In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the waterfront area of Westchester County, New York along the Long Island Sound was the site of a growing collection of recreational developments, including hotels, resorts, and "amusement areas." Local residents concerned about what a County report described as "unsavory crowds" induced the Westchester County Park Association to purchase two existing theme parks, Rye Beach and Paradise Park, and planned a local-government-sponsored amusement park in their stead.

Situated west of the Central Park Carousel with the Ballfields Café to the north, Heckscher Ballfields was named after August Heckscher who was appointed as Parks Commissioner in 1967 and served a six year term.

Founded initially by workers displaced from Windows on the World on September 11th, COLORS is the largest cooperative restaurant in the country and the first in New York City. Its goal is to provide a model for fair labor practices in the restaurant industry while providing a quality dining experience.

Lawrence A. Wien Stadium is a stadium located in Manhattan, New York. It is primarily used for American football, lacrosse, and track and field events, and is the home field of the Columbia University Lions.

It opened in 1984 and holds 17,100 people.

South Brother Island is one of a pair of small islands in the East River situated between the Bronx and Riker's Island. The other island, larger and better known, is North Brother Island. As late as the 1960s, it was considered part of Queens County, but is now part of Bronx County. It has long been privately owned.