Category: Escape from New York

Travels in Lisbon

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Lisbon is made up of distinct neighborhoods.  I stayed in Alfama which is the oldest and located by a number of historic places such as the Sao Jorge Castle.  The area is hilly and requires a special mention.

Imagine a place where you walk up a hill to get to your destination.  You would think the reverse direction on the way back down would be easy, right?  Wrong.  Lisbon is seemingly uphill both ways.  Not sure how this is possible but get ready for some strong calf muscles when you leave.

Escape from New York: Portugal

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I tend to be a semi planner.  I thought Lisbon in the south, Coimbra in the middle of the country and Porto in the north would provide a nice cross section of the country.  There are also multiple trains running each day between all these cities so I wouldn’t have to worry about when to leave or travel wait times.

Untermyer Park and Gardens: Just 1 Hour North of New York City

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If you were living in New York and wealthy at the end of the 1800’s what did you do with that money?  Build an estate or vast gardens along the Hudson River, obviously.

This wealth lives on and can be enjoyed by current New York City residents and visitors.

Untermyer Park and Gardens is one such example.  Located approximately 20 miles north of midtown Manhattan, you can take the train, car service, bike or drive your way to this venue.

Afternoon in Cold Spring

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Cold Spring is a town of about 2,000 located right on the Hudson River and a 70 minute train ride from Manhattan.  It is no secret to people in the Hudson Valley and NYC but if you haven’t made the time to visit, be sure to schedule a 3/4 day visit in the immediate future.

New Orleans: by Foot and by Fork

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Ask for a restaurant recommendation in New York and get ready to start Google mapping locations.  People in the city love to tell you their favorite haunts from brunch to borough for specific cultural dishes.  They will tell you what to order, what to expect and what time to go.  It’s quite impressive.  My trip down south had many similarities to this NYC approach.

Enchanting Charleston

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I decided to head down south to the city of Charleston, South Carolina.  Flight times come in just under 2 hours (2 hours out and 1.5 hours back!) Having never been to Charleston, I chose to stay downtown in the historic district to be close to landmark locations on my list of places to see.

I learned a few things on my trip to the Palmetto City.  First and foremost, Charleston is a city that forces you to make a lot of decisions.  Shall I get another order of Shrimp and Grits?  I already tried She Crab Soup, but should I get another bowl.  Do I spend a day on a boat in the harbor or walking around taking pictures and visiting historical landmarks around town?  An afternoon on the beach or marshland?  Fishing or Kayaking?

Lawn Art, Sweeping Views of the Hudson River and The Rockefellers

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Another weekend and another opportunity to escape the city for a few hours.  If you don’t have a car (which is most of us) Metro North makes these trips very accessible.

If you look at a Google Map of the Hudson River there are a lot of towns and historic points of interest you should make the time to visit.

48 Hours in Chicago

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Editor’s Note: This article is part of our series “Escape from New York.”  Series Overview: Flight times are within 2 hours and 30 minutes of New York City.  Spend 48 hours immersing yourself in the culture and feel of the destination city.  Flights can depart at 6am on Saturday […]

Escape From New York

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Flight times from JFK to Buffalo Niagara International Airport will show up as an hour and a half but in reality you are in the air for around fifty minutes.  With travel times under an hour (we will exclude getting to and from the airport, check-in and all that other fun stuff) a weekend trip to western New York should make your travel roster in the near future.

Niagara Falls During The Winter

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Full Access NYC, why are you referencing Western New York in your title?  First, I probably shouldn’t be questioning myself to set up some type of engaging response.  Second, I was actually in Niagara Falls and Buffalo this past weekend and got some nice pictures.  Lastly, there are three major airports in the tri-state area and one can take advantage of all the potential travel opportunities these offer.

New York City is one exciting, hectic, almost perpetual motion machine but this comes with a drawback.  It becomes a sensory overload and sometimes you need to step outside of the city to decompress or just see some trees (or in my case a giant waterfall.)