Untermyer Gardens by Metro-North: A Free Walled Garden, Then Sunset at Dobbs Ferry
A 39-minute train ride buys a free Indo-Persian walled garden, then two stops north to a station-house dinner at sunset.
🗺️ Two Stops on the Hudson Line
🏛️ A Free Walled Garden Above the Hudson
Hudson Line trains run from Grand Central to Greystone in about 40 minutes. From the platform to 945 North Broadway is a steady uphill climb of more than 200 feet, roughly 20 minutes via the Odell Avenue stairs. Entry is free with no reservation. Inside the walls, the Indo-Persian Walled Garden lines up columns, sphinxes and long water channels, and the Vista runs down to the two columns of the Overlook, facing the Palisades across the river.
🍽️ Sunset by the River, Dinner in the Station House
Dobbs Ferry is two stops north of Greystone. On weekends that train runs hourly, and the 3:04 PM puts you on the riverbank well before sunset, which falls between 4:50 PM on November 2 and 4:28 PM on November 30. Watch it from Waterfront Park, between the station and the Hudson, with the Palisades straight across the water. Hudson Social fills the old station house at 11 Station Plaza. It has outdoor seating facing the river and an indoor dining room, so ask about the patio when you book.
🧭 How the Afternoon Fits Together
From November 2 the garden closes at 4:30 PM and stops admitting visitors at 4 PM. On weekends, take a Grand Central train no later than 11:25 AM so you have two hours or more among the walls before walking down for the 3:04 PM. Nothing is sold inside, and the garden closes on Thanksgiving and on icy days. Weekday trains follow a different pattern, so check MTA TrainTime the morning you go. Trains back to Grand Central leave Dobbs Ferry about every half hour on weekend evenings.
