Espresso & Open Roads: A Vespa Ride to Armonk

The Ride

Eleven miles was all the compass indicated on the Beeline Moto.  Definitely on the shorter end of coffee rides on this site.  See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.   With such a short range, the yellow Italian bike made the most sense to grab some espresso-based coffee.  The Vespa GTS 300’s retro appeal is exemplified by the bright yellow color scheme offset by black tires, making it look like a Vespa (wasp in Italian).  22 HP won’t be winning any speed contests, and paired with the CVT, leans toward a more leisurely style of riding instead of canyon carving.  Every time I swing a leg through the Vespa, I think of Eddie Izzard’s “ciao” meme.  

Right after departing Cross River on Route 35 heading west, I turn south onto Route 121, passing Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.  I stay on this till the end where it joins up with Route 22 in Bedford, NY.  While it is now a park and “The Farms” residential community, there used to be an airfield on the left side of Route 22 called “La Roe Airport”.  

Route 22 continues with a gentle winding roads climbing over and descending through several hills as it heads toward Armonk, NY.  It’s a perfect motorcycle road in this area and popular in the warmer weather months for riders.  With the temperatures around 40F as I headed south, I was the lone person on 2 wheels for the entire trip.

I pass underneath Interstate 684 as I approach the downtown of Armonk, NY.  A turn toward the village on Maple Avenue brings me past another former airfield, Barret Field, where both Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart are reported to have visited.  About a mile through the village, I find a strip mall with Bluestone Lane on the left.  Rever reports we’ve only traveled 14.1 miles as the route aligned nearly perfectly with the compass heading.  See the route below.

The Coffee Shop

Westchester County has several places with disconnected names.  Armonk is a hamlet within the town of North Castle, which can cause confusion for many travelers.  Located right at the corner where Connecticut meets up with NY in the strange rectangle extension along the coast.  Interstate 684 bisects the town, and Route 22, which normally runs north/south, turns more east/west as it crosses underneath 684, enabling access to many of the town’s major areas. 

Its biggest claim to fame is being the home of IBM’s headquarters. With many commuters choosing to make Armonk and the surrounding towns their home, it has made sense for other large corporations to set up here.  Swiss Re, the reinsurance company, has been headquartered here since 1999. Wipro also has its US headquarters in Armonk.  

A surge in new residential construction in the 1990s significantly increased home prices.  It put a strain on the schools, requiring major expansion projects, resulting in increased property taxes.  Today, Armonk is known for expensive homes and high property taxes.  To pair with that, many of the shops in the town lean toward a more high-end experience & Bluestone Lane is no exception.  Bluestone is the corner space of the strip mall and has several bright windows along the edge.  On the side, doors open to an outdoor seating area, perfect for warm-weather caffeine.  

All-white walls, with distressed white wood around some of the booth sets; the stage is set, and the counter has a white top and a light green tile front.  The tables are light wood, with white chairs, each set with white napkins featuring blue stripes that mimic the colors of the Bluestone logo.  The overall feeling is clean, almost cold, a stark contrast to the warmer tones in many coffee shops.

There wasn’t a menu displayed that I noticed, but a QR code in the center of each table opened a menu and online ordering.  All the typical espresso drinks are available, and there are plenty of breakfast items, including several pancake options, breakfast burritos, granola, croissants, and more.  For lunch, the menu offers lots of salads and sandwiches.  

I ordered a cortado, and it was served in a pale blue ceramic mug with the Bluestone Lane logo.  I’m a big fan of cortados as they offer a nice balance between the flavor of the coffee and the rich creamy texture of the milk.  They are usually served in glass, allowing the caramel color to be clearly seen, but a ceramic mug is not way out of character.  

I did feel that it had a bit more milk than a typical cortado which is 50/50 espresso to milk.  This felt closer to a latte, but the coffee’s richness was still clear.  It was smooth with no rough or overly acidic tones.  Hints of caramel were evident & while cortados may not be their specialty, the quality of the coffee isn’t in doubt.

I perused the menu as I sipped my coffee, I decided to get some of the breakfast options and ordered the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes along with an orange juice.  Served in a small iron skillet, the pancake was light and fluffy.  Several pieces of fruit provided a garnish and sweet flavor to the pancakes.  Bluestone Lane is a good coffee shop, but it’s probably best to pair it with a meal as I did.