74 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • OCTOBER 2019
PRESS BUZZ: DESTINATIONS WESTBURY:
By BRENDAN MANLEY
For nearly four centuries, the Village
of Westbury, nearby Old Westbury,
and the surrounding areas have
perpetually flourished, nurtured
by a central location on prime Long
Island real estate.
Earlier still, the stretch of Jericho
Turnpike that winds through
Westbury was once a trail used by
Massapequa Indians. The view may
be different today, but the commute
is the same.
Back in the mid-1600s, when the first
Europeans began settling the oncevast
Long Island prairie known as
the Hempstead Plains, an English
Quaker named Edmond Titus built a
homestead on a prime tract of grassland,
amid 12,000 acres purchased
purchased by Captain John Seaman
in the 1640s from the Algonquian
Tribe. Another Quaker settler, Henry
Willis, christened the area “Westbury”
in 1675, after his hometown
of Westbury, Wiltshire, England.
More Quaker families soon arrived,
and by 1700 Westbury’s first Society
of Friends meeting house was built.
Today, much has changed since Westbury’s
humble Quaker beginnings.
Westbury now boasts one of the
most racially and culturally diverse
populations on the Island, while Old
Westbury — long a Gold Coast stomping
ground — is regularly ranked one
of the wealthiest places in America.
That’s also why it’s a truly vibrant
region to visit, whether you’ve got
shopping, dining, or fun and games
on your agenda.
The truth is, there are lots of reasons
for visitors to spend time in
Westbury, whether you’re from out
of town, or just the next town over.
Popular Westbury draws include:
PASSION FOR THE ARTS
Long Island’s live entertainment
scene owes a tremendous debt of
gratitude to the NYCB Theater at
Westbury (960 Brush Hollow Rd.,
516-247-5200, thetheatreatwestbury.
com), a.k.a. the Westbury Music Fair,
consistently one of the area’s most
enjoyable venues to catch a show at
for generations. There’s really nothing
quite like a performance on its
ever-so-slowly rotating round stage,
paired with the intimate feel of the
room. What’s also great about the
venue is the wide array of acts that
come through; upcoming appearances
include Los Lobos, Jay Leno, Styx,
Dwight Yoakam, and John Cleese.
Westbury is also home to The Space
at Westbury Theater (250 Post
Ave., 516-283-5575, thespaceatwestbury.
com), a vibrant and eclectic
entertainment venue occupying
the Tudor-styled former Westbury
Movie Theater, first opened in 1927.
Reborn in recent years, the Space is
now an anchor of Post Avenue with
its impressive façade, complemented
by state-of-the-art lighting and sound
systems within. Don’t miss upcoming
performances by Carl Palmer, Phil
Vassar and the ever-popular Pink
Floyd tribute, the Machine.
SHOP AND PLAY
Sometimes, a store is so popular, it
ensures a steady stream of visitors
to a neighborhood. That’s the case
in Westbury with department store
Century 21 (1085 Old Country Rd.,
516-333-5200, c21stores.com), which
beckons to fashion-savvy bargain
hunters from all over the 516 and 631.
The only thing more impressive than
the selection are the prices.
Another of Westbury’s main shopping
hubs, the Mall at the Source
(1504 Old Country Rd., 516-228-2110), is
in the process of being reborn as the
mega home goods store Lesso Home
New York Market. In the meantime
though, some of the key remaining
anchors of the old Source mall still
provide ample reasons to visit; stop
in and enjoy a meal at P.F. Chang’s or
The Cheesecake Factory while you
still can. It’s also a good excuse to hit
the arcade at Dave & Buster’s, if you
The Phipps Estate mansion is the centerpeice of Old Westbury Gardens.
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