Bette Midler-Sanctioned Arcadia

If you should take the A train, get off at 190th Street, take an elevator up to the top of Fort Tryon Park, stroll through perfectly tended and sculptured gardens and head towards the Cloisters, you'll pass what looks like a humble cabin hidden in a forest of tall trees. This is the New Leaf Cafe, which serves fresh, organic food in an elegant and almost rural setting. Sitting on the outdoor patio and looking out over trees and flowers, one could easily forget that one is dining in Uptown Manhattan. Founded by Bette Midler as part of her New York Restoration Project, the New Leaf Cafe is one of the few Michelin rated restaurants in Inwood. Brunch is especially popular at New Leaf, and at $18.95 prix-fixe, it is the most cost-effective way to enjoy the otherwise somewhat expensive restaurant. A la carte dinner entrees cost between $22 and $32 dollars. Unless the weather is unbearable, every effort should be made to eat outside. Surrounded by the park and right next to the Cloisters, the patio may well be the most romantic places north of 96th Street.

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Restaurants • Fort George / Fort Tryon

Hidden Flavors of Inwood

On one of the most ghetto-y streets in Inwood sits a hidden treasure of taste. Specializing in Dominican churrasco steaks, 809 Sangria Bar is a haven for carnivores who want their beef with a bit more kick than they might find at, say, Peter Luger's, and combines traditional meat-and-potatoes fare with exotic Caribbean flavor. Small yet spartanly elegant, this restaurant specializes in grilled meats and features a good variety of the eponymous beverage. The menu is simple enough for any average red-blooded American to enjoy, but the cuisine is haute enough to appeal to any sophisticated New Yorker. The centerpiece of the menu is the large-yet-thin churrasco steak, grilled to order and then coiled up with basil leaves for a wonderful mix of flavors. Crispy fries made from yucca instead of potatoes serve as the starch, and various chimichurri sauces are provided for dipping everything on your plate. Sangria is, of course, the only appropriate beverage at such a restaurant (Just try ordering a seltzer. Go on. I dare you.), and there are several varieties to try. The classic is probably the best choice for purists, and conjures images of bullfights and flamenco. Ole!

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Restaurants • Fort George / Fort Tryon

Cup O' Beans

Why settle for cider? In the largely Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights, the cold-weather drink of choice is a hot cup of habichuelas con dulce (ah-bee-Cway-lahs con Dool-say), "beans with sweets." As I shuffled my way up the line at this popular stand, another customer told me that back home, many families prepare this treat at Christmastime, and around Easter, too. My cupful (just a buck!) floated milk crackers on top of a thick beverage that may have combined sweet creamed beans, cinnamon, and perhaps a little coconut milk. (Who knows for sure? "Nena La Rubia" isn't likely to give away her recipe, and in any case, she was too busy with her ladle.) I also discovered whole red kidney beans and some sort of Caribbean sweet potato while poking around underneath, but for habichuelas con dulce, you don't really need a spoon: Drink up, and tap the side of your cup to shake free the last few goodies at the bottom.

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Restaurants • Fort George / Fort Tryon

Swindler Cove and High Bridge Parks

A nifty, back-to-nature experience is Swindler Cove park. Completed by the New York Restoration Project in 2003, five-acre Swindler Cove provides visitors with restored wetlands, a fresh water pond, and a children's garden. By train, take the #1 to Dykeman and walk east. By bicycle, follow the Manhattan Greenway to the same intersection, but make sure you end up on the north side of Dykeman. If you don't, you'll find yourself on a not-so-nifty, south-side bike path leading to an area of High Bridge Park abandoned since the mid-1970s. This area is slated for renovation in 2007, but until then, it's a prime example of urban decay. While you're enjoying the blight, walk ten-minutes southward to High Bridge stairway. Completed in 1848 and modeled after Roman architecture, High Bridge used to deliver water to lower Manhattan as part of the Old Croton Aqueduct. In addition to keeping city-goers cholera-free, the bridge was a popular destination until the mid-20th century. High Bridge, like the abandoned paths that serve it, is also slated for restoration. But a word of caution: if you decide to take a sneak peak, don't sneak in alone. Trust us.

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Community Gardens • Fort George / Fort Tryon

Learn To Row on the Harlem River

For a sea-level perspective of the West Bronx, and a opportunity to dip your feet into the Harlem River, head over to the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, tucked into the far right corner of Swindler Cove Park. The boathouse, completed in 2004 by the New York Restoration Project, not only houses boats—duh—but also provides a number of Tri-State Area rowing clubs, colleges, and schools with a meeting place and facility. Best of all, its main caretaker, the New York Rowing Association, offers rowing lessons for adults. If you're one of those rare New Yorkers who's out of bed before noon—hey, my lawyer doesn't even get up that early—you can sign up for weekend instruction held from 7-10 am. Although registration was in May for September and October classes, the painfully early start may have left a few openings available. Send an email to learntorow@nyrowing.org. And if you have crew experience already, the full list of member associations is available at www.nyrowing.org. To get to there, take the 1 Train to Dykeman and walk eastward to the Harlem River or ride your bike along the east side of the Manhattan Greenway.

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Landmarks • Fort George / Fort Tryon