White Plains

White Plains is a city of 60,000 people (2020) in Westchester County, New York. White Plains has several locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It also does well-run Saint Patrick's Day parade and New Year's celebrations. The library is top notch. Liberty Park is also worth a visit.

Understand


White Plains is only Westchester's fourth most populous city—after Yonkers, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon—but as the county seat and home to many corporate headquarters, it's an important destination.

The hamlet of North White Plains is in the adjacent town of North Castle, but since that town does not have an article, the hamlet is covered here.

By train
Metro North commuter train from Grand Central and 125th St. in New York City and other points south, or from Brewster, Wassaic, and other points north on the Harlem line. There are stations in White Plains and North White Plains; make sure you go to the right one, because taking a cab back from North White Plains may be very expensive!

By bus
There is a network of Westchester County buses in the Bee Line system.

By car
White Plains has several major highways passing though it.

Interstate 287, which connects to the Tappan-Zee bridge to the west, and Interstate 95 in the east, has several exits which can drop you in many different parts of White Plains. It is frequently congested due to ongoing construction.

Without traffic, you can make it to Manhattan in 30 minutes.

Get around
Buses connect White Plains with Stamford and locations throughout Westchester but also can be useful for traveling around town. Taxi cabs are available at the train station and by appointment elsewhere in the city. Some downtown locations are walkable from the White Plains train station.

Do
There are a number of malls in White Plains, including the upscale Westchester Mall, as well as the Galleria and White Plains Mall. A popular place to go in White Plains is the Metro North station, which can deposit a traveler into the heart of Manhattan via express train within 35 minutes. If you find yourself in White Plains for any prolonged period, you may want to take advantage of this option.

There are many places for entertainment in White Plains. Niche.com gave White Plains an A+ rating in its "Things To Do" category. The city often holds free movies and concerts (small band performances), especially during the summer. During the summer, there is also a farmers market located down the block from city center. City Center is a large complex with shopping and a large movie theater.

Buy
Although there are little to no native products to White Plains, most major retailers are located in town. Departments stores abound, and shoppers have a wide array of choices from upscale stores in the city's shopping malls to 99-cent stores downtown.



Eat
There are a lot of local Italian restaurants of varying quality along with the standard Greek diners and ubiquitous middling Chinese fare. For high-end Italian, try Mulino's. The Indian restaurant on East Post Rd. received an excellent review in the New York Times. For affordable fare stick with one of the several diners. Many of the restaurants have had formal write ups in the times. The Old White Plains Mall has an Asian supermarket with prepared Chinese and Japanese food at a reasonable price, and Whole Foods has quality prepared foods as well.

In addition, there are a variety or restaurants along Mamaroneck Ave. from upscale restaurants to quick fast food.

Drink
There is a cluster of bars on Mamaroneck Ave between Maple and Main St. which is the center of White Plains nightlife. If the Irish pubs in this vicinity do not quite suit the bill there is another small cluster of bars down East Post Road as you head to South Broadway.

Go next
White Plains is the center of the county and is convenient to New York City. An express train takes less than thirty minutes to Midtown Manhattan. In addition buses can be taken into the Bronx (try the zoo, Botanical Gardens or Arthur Avenue). Westchester County Airport is ten minutes away by car.