5 Carstensen Road Scarsdale, NY 10583

The entrancing snow-capped village at the center of every snow globe is the quintessential rendering of village life, and we've got a hunch Scarsdale was its prototype. As Manhattan’s skyline succumbs to the horizon, Harlem Line commuters are welcomed to this immaculate Tudored marriage of old world and new, veined by the towering Garth Woods and the rushing wonders of Bronx River Reservation. Most of downtown dates to no later than the thirties, though the interiors of its garnished half-timbered buildings have been updated to meet modern demands. Pilates studios and elaborate, glossy patisseries tuck themselves into storybook alley courts, and a sundry of activities will keep you as occupied as any urbanite. Branching out from the proud village clock are five distinct residential neighborhoods—Heathcote, Quaker Ridge, Greenacres, Fox Meadow and Edgewood—with tile-roofed Mediterranean villas and stone-columned Arts & Crafts abodes that forbid the town from appearing cookie cutter. Board the right Metro-North express and you’ll hear “The next stop is Harlem-125th Street.”