PepsiCo Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden
Where better to while away the day in beautiful weather than an outdoor sculpture garden? One of the best occupies 168 acres on the grounds of PepsiCo world headquarters in Harrison, New York. Security is tight on arrival for some reason (possible saboteurs from Coca-Cola?), but the beautifully manicured grounds, home to 45 outdoor sculptures, are free and unsupervised once you get in. A large pond in the middle provides a focal point while sculptures are scattered about in visually pleasing and luxurious spacing. Meanwhile, the Pepsi building looms in corporate splendor, built on the proceeds from tasty sugar water. The sculpture garden is a fine give-back to the public and undoubtedly a plus for Pepsi employees as well.
Aquario
We arrive early for our ultimate destination, with plenty of time before a 4 PM concert we plan to attend. The Portuguese restaurant Aquario in West Harrison gets good reviews, and we drive over for lunch. On top of the obligatory kitschy décor, the cuisine seems smoothed out for upper Westchester tastes, not as spicy as one might find in the Ironbound section of Newark, for instance, but plenty serviceable, with a fisherman’s stew accompanied by a good steak menu. Sangria served in a porcelain jug also helps, and we leave Aquario in a sangria-fueled good mood.
Neuberger Museum of Art
With a wedge of time remaining before the concert, we decide to squeeze in a visit to the Neuberger Museum of Art on the Purchase College campus. The wedge turns into a sliver as we wander around looking for the museum (plenty of signs out on the road but none on campus). Once inside we receive a treat, as the spacious gallery displays works from the collection of Roy Neuberger, a German immigrant who made a fortune on Wall Street. He devoted his philanthropic efforts to buying works of living artists, having seen too many starving ones in his day.
Greenwich Choral Society
Finally, we arrive for the concert in the O’Byrne Chapel on the grounds of nearby Manhattanville University. We’ve attended Greenwich Choral Society events before, but this one features a dual effort with Brian Keener, who masterfully arranged the pieces for the choristers, guest soloists, and his lively jazz orchestra. We listened anew to familiar songs from the Great American Songbook, tapping our feet and swaying to the rhythm, joining in spirit the dancing children, stage right.
