Byline: By danny hakim section: Section B; Column 0; Metropolitan Desk; Pg. 1 Length

URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: OPERA (90%); MUSIC (90%); POP & ROCK (77%); CELEBRITIES (75%); MUSIC COMPOSITION (72%); NOBEL PRIZES (70%); AWARDS & PRIZES (60%)
COMPANY: CNINSURE INC (93%)
TICKER: CISG (NASDAQ) (93%)
GEOGRAPHIC: BERLIN, GERMANY (92%); SHANGHAI, CHINA (91%); TOKYO, JAPAN (90%); NEW YORK, NY, USA (90%); BEIJING, CHINA (78%) NEW YORK, USA (92%); EAST CHINA (90%); CENTRAL CHINA (90%); NORTH CENTRAL CHINA (78%); HUNAN, CHINA (57%) CHINA (94%); GERMANY (92%); UNITED STATES (92%); JAPAN (90%); SWEDEN (89%)
LOAD-DATE: May 4, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: PHOTOS: In opera glasses: The premiere of Tan's ''Tea: A Mirror of Soul'' in Tokyo, 2002

''The First Emperor'': Tan (composer)

Ha Jin (collaborator)

Mao (inspiration)

Domingo (star, above) (PHOTOGRAPHS BY LEE FRIEDLANDER

KEN HOWARD/METROPOLITAN OPERA

HANS VAN DEN BOGAARD)
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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The New York Times
May 3, 2008 Saturday

Late Edition - Final

Boardroom Types
BYLINE: By PAUL B. BROWN
SECTION: Section C; Column 0; Business/Financial Desk; WHAT'S OFFLINE; Pg. 5
LENGTH: 598 words
IT takes all types to run a successful business.

To make sure boards are truly diverse, companies need to take a director's personality into account when they look to add a member or upgrade their performance, two psychologists say in Directors and Boards.

Typically, boards ''consider an individual's title, industry background and functional expertise,'' the psychologists, Peter G. Spanberger and Susan M. Jackson, wrote. ''They also look to achieve a diversity of gender and ethnicity.''

But that, they contend, is not enough to achieve ''diversity at its broadest level.'' A well-functioning board needs a diversity of personalities, they say.

''Highly opinionated, forceful individuals are just as important to the group process as those who are consensus-driven,'' they write. ''Creative risk-takers need to be balanced with cautious, detailed thinkers.''

The problem, of course, is if the board makes sure that each personality type is countered by its opposite, nothing may get done, or board members will spend all their time fighting with one another.

The authors concede that, but respond that having these differing personality types is beneficial, if managed properly.

''A creative board member can offer new insights and considerations that may expand the board's thinking,'' they say. ''Another board member can remain cautious and careful and prevent the board from straying too far from important basics.''

TYPES A TO D Writing in Entrepreneur, Robert Kiyosaki argues there are only four personality types found in any organization:

Those who want to be liked. ''These are the social directors who want everyone to be happy, especially with them.''

Those who want to be comfortable. They want job security. They will do a good job, ''but don't expect them to stretch or push themselves'' or to respond well to pressure.

Those who want to be right. ''These people are strong in their opinions and will defend their ideas to the death.'' They can be reluctant to accept other points of view.

Those who want to win. They have the ''drive and tenacity'' to succeed.

Mr. Kiyosaki says no one type is better than another. ''Understanding them -- as well as yourself, your strengths and what inspires you -- is the foundation for long-term growth and success.''

GRADUAL CHANGE How can leaders avoid putting their companies through a major reorganization? The answer, according to two management professors at Texas A&M, is to make sure the company never needs one.

The two, John Humphreys and Hal Langford, write in Sloan Management Review that ''out of inertia, some managers maintain the status quo'' until noticeable problems ''escalate into predicaments'' that require radical change.

Problems can be spotted relatively early, they say, by paying attention to signs like rising turnover, ''rampant tardiness'' and a drop in quality. Asking three basic questions may help put the company back on track.

First, how will the company look different in the future? What will the organization have to do to respond to competitive, consumer or demographic changes?

Second, what will be the consequences of making those changes?

Third, what can the company do about the challenges the answers to Questions 1 and 2 are going to create?

''As long as you know what you are up against, you can always manage it,'' they write.

FINAL TAKE Here is some information that may be of interest to marketers of frozen confections and linens, courtesy of AARP magazine: some 19 percent of Americans surveyed reported that they eat ice cream in bed. PAUL B. BROWN

URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: ENTREPRENEURSHIP (78%); PSYCHOLOGY (78%); ETHNICITY (73%); BUSINESS EDUCATION (73%)
LOAD-DATE: May 3, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: PHOTO
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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The New York Times
May 2, 2008 Friday

The New York Times on the Web

Spare Times: For Children
BYLINE: By LAUREL GRAEBER
SECTION: Section ; Column 0; Movies, Performing Arts/Weekend Desk; Pg.
LENGTH: 2474 words
FOR CHILDREN

'ADVENTURE THEATER! AN INTERACTIVE THEATRICAL ADVENTURE FOR HEROES OF ALL AGES' (Saturday and Sunday) Children are expert improvisers, and in this inspired production they can use all that playtime experience with the help of adults who improvise professionally: the members of Freestyle Repertory Theater. Intended for ages 5 to 13, this show will engage them in devising the dialogue and action for a story about a mortal leader who goes to liberate a magic land from an evil ruler; the hero is a child from the audience. (Through May 11.) At 11 a.m., Metropolitan Playhouse, 220 East Fourth Street, East Village, [phone], metropolitanplayhouse.org; $10; $8 for 12 and under.

'ALICE IN WONDERLAND' (Friday through Sunday) This time the rabbit hole is in Greenwich Village. In this adaptation by Brainerd Duffield, Alice is a 7-year-old resident of the neighborhood, and her mom and dad have packed her schedule with classes and activities, as New York parents tend to do. Presented by the New Acting Company, the production features four adults and five young actors portraying the characters involved in Alice's Wonderland escape. (Through May 25.) Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 3 and 7 p.m.; the Philip Coltoff Center, 219 Sullivan Street, near Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], smarttix.com; $16 in advance; $20 at the door.

AUDRAROX (Sunday) One way to get children to listen to parents: put Mom and Dad in a rock band. Most of the members of AudraRox, which sounds a bit like the Go-Go's, have children themselves. The group, founded by Audra Tsanos, will play a concert for ages 2 to 7 at the Jewish Museum. Its members are in tune with the audience: their first CD was titled ''I Can Do It by Myself!'' At 2 p.m., 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, [phone], the jewishmuseum.org; $15; $10 for children; $12 and $8 for family-level members.

'BRAIN TEASERS' (Friday through Sunday) Intellects need exercise too, and this exhibition is intended to be push-ups for gray matter. Devised by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, it consists of 20 challenges, including number games, visual puzzles and, in one case, handcuffs made of rope. It even includes an enigma, called the Five-Room House, that has never been solved. At the Staten Island Children's Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Livingston, [phone], statenislandkids.org. Hours: Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free with admission: $5; free for members.

'THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN' (Saturday and Sunday) At least one of the cats involved with the jazz in this production is the kind that meows instead of scats. Nancy Harrow, the creator of the jazz-and-puppet show ''Maya the Bee,'' has returned to Culture Project with a new piece based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by Elizabeth Coatsworth. It's all about a Japanese artist and the mysterious cat that seems to change his fortunes. (Through May 18.) Saturday at 11 a.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., 55 Mercer Street, SoHo, [phone], cultureproject.org; $20.

CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS (Saturday) The arrival of spring can seem like magic, and that enchantment will be on ample display in the Jefferson Market Garden's annual festival. Children can make garden crafts, plant seeds to take home and enjoy entertainment. (Rain date, Sunday.) From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Greenwich Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, Greenwich Village, jeffersonmarketgarden.org; free.

FIFTH ANNUAL SWING A RING DAY (Saturday) It's not often that you can feel like Tarzan, swinging vine to vine, in Manhattan. But Riverside Park offers an opportunity with its ring swinging apparatus -- two sets of rings (one adult-size, the other for children) that allow you to travel above the ground, just grasping one ring and then the next. This celebration will include ring demonstrations and instruction, as well as a sand sculpturing clinic, live music and ice cream. From 1 to 4 p.m., Hudson Beach area, 105th Street and Riverside Drive (entrance at 103rd Street); free.

'GUSTAFER YELLOWGOLD'S MELLOW SENSATION' (Saturday) Ready for a new kind of mellow yellow? Hailing from the Sun and looking like an animated drop of butter, Gustafer Yellowgold is the creation of the illustrator and composer Morgan Taylor, now presenting Gustafer in his Off Broadway debut. Like Gustafer's other appearances, this run includes live music, slides and narration. (Through May 17.) At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street, Manhattan, [phone]; $20.

'IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE' (Saturday and Sunday) Manhattan Children's Theater has revived Jody Davidson's witty adaptation of Laura Joffe Numeroff's picture book, which suggests that if you give a mouse a cookie, it's going to want a glass of milk, and if you give it the milk, it's going to want a napkin, and if you give it the napkin, it will request a mirror, and so on. And if you give this show your time, it will reward you greatly. (Through May 18.) At noon and 2 p.m., 52 White Street, near Church Street, TriBeCa, [phone], mctny.org; $20, $15 for children and 65+.

KIDSCREATE (Sunday) There are precocious children, and then there are really precocious children. Those featured in this monthly workshop series for ages 5 and older at the Children's Museum of Manhattan definitely fall into the ''really'' category: they are authors, inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists. This installment features Russell Moore, 14, who has created a waterworks building toy, among other inventions. Children who sign up for the program will join him in an activity. At 3 and 4 p.m., the Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, [phone], cmom.org. Free with museum admission: $9; $6 for 65+; free for members.

LUKE'S ROCK N' STROLL (Saturday) This fund-raising celebration in Hudson River Park is dedicated to the memory of Luke Becton, who died at 4 months from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 2005. The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with a five-kilometer family fun walk (and activities for nonwalkers), followed at 9:30 a.m. by a party with food, music, games and children's entertainment. Walk registration fees will go toward SIDS research and support services for families. (Rain date, Sunday.) Registration at 7:30 a.m., Pier 46, Christopher Street and the Hudson River, West Village. Registration fees: $25; $15 for children; $75 for a family of four. Information: First Candle, [phone], firstcandle.org.

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS: SCI-FI MADNESS (Saturday) This three-weekend series concludes with an adventure in the virtual world conceived long before the ''Matrix'' movies. It's ''Tron'' (1982), a pioneering film featuring a mix of computer-generated graphics and live action. Recommended for ages 8 and older, the picture stars Jeff Bridges as an enterprising hacker who enters a computer to match wits with the Master Computer Program. At 11 a.m. , IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas, at Third Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], gkids.tv; $11.50; $8 for children; $8.50 for members.

'ONCE ON THIS ISLAND' (Friday through Sunday) The story of Hans Christian Andersen's ''Little Mermaid'' is transported to the Caribbean in this musical adaptation by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. But while the accents and setting may have changed, the plot is truer to Andersen than anything Disney has done. Presented by the Pied Piper Children's Theater of NYC, the show has actors aged 13 to 18. (Through May 11.) Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 4 p.m.; Holy Trinity Church, 20 Cumming Street, near Dyckman Street, Inwood, [phone]; $10; $7 for under 16 and 65+.

'ONE OF A KIND' (Friday through Sunday, and Thursday) Immigrating to a strange land is always hard, but it's especially difficult if you have to walk 440 miles as part of your travels, and then find that you don't look like most of the people in your new country. That's the challenge faced by AndArgay, a 10-year-old Ethiopian Jew, whose journey to Israel with his family is at the heart of this autobiographical play. Written by the adult AndArgay, who now uses the name Yossi Vassa, with Shai Ben Attar, and presented by the Nephesh Theater of Israel, ''One of a Kind'' is having its American premiere at the New Victory Theater. Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.; Sunday at noon and 5 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m. (with sign language interpretation); discussions with the cast after the 5 p.m. Sunday and Thursday performances; 209 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, [phone], newvictory.org; $12.50, $25 and $35.

PERCUSSION PEOPLE (Sunday) Instrument building is on the menu at the monthly concerts presented by this group, which explores the range of percussion instruments across cultures. Drumming enthusiasts (and what child isn't one?) are encouraged to arrive at 10:30 a.m. and make their own instruments for the concert, which starts at 11. At the Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, near West Third Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], theplayerstheatre.com; $25.

'PICTURE THIS!' (Friday, and Monday through Thursday) Children are often adorable in front of the camera, but put them behind it, and they can produce fascinating work. This exhibition displays photography, animation and documentary video by students in elementary, middle and high schools in all five boroughs of New York. The pieces were done during residency programs sponsored by Magic Box Productions, an arts education organization that sends teaching artists into the schools. From 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Gallery at 180 Maiden Lane, between Front and South Streets, Lower Manhattan, magicboxproductions.org; free.

'PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL' (Sunday) It's time to think pink again. This show from Vital Children's Theater has been revived, so if you missed it last year, you can now catch it at New World Stages. Elizabeth and Victoria Kann adapted their children's book, in which the pink-obsessed title character finds out that sometimes being in the pink can be too much of a good thing. (John Gregor wrote the score and some of the lyrics.) (Through May 25.) Sunday at noon; 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, [phone], vitaltheatre.org; $29.50.

'PIPPI' (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) Children's literature had at least one feminist heroine long before the feminist era: Pippi Longstocking, the pint-size, pigtailed dynamo who lived independently and fought off villains with the help of pluck and superhuman strength. Now the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater is offering a musical based on the Pippi stories and celebrating the centennial of their creator, the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. With a book by Zakiyyah Alexander and a score by Darryl Kojak, the production features almost two dozen new, handmade marionettes. Friday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and noon; 79th Street and the West Drive, Central Park; $6; $5 for 18 and under. Reservations required: [phone].

SAFARI FESTIVAL (Saturday) The theme is Africa, but you won't have to travel any farther than the Upper West Side. A fund-raiser for Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, this event will include merchandise, a raffle and attractions like Zambia's Olympic Maze, South Africa's Speed Pitch and Malawi's Basketball Game. (Rain date, Sunday.) From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 94th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, cgps.org; free.

SHEEP SHEARING (Saturday and Sunday) Barbering is generally not a spectator sport, but when the salons include the Queens Zoo and the Prospect Park Zoo, watching becomes irresistible. And that is what families can do Saturday and Sunday, when sheep at the zoos will have more than a little taken off the top -- and the back and the sides too. The festivities at each zoo will include live music, making crafts and learning about wool-processing techniques. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (activities other than shearing run until 5), the Queens Zoo, 53-51 111th Street, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, [phone], queenszoo.com. From noon to 4 p.m. (with shearing at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30), Prospect Park Zoo, 450 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, [phone], prospectparkzoo.com. Free with admission: $6; ages 65+, $2.25; 3 to 12, $2 ($1 at Prospect Park); under 3, free.

'THE THREE LITTLE PIGS' ('LOS TRES CERDITOS') (Saturday) The pigs can speak Spanish, not to mention dance flamenco, in this bilingual, salsa-flavored puppet version from Teatro SEA, which specializes in Latino theater for children. And although they still have problems with the wolf, he's considerably less dangerous: he's a vegetarian. At 3 p.m., Los Kabayitos Puppet and Children's Theater, 107 Suffolk Street, at Rivington Street, Lower East Side, [phone], sea-online.info; $15; $12.50 for 2 to 12; free for under 2.

'UNCENSORED' (Saturday and Sunday) It's a teenager's dream: not just to write work uncensored by adults, but to perform it onstage. This annual event consists of original monologues, scenes and music pieces by members of MCC Theater Youth Company, a free program for public high school students. Love, families and sexuality are among the topics addressed. At 7 p.m., the Zipper Theater, 336 West 37th Street, Manhattan, [phone], Ext. 228, www.mcctheater.org. Suggested donation: $10; $5 for students.

UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) Don't expect hurdy-gurdy tunes at this big-top event. Billed as featuring the only African-American ringmasters in the country, the Universoul Circus performs its acts to hip-hop, R&B, soul and gospel. This year's show, ''Jabulani: Joy, Happiness & Laughter,'' presents acts from around the world, including China and Russia. Friday, and Tuesday through Thursday, at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1, 4:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. At Orchard Beach Park, 1 Orchard Beach Road, the Bronx, [phone], ticketmaster.com; $17 to $28.50; $15 to $26.50 for 10 and under; all 10:30 a.m. shows, $11.

'THE VELVETEEN RABBIT' (Saturday and Sunday) Literally Alive Children's Theater, which dramatizes literary works, offers a musical ''Velveteen Rabbit'' that manages no easy feat: it is both upbeat and faithful to its source, Margery Williams's poignant 1922 children's classic. Before the show, which has a book and lyrics by Brenda Bell and music by Mark McGee, young audience members can join a workshop to help decorate the stage and make themselves rabbit ears. (Through May 11.) Workshop ($5, children only) at 11 a.m., show at noon, Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, near West Third Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], literallyalive.com; $25; $20 for children. LAUREL GRAEBER
URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: CHILDREN (89%); THEATER & DRAMA (78%); VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS (78%); EXHIBITIONS (75%); THEATER (73%); POP & ROCK (64%); MAMMALS (73%); ACTORS & ACTRESSES (78%)
GEOGRAPHIC: NEW YORK, NY, USA (93%) NEW YORK, USA (93%) UNITED STATES (93%)
LOAD-DATE: May 2, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
DOCUMENT-TYPE: Schedule
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

808 of 1231 DOCUMENTS

The New York Times
May 2, 2008 Friday

Late Edition - Final

Beyond the Porsches and the Jaguars, a Homey Feeling
BYLINE: By ELSA BRENNER
SECTION: Section F; Column 0; Escapes; HAVENS BEDFORD, N.Y.; Pg. 3
LENGTH: 1277 words
ALONG skinny two-lane country roads, behind well-maintained stone walls, padlocked gates and trees that loom like sentries, the part-time residents of Bedford, harried hedge fund managers and entrepreneurs from Manhattan among them -- can kick off their shiny wingtips and shut out the hubbub of modern life.

There, on country estates about 40 miles from Manhattan, the weekenders savor what one of them, Elinor Deutsch, a New York City interior designer, calls ''that rare 'aha' moment of complete quiet, privacy and peace.''

Such times prove, perhaps, that money can occasionally buy happiness. With prices for four-acre (and larger) estates as high as $18 million, Bedford has become a second-home destination favored by well-heeled New Yorkers seeking a weekend refuge that feels far away from it all but really isn't, local real estate agents say.

About an hour by car or train from Midtown Manhattan, Bedford, in northeast Westchester County, includes the hamlets of Bedford, Bedford Hills and Katonah. It dates to 1680, when settlers bought the land from local Indians.

Despite recent changes -- encroaching suburbia, the divvying up of vast tracts to create estates and the growing number of Porsches and Jaguars zipping along the town's back roads -- Bedford has kept its homespun charm.

That simple grace is especially noticeable near the Village Green, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts informal picnics and the local historical society's auctions, among other events.

Mrs. Deutsch -- who also owns Antiques & Interiors, a shop in nearby Pound Ridge -- and her husband, Jerome, a commercial real estate investor, spend three and a half days each week in their apartment on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and the rest of the time in Bedford. The couple, whose children are grown, own a four-bedroom Colonial on four acres that overlooks a small lake that they bought for $785,000 from Regis Philbin 14 years ago. (Three-fourths of the residential property in Bedford is zoned for lots of four acres or more.)

While the region attracts many empty-nesters like the Deutsches, it also draws younger families with school-age children, among them, Madelyn and Allen Adamson, who split their time between the Upper East Side and Pound Ridge, a town tucked next to Bedford.

Real estate agents say they market the two towns as a single area to potential second-home buyers; the main difference is that two-acre lots are more plentiful in Pound Ridge, so houses can cost less. ''But in most other ways, they're one and the same community,'' said Cynthia Jaffee, an associate broker for Houlihan Lawrence in Bedford.

The Scene

At Antiques & Tools of Business and Kitchen in Pound Ridge, a tumbledown store alongside an outside yard chock-full of old and not-so-old household items, area residents like Richard Gere and Martha Stewart are sometimes seen picking over the goods. The store's owner, Joan Silbersher, an unofficial chronicler of the area's social life, said the style in and around Bedford is low-key. Everyone, including celebrities, shops in jeans and T-shirts, she said.

Bedford and Pound Ridge's long list of well-known residents notwithstanding -- Glenn Close and Ralph Lauren live there, too -- anonymity is prized. One weekender, a rich business executive who declined to give his name, said that he recently ''bumped into'' Ms. Close at Bedford's post office. He said she was wearing a trench coat and dark glasses. ''No one, including me, likes to be high-profile around here,'' he added.

Mr. and Mrs. Adamson, who own a four-bedroom Colonial on two acres in Pound Ridge and who have two children under 10, spend summers and weekends there. Mr. Adamson declined to say what they paid for the house three and a half years ago, but another four-bedroom house on two acres in their neighborhood is on the market for nearly $1.78 million.

The Adamsons' children and their friends set up a table along a sidewalk in Pound Ridge's small business district one Sunday to sell lemonade for charity. ''The idea is to give our children a small-town experience,'' Ms. Adamson said, ''and balance out life in Manhattan.''

Many residents are drawn to the region's outdoor activities. There's a 4,700-acre county park -- the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation -- and a network of trails that weave in and around Bedford. The Bedford Riding Lanes Association, a nonprofit organization dating to 1920, maintains 100 miles of horse trails and dirt roads.

For shopping and dining, Katonah's small business district and Scotts Corners in Pound Ridge serve as the retail centers, with quaint shops, like Sgaglio's Marketplace, a favorite for its meats and cheeses, and restaurants.

For those once-in-a-while formal occasions, Emily Shaw's Inn at Pound Ridge has a dining room with wide-beamed ceilings, stone fireplaces, wood-plank floors, carved Louis IV chocolate-colored damask chairs and blue silk drapes. By contrast, in Katonah, the Blue Dolphin Ristorante, a small diner with long waiting lines of return customers, also hosts celebrations, but the ambience is informal.

Pros

Bedford and Pound Ridge give residents a rural lifestyle complete with rolling hills, horse farms, riding trails and a scenic village green, all less than an hour from Manhattan.

Cons

Housing prices are skewed toward the high end, and bargains are hard come by, local real estate agents say. In Bedford, the median sales price of a single-family home is $1,012,500, said Joanna Rizoulis, manager of Sotheby's International Realty's office in Katonah, and in Pound Ridge it is $1,053,750.

The Real Estate Market

About a third of the region's homeowners are part-timers, Ms. Rizoulis said. Most of the second-home buyers are from Manhattan, and their must-have checklist includes vintage Colonials or Victorians surrounded by plenty of acreage.

Showing potential for ''aha moments,'' a five-bedroom house on 17.5 acres with room for a tennis court is on the market in Bedford Village for $14.5 million. At the other end of the spectrum, a two-bedroom cottage on 1.24 acres near Kitchawan Lake in Pound Ridge is for sale at $619,000. Between the two, a 106-year-old Colonial in Bedford Hills on 8.19 acres has 10 bedrooms and is for sale at $5.95 million.

As with the rest of the nation, the housing market in northeastern Westchester has slowed. Many estates take up to a year to sell, but when they do, Ms. Jaffee said, they go for close to asking price. ''At the top ranges,'' she said, ''there's not much negotiating taking place.''

Some new construction, like Stone Manors on Twin Lakes, an enclave of 17 luxury four- and five-bedroom homes selling for about $3.9 million to $4.6 million, is also being marketed to second-home owners. In economic downturns, like the current one, said Douglas Smolev, one of the developers for Stone Manors, builders are aiming at ''the recession-proof end of the market.''

''These are buyers who want wine cellars and home movie theaters and private pools, and a high-end house in Bedford is perfect for them,'' Mr. Smolev said. ''They're still buying, even if the rest of the market isn't.''

LAY OF THE LAND

POPULATION 18,612, according to a 2006 Census Bureau estimate.

SIZE 39.4 square miles.

WHERE Bedford is about 40 miles north of Midtown Manhattan.

WHO'S BUYING Many residents of Manhattan who work in the financial industry.

WHILE YOU'RE LOOKING The Roger Sherman Inn (195 Oenoke Ridge or Route 124, 203-966-4541; www.rogershermaninn.com) is in nearby New Canaan, Conn. Single rooms with double occupancy start at $150 a night, and a two-bedroom suite goes for $350.