The Essentials
Club: Westchester SC
Stadium: The Stadium at Memorial Field — 431 Garden Ave, Mount Vernon, NY 10553. 3,900 seats. A renovated multi-sport ground that reopened in 2022 after a $40 million facelift. Compact and close to the action, with a growing matchday atmosphere in one of the most diverse small cities in the country.
Tickets: Available at westchestersc.com.
Nearest Airport: Westchester County Airport (HPN), roughly 12 miles north of the stadium. LaGuardia (LGA) and JFK are also options if you’re catching a deal.
Driving from Fort Wayne FC Park: Approximately 660 miles via I-80 East through Pennsylvania, roughly 10–11 hours nonstop.
Parking & Transit: Street parking and surface lots available near the stadium. Metro-North’s Mount Vernon East station is a short walk away on the New Haven Line — if you’re staying in White Plains or coming from Manhattan, the train is the play.
Weather: Westchester tracks New York City weather closely. March and April matches can be raw and windy (40s–50s). Summer is warm and humid (80s). Fall is gorgeous. Bring a jacket early and late in the season.
Where to Stay
The Opus Westchester in White Plains is the top-shelf option — a stylish Autograph Collection property with a rooftop restaurant and cocktail bar. You’re 20 minutes from the stadium and right in the middle of White Plains’ dining scene. The Cambria Hotel White Plains is a reliable mid-range pick in the same downtown corridor. If you’re watching the budget, the Hyatt House White Plains has clean suites, a pool, and free breakfast — hard to beat for the price.
Eat & Drink
Johnny’s Pizzeria is the one. Open since 1942 on West Lincoln Avenue in Mount Vernon, this is a no-frills, cash-only, whole-pies-only institution. No slices. Yankees memorabilia on the walls. Thin-crust New York pizza that has survived eight decades because it doesn’t need to change. Closed Sundays and Mondays, so plan accordingly.
Walter’s Hot Dogs in Mamaroneck is the other non-negotiable. Operating since 1928 out of a copper-roofed pagoda on Palmer Avenue, Walter’s splits and grills house-made pork-beef-veal hot dogs on toasted buns with a proprietary mustard sauce. It’s a National Park Service-recognized landmark. Get two.
For a proper dinner, Talia in Port Chester is the move — Italian-leaning with pastas that rival anything in the county, especially the rigatoni bolognese. Yonkers Brewing Co. handles the beer, pouring their flagship 914 Vienna lager out of Westchester’s only surviving trolley barn on the Yonkers waterfront. And for morning, Pondfield Cafe in Bronxville is a cash-only neighborhood gem with excellent egg sandwiches and strong coffee — tight space, big flavor.
Things to Do
Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers is one of the most stunning public gardens in the Northeast and barely anyone outside Westchester knows it exists. Persian-inspired terraces, Hudson River views, and an otherworldly Walled Garden — all free. For something more active, hike the trails at Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Sleepy Hollow, where woodlands and meadows roll across the old Rockefeller estate grounds. History buffs should make the drive up to Kykuit, the Rockefeller family mansion in Pocantico Hills — the house, the art collection, and the views of the Hudson are staggering.
Worth the Detour: Manhattan is 30 minutes south by Metro-North. Enough said.
The One Thing
Walk through Untermyer Gardens. The Walled Garden — with its twin temples, reflecting pools, and views down to the Hudson — looks like something transplanted from ancient Persia. It’s free, it’s uncrowded, and it’s one of the best-kept secrets in the entire New York metro.