NYC & Westchester Life
Our insiders’ guide to being a graduate student in and around the city
Sarah Lawrence College’s campus is nestled in a wooded area of Westchester County in Bronxville, New
York -- just 30 minutes away from midtown Manhattan in New York City. Our ideal location allows our
graduate students a variety of living options. From quiet homes in Bronxville Village to apartments in the
city that never sleeps-the possibilities are endless. No matter what neighborhood you choose to live in,
you will always have easy access to the perks of Sarah Lawrence’s tight-knit community and NYC’s infinite
student resources. Here you will find insider tips from current SLC grad students offering information and
insight on life at Sarah Lawrence ranging from where to live, how to get around, what communities are
close-by, the best study spots, and more!
Table of Contents
- Traveling around the city
- Areas to explore
- New York City: The Boroughs
- Cultural life
- Nature in the city
- Hot study spots
- Useful websites and social media
TRAVELING AROUND THE CITY
Sarah Lawrence College is located just north of New York City on the edge of Bronxville and Yonkers. The
campus can be accessed by train, bus, bike, foot or car. Grand Central Station in Manhattan is only a half
hour train ride from the Bronxville Metro-North train station.
The best ways to get around
Like any large city, the transport system can be confusing at first. It includes a large network of trains,
subways, buses, ferries, and there is even a tram car that goes over the East River to Roosevelt Island.
Transportation systems most frequently used by SLC graduate students are the Westchester County
Bee-Line, the Metro-North Railroad, and the New York City Subway. MetroCards can be used for all three
systems.
Ubers and taxis are also readily available. There is a taxi company that operates out of the Bronxville
train station and gives discounted fares for students paying cash. There are also several different
on-campus parking lots available for students who commute to campus by car.
Visit the world for the price of a MetroCard
MetroCards can be purchased for $1 at any NYC Metro-Subway Station from the Bronx to Brooklyn.
MetroCards can be used for NYC Subways and Buses as well as the Westchester Bee-Line Bus system. For
$2.75, you can access various subway lines at a single station, and transfer to other lines for no cost.
MetroCard fares can also afford a free transfer to city bus lines.
Fun fact
Did you know that the Metro-North’s Harlem Line, which is the line that stops near Sarah Lawrence, was
one of the first railroads in the United States? It opened in stages between 1832-1852 and horses were
initially used to pull the railway carriages.
Cycling in New York
Citi Bikes are accessible for you to ride all over NYC! These easy to recognize blue bicycles are parked in
racks around the city and available to use via an app which unlocks one for you to use for any given
amount of time. If you are looking for a quick and inexpensive way around above ground, Citi Bikes are
great to use for a few blocks across town!
2
AREAS TO EXPLORE: Westchester County
Moving to a big city like New York may seem daunting, but it is really just a collection of neighborhoods –
each with its own unique character. Walking around and getting to know your area, and discovering new
favorite places, are some of the things that make moving to a new city so much fun. There is a vibrant
student community that lives in Westchester county near the Sarah Lawrence campus with lots of places
to explore that are within walking distance to campus, or a short car or bus ride away. The Bee-Line has
three stops on campus and runs several different bus routes throughout Westchester County (Bronxville,
Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, Scarsdale, and more). Here you will find our introduction to some
nearby areas and a few of the places where we love to eat, study and relax.
Bronxville
Bronxville Village is a fifteen minute walk from campus and full of convenient places to visit. It has a
quaint aesthetic with Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival architecture. You can find coffee, food, biking
paths, and hiking throughout the Bronx River Parkway Reservation- all located in close proximity to the
Bronxville Metro-North Train. Students like to stop at the BXVL Coffeehouse before catching the Harlem
Line into the city, or heading up north on the Hudson Line, which goes as far north as Poughkeepsie and
runs parallel to the Hudson River.
Just around the corner from the train station, you can find a wide selection of restaurants of varying
cuisines. If you’re in search of amazing garlic knots, Luigi’s Pizzeria has you covered. Other near-by
student favorites include CookiesNCream Desserts, Dumpling and Noodle, OpaOpa Fresh Greek, and The
Taco Project. Just down the road from The Taco Project, you’ll find Womrath Bookshop, a family owned
business that is also one of the oldest independent bookstores in the country. On Saturdays, you can
swing by the Bronxville Farmers’ Market to grab fresh produce, pickled veggies, pot pies, artisanal
cheeses, and more.
“Tavern 32 is one of my favorite Bronxville bars and the Graduate Student Association hosts karaoke
nights there for orientation there in the fall! It’s also super close to campus and became the regular spot
for after class hangouts.” – Marian, Women’s History M.A.
Yonkers
Sarah Lawrence’s campus sits on the edge of Yonkers, an old city in the midst of an exciting revitalization.
An under-appreciated aspect of Yonkers is its long stretch of riverfront parks, restaurants, small
businesses, and community centers. Esplanade Park sits right on the edge of the Hudson River and gives
a clear view across the water of New Jersey’s park and beach-speckled shoreline. If you find yourself
hungry after walking along the river or exploring the parks, Esplanade Park is surrounded by pizza
parlors, cafés, and restaurants. The Bee-Line bus will take you directly from campus to Yonkers’
waterfront community.
The Cross County Shopping Center, which is a 15 minute walk from campus, features chain stores such as
The Gap and Macy’s, as well as restaurants, a multiplex cinema, and a Starbucks where you can often
find our students sitting inside and reading while waiting to catch the bus to the Bronx. Students
frequent the Cross County Stop & Shop grocery store for its convenience and their basic personal and
household necessities.
3
Surrounding the Cross County Shopping Center are a number of restaurants well known and favorited by
our graduate students. We might order pickup or delivery from BK Soul food, Neha Indian Palace, and
Tasty House Chinese & Cajun Seafood for study groups on campus or social time together after class.
NEW YORK CITY: The Boroughs
The sights and delights of New York City are well connected to Bronxville – you can get to the Bronx on
the bus in under 20 minutes and from there you can take the subway almost anywhere in the city. From
the deep Black cultural roots in Harlem to concerts and NBA games at the Brooklyn Barclays Center you
will never run out of new things to see. There are five boroughs in New York City, each of them unique in
communities, cultures, history, site-seeing, entertainment, and more.
“One of my favorite study habits is taking the subway into the city to a new coffee shop with my best
friend every Sunday to catch up on reading! My favorites so far have been Plowshares Coffee Roasters
(Harlem), Double Dutch (The Bronx), and Dear Mama (Upper Manhattan).” Sidney, MA Women’s History
studen
“It’s great being so close to the city, performances and musicals are so easily accessible!” Kyrie, MFA
Theater Student
The Bronx
The Bronx has its own zoo, beaches, and rich historical roots in multicultural communities teeming with
food, events, and celebratory spaces. One of the larger NYC boroughs, the Bronx is situated between
Yonkers and Harlem and stretches from the Hudson River across to Pelham Bay’s Atlantic ocean beaches.
Many of our graduate students choose to live in the Bronx because it’s the closest borough to campus
and also for the variety of neighborhoods and parks. Although the Bronx is in NYC, it’s a little different
than downtown with its above-ground subway rails and more open streets, which give students the
option of using their own car for transportation to campus (usually 10-15 minute drive). Even though the
Bronx isn’t the most famous borough, you will never get bored and you’ll always be close to SLC campus!
Manhattan
Manhattan is perhaps the most famed borough of the city that never sleeps as it is home to some of the
big apple’s biggest attractions. When graduate students take the Metro-North Train into the city, they
often get off at Grand Central Station where the Empire State Building, the Museum of Modern Art, and
Park Avenue attractions are within walking distance. While not as many graduate students live in
Manhattan compared to other boroughs, you can find us attending plays, performances, poetry
readings, protests, community events, and more on the weekends. Whether you’re a Women’s History
student searching the archives or a Theater student seeing a new play, Manhattan has some of the
biggest libraries, museums, and stages in the world and they are overflowing with resources for graduate
students.
4
Harlem in Manhattan
Harlem holds deep Black and African American cultural roots. From the birth of new music genres, such
as the blues, to the Harlem Renaissance, this borough is unlike any other. Today, Harlem remains a
hotspot for Black cultural creativity, community, activism, entrepreneurship, and more as streets, parks,
and buildings are dedicated to Black historical figures and movements. For example, off of Malcolm X
Blvd on the East side, you can visit a park dedicated to Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican-American activist and
author. Harlem is also home to some of the most vibrant LGBTQIA+ histories and communities as queer
and trans Black folks cultivated Ballroom culture as early as the 1920s and famous performers such as
Gladys Bentley drew wealthy white audience members from surrounding boroughs. Some graduate
students choose to live in Harlem for the lively culture, community, and history, and others appreciate
the equal proximity to campus and downtown.
Brooklyn
Although Brooklyn is not the closest borough to campus, lots of graduate students love living here for
the diverse residential communities. Much of Brooklyn looks out onto the Lower Bay and there is
certainly no shortage of parks and museums for folks to frequent from the Shirley Chisholm State Park
on Jamaica Bay to Prospect Park. Even though Brooklyn is predominantly residential, there are a couple
of main attractions that SLC grad students might find themselves visiting. For example, the Barclays
Center is home to the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, the New York Liberty WNBA team, and concerts
headlining performers such as Justin Beiber, Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, Cher, and ASAP
Mob. Last but not least, the Brooklyn Bridge reaches from bustling Lower East side Manhattan over the
East river to the green scenery of Brooklyn Bridge Park, making for a long but well-worth-it walk across
the famous structure with a beautiful view.
Queens
Located on the opposite side of the East River as Manhattan on the west side of Long Island, Queens is
known for its large residential population with lots of different residence options and ethnic and
linguistic diversity. The John F. Kennedy international airport is also located in Queens which many of our
graduate students fly into when they arrive in New York City. While Queens is not one of the most
frequented boroughs by graduate students at SLC, there are still several key attractions which make the
little trip more than worth it, like the East River Water Taxis, the Queens Museum, and the New York Hall
of Science. One of the most famous parts of Queens is Flushing Meadows Park with its massive water
parks and fountains, open lawns, and giant statuesque structures. Queens is currently undergoing some
revitalization of residential neighborhoods where graduate students have begun to settle into for the
convenience of Manhattan being across the river and its closeness to Brooklyn.
Staten Island
The furthest borough from Sarah Lawrence College, Staten Island is not usually the spot grad students
choose for living in, but there is still a lot to see. The most famous attraction of Staten Island is the Statue
of Liberty, it’s one of those must-sees in NYC! Rather than paying for a tour, hop on the Staten Island
Ferry to see the statue of liberty for free. Similar to Brooklyn, Staten Island has lots of parks and is fairly
residential, so not many of our students frequent this more isolated borough; however, if you are looking
5
for a get-away, the island has beautiful parks and beaches looking out at the open Lower Bay that you
can’t quite get in the heart of the city.
CULTURAL LIFE
Sarah Lawrence College’s campus is just a half hour train ride away from one of the most culturally
diverse cities in the world! New York City is overflowing with museums, parks, libraries, galleries, event
centers, and more dedicated to different cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities. Whole boroughs are
enriched with cultural histories, like the Harlem Renaissance. With the city so close to SLC, no matter
what cultural, ethnic, religious, racial, or identity-based communal spaces you might be looking for you’ll
find them Here are just a few of the cultural and community centers our grad students get involved in:
Robust and Diverse Jewish Communities
Sarah Lawrence College has a vibrant Jewish community with historical roots at SLC and several student
on-campus clubs, like Hillel of Westchester and Jewish Voice for Peace. Graduate students might also
visit off-campus community spaces, such as the Westchester Jewish Community Center.
Cultural Centers for Graduate Students of Color
Graduate students of color often find cultural communities through SLC clubs and organizations, such as
the Graduate Rights, Acknowledgement, and Diversity Collective. However, there are also community
centers in local neighborhoods that are easily accessible. There are a range of cultural-based
establishments close by, from the Yonkers Hispanic Cultural Foundation to the Islamic Community Center
just outside of Bronxville! One particularly unique near-by cultural center is The Malcom X and Dr. Betty
Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center in the Bronx. The center was once the Audubon Ballroom
where Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, after which Dr. Betty Shabazz coordinated with grassroots
organizations in the Black community to preserve the ballroom as a historical site, which is now a living
memorial to X’s and Dr. Shabazz’s legacy of activism and education. Black, African American, Indigenous
and Native, immigrant, and international graduate students find community both on and off campus at
SLC with no shortage of accessible culturally-centered spaces.
Queer and Transgender Community Spaces
Sarah Lawrence College has a lively and diverse LGBTQIA+ graduate student community that comes
together on and off campus. SLC has several LGBTQIA+ clubs and organizations open to all students,
some of which are specifically for LGBTQIA+ students of color, such as QPOC (Queer People of Color). But
if you’re looking for queer and trans community spaces in your neighborhood you don’t need to go far.
No matter which direction from campus you travel, finding an LGBTQIA+ safe space won’t take long,
whether it's Westchester county’s Loft LGBTQ+ Community Center or Marsha’s House LGBTQ+ Youth in
the Bronx! There is an inherently intersectional nature to all queer communities, including SLC graduate
students, which is catered to and bolstered by our Sarah Lawrence College community and the
surrounding areas as well.
6
NATURE IN THE CITY
Many of our students find Sarah Lawrence’s 44-acre wooded campus to be the perfect escape from the
hustle and bustle of New York City, but there are also many beautiful parks nearby.
Bronx River Parkway is a student favorite. Running through Bronxville, it was the first parkway in the
nation and extends 13.2 miles through the heart of southern Westchester County. On this very walkable
nature pathway and bike trail, you can find tiny waterfalls, duck ponds, wooden footbridges, and quiet
spots for reading.
With its classic Tudor-revival style bathhouse and lazy river, Tibbetts Brooks park in Yonkers also offers a
peaceful and serene space. With the city that never sleeps a fifteen minute bus ride away, residing in an
oasis of greenery allows students to experience the best of both worlds. Wooded trails along the brooks
and streams in Bronxville are complemented by the open-air paths of Yonkers’ Habirshaw Park on the
Hudson, a small community park located right at the water’s edge.
While Sarah Lawrence College’s immediate surroundings have no shortage of spots to relax and enjoy
nature, New York City has several famed parks nestled into the forest of skyscrapers. Manhattan’s Central
Park is perhaps one of the largest and well-known attractions of the entire city for many reasons. With
843 acres to cover, even native New Yorkers find something new every visit. From ponds to bike paths
and from parks to the Zoo, Central Park will never leave you bored or out of new places to study, write,
and create. For example, our Writing MFA students take typewriters into Central Park once or twice a
year to write $5 poems for strangers on the spot (proceeds go towards funding student initiatives and
events).
You may have never heard of Manhattan’s West Side High Line Park before- but it is a must see! The High
Line Park consists of a 1.5 mile long elevated platform path which stretches over the streets and smaller
buildings below with skyscrapers rising above one side and a view of the Hudson River on the other. A
truly unique park spackled with sculptures, seating, trees, and flower gardens- if you visit a park in
Manhattan, this hidden gem is waiting for you.
In central Harlem, the Marcus Garvey Park features open paths, benches, community centers,
modernized amphitheaters, playgrounds and a rich history. This 20-acre park was named after
early-twentieth century political activist, writer, and community leader Marcus Garvey, Jamaican native,
who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. The
Harlem borough is famous for its deep roots in Black and African American history and remains
committed to Black and African American culture, community, and prosperity. The Marcus Garvey park is
more than walking paths and open lawns, this park is communal space rich with history.
7
STUDY SPOTS
Sarah Lawrence College’s proximity to New York City means that there are hundreds of different study
spots that graduate students visit. If you want to stick to campus, there is no shortage of natural lighting
or cozy nooks.
There’s something about studying on a comfy couch in front of a fireplace that can really spark some
motivation to study, write, and create. The Barbara Walters Campus Center living room features
extensive seating with various seating options including tables with swivel chairs and long sofas with
mobile laptop tables. It’s easy to grab a coffee and blueberry muffin from the cafe and walk across the
foyer for a reading and research session. The new center jewel of Sarah Lawrence’s campus, the Barbara
Walters Campus Center (BWCC) was opened in fall of 2019 and quickly became the campus hub with
dining commons, art galleries, student activity spaces, creative seating, all-access and all-gender
restrooms, conference rooms, and outdoor patio seating. Graduate students have taken full advantage of
the new addition and frequently meet up with one another for pizza parties after class or study sessions
before an exam.
“The BWCC [Barbara Walters Campus Center] is the perfect place to grab a coffee and brainstorm with
friends. As theatre grads, we are constantly creating new work. Most of the ideas for that new work
happen over coffee at the Barb!” Amanda, MFA Theater Student
Before the BWCC came to campus, graduate students had established study spots for optimal creativity,
productivity, and teamwork. Slonim building is home to the Graduate Studies office, and its proximity to
the center of campus makes it an ideal stop-and-study spot for grad students who gather in the living
room or library. The SLC Esther Raushenbush Library is adjacent to the BWCC, across from the Westlands
building, and right next to the Shuttle Bus loop which makes it super convenient for graduate students to
study, snack, and print in. The library has individual study rooms for those of us who might be cramming
for an exam but it also has more open areas, like the Pillow Room, which allows for group studying in an
enclosed space- the white board in there is great for brainstorming!
Depending on the program you are in, some of your co-graduate scholars might have some specific
favorite spots for engaging with coursework or thesis research. For example, you can almost always catch
a Theater student in the Performing Arts Center working on solo or collaborative projects. On the other
end of campus, the Women’s History lounge in the North Building has its own library, microwave,
coffeemaker, table and a couch where students meet with each other or professors (Dr. Priscilla Murolo’s
office neighbors the lounge). The Wrexham building is home to many of our Writing MFA and Human
Genetics MS students who love the cozy living room spaces and classrooms for individual and group
studying. Wrexham has its own parking lot that commuter graduate students often prefer to park in so
they are close to class- the downstairs printer is also a nice convenience!
“I loved studying in the Women’s History lounge while I was a student. It’s quiet, intimate, and
comfortable. A couch, fridge, microwave, and small library made the space extremely functional for all of
us, while the walls were covered with vibrant artwork by former Women’s History MA students making
the space beautiful. On days when we had shared core classes, many of us gathered in the lounge to eat
8
dinner together and talk before class. It was a great place to be alone or among friends, and I enjoyed
using it the entire time I was there!” Hannah, MA Women’s History Student
“Parking and printing at Wrexham was routine for me between classes, work, and volunteering as a
creative writing facilitator. I loved the convenience of knowing my car was parked close to class and I
could print quickly before writing workshops. Also, Wrexham hosts small lecture events so you might
come across some free food!” Cat, MFA Writing
USEFUL WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Graduate Studies Websites (SLC)
● Current Events at the College
● Graduate Application Page
● Financial Aid for Grad Students
● Grad Studies at Sarah Lawrence College
● SLC Library, Main Site
● SLC Masters Degree Programs
● Virtual Campus Touring
Local Area Websites
● Bronx River Park and Reservation
● Bronxville Village
● City of Yonkers
● Cross County Shopping Center, Yonkers
Transportation Websites
● Air Tram (Manhattan to Roosevelt Island)
● Bee-Line Bus (Westchester County)
● Citi Bike: NYC
● Metro-North Railway (from Manhattan to upstate New York)
● MTA NYC Buses
● MTA NYC Subway
● NYC Ferry Info
● NYC Yellow Cab Taxi
9
