Rye

Rye (Secale cereale) is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to barley (Hordeum) and wheat (Triticum). Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, crisp bread, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder. It can also be eaten whole, either as boiled rye berries, or by being rolled, similar to rolled oats.

Rye is a cereal grain and should not be confused with ryegrass, which is used for lawns, pasture, and hay for livestock.

History

Rye is one of a number of species that grow wild in central and eastern Turkey, and in adjacent areas. Domesticated rye occurs in small quantities at a number of Neolithic sites in (Asia Minor) Turkey, such as PPNB Can Hasan III, but is otherwise virtually absent from the archaeological record until the Bronze Age of central Europe, c. 1800–1500 BCE. It is possible that rye traveled west from (Asia Minor) Turkey as a minor admixture in wheat (possibly as a result of Vavilovian mimicry), and was only later cultivated in its own right. Although archeological evidence of this grain has been found in Roman contexts along the Rhine, Danube, and in the British Isles, Pliny the Elder was dismissive of rye, writing that it "is a very poor food and only serves to avert starvation" and spelt is mixed into it "to mitigate its bitter taste, and even then is most unpleasant to the stomach".

Rye (city), New York

Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until it received its charter as a city in 1942. The population was 15,720 at the 2010 census. Rye is the youngest city in New York State. No other city has been chartered anywhere in New York State since 1942.

Located in the city are two National Historic Landmarks: the Boston Post Road Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1993; its centerpiece is the Jay Estate, the boyhood home of John Jay, a Founding Father and the first Chief Justice of the United States.

Playland, a historic amusement park designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, is also located in Rye. Playland features one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the Northeast, the Dragon Coaster.

Of note are two 200+ year old milestones labeled 24 and 25 on the Boston Post Road, America's oldest thoroughfare. The concept of mile markers to measure the distance from New York City was originated in 1763 by Benjamin Franklin during his term as Postmaster General. Rye is also home to a rare 1938 WPA mural by realist Guy Pene du Bois which is located within the city's Post Office lobby and titled "John Jay at His Home."

Rye (Metro-North station)

Rye is a Metro-North commuter rail station that serves Rye, New York via the New Haven Line.

Between 1928 and 1937, Rye's New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad station also served as the penultimate stop on the Port Chester Branch of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, on a separate platform from the rest of the station. The NYW&B station closed on October 31, 1937, and the New Haven removed the rails in 1940. The New England Thruway was built on the site of the NYW&B station during the 1950s.

For many years, Rye was the eastern Westchester County station for Amtrak, with trains such as the Connecticut Yankee and Mail Express, until it was replaced by New Rochelle in October 1987.

Rye is 24.1 miles from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time from Grand Central is 50 minutes.

As of August 2006, weekday commuter ridership was 2,470, and there are 696 parking spots.

Platform and track configuration

This station has two high-level side platforms each 10 cars long. The northern platform, adjacent to Track 3, is generally used by westbound trains. The southern platform, adjacent to Track 4, is generally used by eastbound trains.