HVNY Rican

A Childhood Core Memory: Road Trips and Wise Chips

Road trips were my favorite as a child, the trees that blurred from the speed of the car, the knotted hair from the wind blowing through the open windows or looking for VW Beetles to punch the person sitting next to you. Eventually, boredom kicked in when La Mega or KTU went static on the radio. What felt like hours heading upstate was just an hour’s drive to Bear Mountain.

Bear Mountain is a core childhood memory I love reliving. The homemade ham and cheese sandwich with a cold quarter juice and wise chips. But it hits differently as an adult. It’s the quiet drive on a winding road with a cup of coffee and quick stops to take in the views. I’m relieved not much has changed since I was a kid. It’s still a place to hold annual barbecues. Still an easy access for quick dip at Lake Welch on a hot summer day. Still a windy spot to fly a kite. Still the spot to toss a volleyball. And still a favorite for Hispanic New Yorkers so why not mention it to commence Hispanic Heritage month.

Why Bear Mountain Feels Like “Puerto Rico Without the Palm Trees

I went down the Bear Mountain rabbit hole and realized we were already claiming the Hudson Valley. In the 80’s, if you didn’t have a car, you took a ferry headed north on the Hudson River. I read a NY Times Article that someone said it reminded them of “Puerto Rico, without the palm trees”. It was the retreat everyone needed from the concrete jungle. It was a place that brought us closer to home and eventually became our home.

For a long time, even though we lived in the Hudson Valley, it always felt like a place to visit, a place we passed through, but not one we belonged to. The more time I spent driving past Camp Smith Overlook Pointe, taking in the breeze, stopping for the view of the mountains or the river, the more it reminded me of the narrow roads to my mom’s home from San Juan. Other states may have turquoise beaches and palm trees and be rich with Hispanic and Latino culture, but they don’t feel like home.

Planning Your Visit: What to do at Bear Mountain

Anyway, girl, summer might be over, but this is when Bear Mountain really peaks. Hike or drive to the towers at the peak of the mountain. Let the kids ride the merry-go-round or run circles around you. Fire up the charcoal without sweating out the blowout or through your shirt. Or sit back for a picnic, a good book, and listen to El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico “Un Verano en Nueva York” pay homage to the Hudson Valley.

Hope to see you outside.

Ay! Make sure to subscribe. I have a book list dropping soon for that picnic you held off ’til the bugs died