New York Area

New York City

The big apple! New York is one of the most recognizable cities in the world. The scale is absolutely massive. I always love visiting New York City. I think my days of wanting to live there are in the past but I still love to visit. My ideal setup would be like 3 weeks there and then months away. That place does not get old and there are an infinite amount of things to do at all hours. It’s quite impossible for someone to do everything there. There are characters everywhere and things that will catch your eye on just your normal walk to the store. You can have fun cruising the subway or going to one of the many neighborhoods that all have their own flavor. Since it is such a large city and metropolitan area, getting out of the city for nature can be quite an ordeal, especially since most don’t have a car since having one can be quite the burden there. You do have central park you can escape too, which quite frankly is an incredible park especially where it’s located. If you can get outside the city, even just a little bit, you can find amazing outdoor areas in northern New Jersey, New York state, and all the shores surrounding the city.

Hamptons / Long Island

During the summer, apparently New York City becomes a ghost town, relatively. It’s still a bustling city but most people make it out to the shore or just in general out of the city during the summer. We have all heard of the posh Hamptons but Long Island, which the Hamptons are on, is a massive stretch of land. There are a ton of beaches, inlets, bays that you can get your paddle boarding, sailing, surfing, or whatever water sport you are into. There are plenty of other beaches that are along the northeast coast near New York City that people venture out too. Weather is obviously cold but once May hits, you can start getting some nice days and they should last until September.

Big Indian Wilderness

Now New York state has a ton of beautiful wilderness. Northern New York where the finger lakes are or the Adirondacks are such a beautiful part of the country. The only problem is that northern New York is a several hour drive minimal from New York City. The Big Indian Wilderness is a giant forest preserve that you can get to within a couple hours that will provide endless views of mountains and forests.

Poconos / Jack Frost

If you head west from New York city you will pass through beautiful northern New Jersey, and yes there are quite some nice areas in New Jersey. Throughout that area on the way to the Poconos you will pass through many mountain ranges and small ski resorts. These resorts are definitely not large in size but will scratch that itch if needed. Many of the areas are adding mountain biking parks since that is a fast growing sport.