Kick Back vs. Kick-Out: How to Welcome Your Guests or Send Them Packing
- Details
- Hits: 4404
Hurricane Sandy arrived two weeks ago, first washing out power and then people from their comfy homes. Certainly Scarsdalians are known for prevailing in the face of any challenge, always generous, even when the going gets rough. “Powerful” friends - those with active electrical currents - became saviors, providing outlets for charging various i-things, TVs for temporary escapes, cold freezers, warm showers and washing machines. But those truly powerful friends provided the almighty Guest Room for a more long-term stay.
Ahh, there’s the rub! That guest room. So little used, but so crucial. We’ve heard all about them: the convention centers of unwanted furniture, the space of secret hoarders, the home gyms with a stray mattress smashed up against the wall, looking like the set of a cheap adult film. Maybe you think, “Well, our friends are desperate, they won’t judge me.” Think again. Pump all the Chardonnay you can into your overnight guests - it won’t make their night any better when faced with sleeping on your old college futon or the 25-year-old leather couch your spouse refuses to lose, crowded by piles and bins and an old bench-press. A guest room should welcome your guests with yum, not yuck!
To do that, know that the most important aspect of any guest room is its comfort. Think “refuge” and “peace” when readying your 
space. First, clear the clutter. To make your guests feel welcome, give them space to put everything they bring.
STYLE TIP: Stowe your stuff in the bottom drawer of a chest, keeping the rest for your guests things. Then put a pretty tray on top for your guests’ jewelry, watches, wallets and whatnot.
Provide the basics: set out clean towels and extra blankets for them to use. Make sure there are working lightbulbs in the lights, working batteries in the remote, a water bottle or two, extra TP within reach, tissues, and maybe some nice toiletries for the poor folks who have forgotten their own.
STYLE TIP: Provide sets of towels in different colors so that multiple guests can keep track of which are theirs.
Then freshen up your guest room’s look. One easy formula for instant chic is to use simple, white furniture plus accessories in one accent color. Or even easier: revitalize plain walls with a great color.
Headboards add instant style to a bed, and there are endless DIY ideas available online. For instance, fashion a headboard out of undrilled closet doors from the lumber store, stained or painted, and mounted on the wall behind the bed and create a sleek, modern focal point.
Create elegance over a guest bed with cheap wall art finds at a discount home store. Two panels hung together look even better.
Another way to add style to your guest room is to raid your storage closets for lamps, wall art, forgotten furniture pieces - properly edited and put together, the result is “artfully collected.”
STYLE TIP: Hang a collection of inexpensive framed prints or mirrors as a group for a big impact.
If your guest room leads a double life as a home office or studio, a daybed upholstered in a sophisticated furniture fabric and piled with pillows is a good option.
Or if you don’t have a separate space for guests, appoint a corner to be the guest “nook” with a platform daybed, upholstered wall panels, and a wall-mounted light.
Then give thought to the particulars of your guest room. What makes YOU comfortable? Is it fluffy flooring? Good reading lights, a selection of interesting books, and a large pillow for propping? Cozy bedding with both heavy and light blankets? Provide what you would like to have during an overnight. Chances are you guests will want the same.
And remember that no one is demanding perfection. My guest room sports a wall AC and circa 1960 linoleum floors, though partially covered with a hand-me-down oriental rug. But according to both my best friend and my parents, the utter quiet of the room’s location, a TV with fully-loaded cable, mystery books and sumptuous bedding, it’s hard to get them to leave. Even without the Chardonnay.
Jessica Jacobson and Lisa Bradlow are the owners of Jacobson/Bradlow Interior Design, based in Scarsdale, New York. Let them help you redesign your guest room before the next storm. 917-373-3219 or email: [email protected] or [email protected].
Education and Parenting Expert Alfie Kohn To Speak at Scarsdale Middle School
- Details
- Hits: 3965
Alfie Kohn will be the speaker at the Scarsdale PT Council’s Fall Meeting and Lecture Series on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:30pm. This event will take place at Scarsdale Middle School auditorium, 134 Mamaroneck Avenue in Scarsdale. Kohn will be speaking about “Unconditional Parenting: Beyond Bribes and Threats”. This talk is co-sponsored by the seven Scarsdale School PTA's. All members of the community are invited to attend this important evening.
Mr. Kohn is the author of 12 books and countless articles on human behavior, education, and parenting. His most recent publications include Feel Bad Education…and Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling (2011), The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing (2006), and Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishment to Love and Reason (2005). Time magazine called Mr. Kohn "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores." In addition, his criticisms of competition and rewards are credited with shaping the thinking of educators, parents, and managers across the country and abroad.
Mr. Kohn argues that one basic need all children have is to be loved unconditionally. Yet conventional approaches to parenting such as punishments and rewards teach children that they are loved only when they please us or impress us. Kohn will share his ideas for working with our children rather than doing things to them, and for making sure that they know our care for them is unconditional.
A brief PT Council business meeting will precede Mr. Kohn’s talk at 7:30pm.
Sunday in Scarsdale - Free Taxi Service and the Gas Shortage
- Details
- Hits: 6365
(Updated Sunday afternoon at 2 PM) We’ve received good news from a few residents on Greenacres Avenue and Penn Boulevard to say that their power has been restored! Apparently power has been restored to about 1,100 customers in Scarsdale. There are now five Con Edison crews in town and the power outage map shows that more residents will have power back by 11 pm tonight. You can check the status of your house by clicking here – all you need is your phone number: https://apps1.coned.com/csol/reportoutage.asp
For those who need help, we received the following notice about how to get from the Village Manager’s office on Sunday morning:
For those residents without power and heat, the American Red Cross has established a regional emergency shelter for our area at the Albert Leonard Middle School, 25 Gerard Lane in New Rochelle. The shelter is equipped with cots for sleeping. The Red Cross can be contacted at 914 682-2299.
In addition, the Scarsdale Public Library on Olmstead Road is available as a comfort center with power, heat, free coffee and other amenities, including movies in the Scott Room. Residents may also charge their cell phones and other electronic devices. The Village has extended the Library hours from 9AM-9PM Monday-Friday and 11AM-9PM on Sunday.
Central Taxi is available to transport people to the market or doctor. The Village provides this service free of charge for Scarsdale seniors, others must pay the normal rate. The Senior Program is run through the Recreation Department. More information can be provided by Jason Marra, Deputy Superintendent of Recreation.
Gas: As all of you already know, gas is in short supply. Stations have run out - or have no power to pump. Now residents with home generators
Instructions from Scarsdale Village: The police sent us this notice about how to sign up for the Village notification system:
Scarsdale residents can sign up for the Village's notification system that provides phone, text and email updates of important information. During the recovery from Hurricane Sandy it is being used to provide informational updates to Scarsdale residents. The following link can be used to sign-up:
https://portal.blackboardconnectcty.com/welcome.aspx?eiid=1207B6088C3778A7687A
Since the Village's website and email systems are both down due to power and communications line failures, we have been unable to provide information on our website as we normally would. We are asking for the assistance of the media to post the information that is forwarded to you on your websites to keep residents informed on the recovery status. We would also request that you post the link above for the Village's notification system, and encourage people to sign up to receive information. The notification system messages can be long, and are best received by a voice call or email, as the size of some text messages can be limited.
If your power comes back on, please email [email protected] and we will let others know.
Where to Warm Up and Charge Up
- Details
- Hits: 4984
Village officials announced Wednesday that only one Con Ed crew is in Scarsdale and they have provided no schedule about when power will be restored. This leaves 4,200 homes without heat – and as temperatures drop into the 40’s tonight, the situation is growing more difficult by the minute. If you are lucky enough to have power and heat, invite another family or two to share your home. Local hotels are fully booked and many have nowhere to go beyond their cold, dark houses.
Our readers have been sending in tips about where you can go to stay warm and stay connected – and here are a few ideas on how to pass the time while you wait for the heat and the lights to return:
Go to work: Metro North train service to Manhattan is back! They returned to the tracks on Wednesday night with hourly local service on the Harlem line. Check the schedule here: http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/
Check out the library: The Scarsdale Library is open and warm. Though they do not have internet service they do have a charging station where you can juice up your laptops, iPads and phones. Hours are 9 am until 9 pm on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday night, ethicist Randy Cohen will visit the library at 7:30 pm to discuss his new book, “Be Good How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything.”
Stop in at the JCC: The JCC of Mid-Westchester on Wilmot Road welcomes members of the community who have lost power to use shower and locker facilities and enjoy light and warmth in the building. However, internet and phone service are unavailable. They are open until 9:45 pm. In addition, the gymnasium is open until 6:00pm for children to enjoy open gym.
Visit your temple or church: Several synagogues have sent out emails inviting their members to spend the day there. Check with your church or synagogue to see if they have heat and consider passing some time there.
Utilize a club: The Scarsdale Golf Club has power and invites their members to use the locker room for hot showers and to spend time at the club where wireless internet service is available. Lunch and dinner are also being served.
Have a nosh: In Hartsdale, the bagel store has more than delicious bagels, spreads and sandwiches. We noticed that some people were hard at work on their laptops there and found out that the shop has free Wifi. Whole Foods in White Plains is open and is fully stocked with prepared food that you can eat at the store - they also have Wifi. We heard that Panera on Central Avenue, who offers free internet, had to temporarily close their doors on Tuesday because they were overwhelmed with customers!
Relax: The Yoga Station in Hartsdale is open and invites yogis to charge your devices while you stretch out. Check their class schedule at: http://www.theyogastation.com/
Linda Roth of Coldwell Banker at 807 Scarsdale Avenue in the village invites you to stop by, charge your devices and enjoy a free cup of coffee.
If you have more ideas about where to stay warm, please share them in the comments section below:
Power Outages Reported in Scarsdale
- Details
- Hits: 6242
As of 6:25 PM the wind is howling and many more of you have reported that you have lost power. Most recently we were notified that Marjory Lane is out along with Quaker Center at Brookby Road near the Middle School. Acccording to residents in Edgemont, the power is out on Thomas Lane, Barclay, Edgemot, Ferndale, Glendale and Sheridan Roads. The Greenburgh police are reporting the following outages in Edgemont:
-Clayton Road; from Sheridan Road to Underhill Avenue
-Edgewood Road; from Cross Way to Joyce Road
In Scarsdale Village, police have taped off a portion of Authreith Road where a tree may have fallen. In Greenacres, residents who live on Walworth Avenue between Berkeley and Claremont have no power and have been unable to report the outage as the Con Ed phone number is not working.
The area around George Field has also been hit. At 8 am a tree fell on Oxford Road and took out power to a few homes. The tree blocked the road until a crew came by to clear it. A few minutes ago, we got a report of three trees breaking on Windmill Circle. Nora Marino took this live action photo of one of the trees falling behind her home to share with you.
On Gorham Court a tree fell on the traffic island -- here is a photo from Randall Rainer of Brewster Road: 
Jon Leslie of Greenacres Avenue reported that a large tree fell at his neighbor's house and hit his home --take a look at these photos:
Please continue to send in storm reports and photos to [email protected].
