perimeter of the park to warm up.
2. Ball squat- With a playground ball between your thighs, hold on to a fence (or bench, bleachers) and make a chair (butt) shape with your body. Do 10 squats down and squeeze the ball on the way up. Then hold and squeeze for 10 counts without contracting your glutes followed by pulsing down for 10 counts just below the knee height and back to knee height. Finally, hold for 10 counts while giving the ball an isometric squeeze.
3. Alternating dead lift and shoulder press with weight: Holding the back of a bench or a fence, hinge forward from the hips, making a table top from your head to your heel, arm straight down from the shoulder. Bring extended knee up to hip height in front as you bring a weight (kettlebell, dumbbell, etc) into bicep curl, and press above the head. Alternating straight leg dead lift, extending the arm, knee raise with a bicep curl into an overhead shoulder press 10 times. Then hold with a flexed foot, go into bent over isometric position of a straight leg dead lift, squeeze abs and drag elbow along the rib cage and back down for the dead lift .
4. Weighted lunges, twist lunges and forward lunges: Holding a weight at chest height, lunge forward and perform an overhead raise, 10 on each side. Follow with lunges adding a twist with your arms, rotating towards the working leg, to work your core (10 per side).
5. Run a lap around the field (about 3 minutes)
6. Triceps- Wrap your resistance band around a fence or pole and go into a ready standing position with slightly bent knees. Band should be taut and elbows and shoulders should be parallel with your spine, only bending at the elbow to fully extend the arms, palms down. Perform 15-20 repetitions from the elbow pressing down then 15 -20 presses back with straight arms.
7. Alternating Side Plank Row- With weights in both hands on weights, (optional,) do a push up then rotate your whole body to one side, dropping heels to the ground while drawing the elbow up. Return to plank position and repeat 10 per side. Note: abs should be tight and back should not arch.
8. Cable chop with side lunge - Step on a resistance band and step out with the other foot into a side lunge. Then reach arms diagonally across the body and extend the arm upwards. Repeat 10 times on each side.
9. Basic mountain climbers- Get into high plank position and alternate knees in for a count of 20-30 seconds or repetitions on each leg.
10. Run a lap around the field (about 3 minutes)
11. Plank with hand clap or arm raise for a count of 20
12. Abs- On your mat, perform 20 regular crunches, 20 "figure 4" crunches (10 per leg), 20 bicycle crunches bringing the elbow to your opposite knee while crunching, and 20 alternating leg reaches.
13. Stretches –Lift one foot onto a fence or bench and reach arms to feet for a hamstring stretch then repeat for opposite leg. Next, do a "figure 4" stretch by taking your ankle and resting it on your opposite knee while sitting down as if you were sitting into a chair. Repeat on other side. Finally, stretch your quadriceps by grasping the base of your foot and pulling the heel to your glute. If able, pop your foot onto a fence and lean back slightly to further the stretch.
Contributors:
Webb Travis is an experienced personal trainer and group fitness instructor at Equinox in Scarsdale. He graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a Bachelors degree in both Advertisement and Exercise Science and a Masters of Science degree in Organizational Leadership.
Pamela Newkirk-Arkin is an ACE Certified Private Trainer with a BFA in Dance from Adelphi University (Cum Laude). Pamela is the Group Fitness Manager at Equinox Scarsdale. As a former dancer, Pamela's true passion is teaching Lotte Berk style barre classes, but she loves teaching other formats as well including cardio, hiit, sculpt and stretch. She is the proud mom of two children.
Kelly Vasami is a local photographer who captures weddings, portraits, engagement sessions, maternity and newborn sessions for families and couples all along the East Coast. Leran more at www.kellyvasami.com.
It Tastes Great, but is it Safe to Drink? Water Quality in Scarsdale
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
- Category: The Goods
After a month of intermittent bursts of brown water due to the flushing of the water lines, it's good to know that Scarsdale's most recent water quality report came back with no violations. Here's what you need to know about Scarsdale's current quality status in regards to water.
Where does our water come from?
The Village of Scarsdale receives all of its water from the New York City water supply system. There are direct connections to the Catskills Aqueduct, the Kensico Reservoir and the Delaware Aqueduct. Locally, the water moves through the Ardsley Pump Station and the Reeves Newsom Water Supply Station. All of Scarsdale's water is chlorinated to inhibit bacterial growth. The pH is regularly adjusted and orthophosphate is added for corrosion control treatment. "We have recently completed major renovations of the Reeves Newsom Water Supply Station," said Tony Capicotto, village Superintendent for Water. "We are very proud to say that we have all new pumps in place and kept the water running to the village with minimal disruptions throughout the entire process. And we finished it on time."
What's in our water?
All water, even bottled water, contains contaminants. Although Scarsdale's water tested positive for some contaminants, all levels were below the maximum allowed by New York State. There is the potential for lead to be in your drinking water, but this would be caused by your home's independent plumbing and cannot be tested by the village. According to the water department, "...you can minimize exposure to lead by running the tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using tap water for cooking or drinking." You can also opt to have your water privately tested http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. There is a known presence of giardia in the water supply and this is common. Giardia may cause intestinal unrest in some if ingested but can be treated with anti-parasitic agents. People at higher risk include immune-compromised people, infants, and some elderly people, and these people should speak with their physicians about additional precautions to take when consuming water.
How does it taste?
That said, in comparison to other towns in Westchester, Scarsdale's water tastes terrific. On May 7th, Scarsdale was awarded the bronze for best tasting water at the county's annual water taste test, second only to White Plains and Mt. Vernon. Furthermore, last year, the Scarsdale Water Department was commended for its water fluoridation program by Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD. Not only has fluoride in the water supply been proven safe, it has been shown to reduce tooth decay in kids by 29% and in adults by 25%.
In fact, our local water tastes so good that local entrepreneurs Elias and Hiche Slubski have begun to filter and bottle water in in Greenburgh and sell it around the country. Called NY20 the Slubskis have a marketing campaign that boasts about the bottle as well as its contents. They call the water "the champagne of waters for the city that never sleeps," and bottle it in a plastic bottle designed by their architect-mom. Apparently "you can feel the spirit of innovation through the comfortable grip of the American-made plastic bottle that doesn't roll around when laying horizontally." New York's great tasting bagels and pizzas are often attributed to the water they're made with, so it will be interesting to see if this "water champagne" takes off as a premium domestic beverage. Next time you shower or brush your teeth, don't take our liquid gold for granted.
So, what about this brown water?
According to Mr. Capicotto, "...all water main flushing is finished!" Water flushing began on April 7th and was completed on May 7th. "It lasts for about a month each spring," said Mr. Capicotto. "We let people know to prepare for it by placing ads in the Scarsdale Inquirer, including alert notices on water bills, and emailing residents." Water flushing improves water quality and prepares the system for higher summer flows. "Your water may be brown for an hour or two, four hours, or not at all," said Mr. Capicotto. Discolored water is caused when sediment is stirred up during water flushing or during a water main break. It's safe to drink, but it many stain clothes so hold off on doing laundry until your water is running clear again. The water quality report recommends running cold water for several minutes to see if it becomes clear. Use a sink in the basement or one near the main water line to the house and check the water hourly.
Why is the county being sued?
The federal government has filed a lawsuit against Westchester County for missing the deadline to have an ultraviolet (UV) treatment process in place at Kensico Dam in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). No illnesses have been reported, but federal guidelines now require UV treatment of water to kill cryptosporidium.
Would Scarsdale have to contribute to potential fines imposed for missing the deadline?
"I'm not sure. It's too early to tell," said Mr. Capicotto. Ned McCormack, Communications Director and Senior Advisor to Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, said that the county is aggressively moving forward to comply with SDWA and will hopefully be completed before the court case is decided. "District One, which includes Scarsdale, is two-thirds in compliance with UV-treated water," Mr. McCormack said. Or in numbers, 100,000 people are receiving water that is not UV-filtered. Over the last couple of years, several plans were proposed to add UV-treatment to District One's water supply. However, these plans were not feasible at they were estimated to cost $100 million. According to McCormack, a new plan that would add two small treatment plants in White Plains at a cost of $9.7 million over two years is currently sitting with county legislators. "This plan would get our district into compliance the quickest for the lowest cost," Mr. McCormack explained. Mr. Astorino's office is awaiting approval of the proposal. "Our water is safe," Mr. McCormack added. "Westchester residents receive some of the most naturally pure water because of the protected watershed; land cannot be developed around the aqueducts. Even people receiving UV-unfiltered water drink water that is routinely tested, filtered, and monitored by the Department of Health." The county is currently defending their position in court.
Do you feel confident about Scarsdale's water quality? Let us know in the comments below.
