day trips out of NYC
 

Any ideas for day trips out of New York City? Connecticut, NY, and NJ are our first choices. We have a car. The dates are just after Christmas this 07 year.

bleason

Hudson Valley is a nice drive if weather is decent.

What do you like? Hudson Valley is always nice, although you are past the foliage, but there are wineries and nice small towns, and I agree with feet that it's a pretty drive. Morristown, NJ, is also a nice day trip, with lots of history, including one of Washington's winter headquarters. There's good stuff in nearby CT, too, particularily the Aquarium in Norwalk, which is worth a trip. I am also particularily attatched to Stew Leonard's, which is nearby, but that may not suit your needs unless you are either hungry or want to go grocery shopping.
Bucks County, PA, particularily New Hope, is also in shooting distance (probably no longer a drive than CT, although it depends on where you're starting from) and is a great day trip, pretty, historical, excellent restaurants, and outlet malls just outside of town if that is your kind of thing. If I knew what you liked to do, and maybe which direction you preferred exploring in, I could come up with more suggestions. Most of the area surrounding the city is, of course, fairly suburban but there are still oodles of things to do, and some fairly rural areas a couple of hours out.

The New York Aquarium and the Bronx Zoo even without kids. Woodstock, NY, Hyde Park (FDR's home is usually open for tours), the CIA also in Hyde Park, Atlantic City, NJ or FoxWoods in CT, Philly (a bit far, but we have done it in a day).

Go to Litchfield County in northwestern Connecticut. The towns are picturesque, the scenery is lovely, and there are plenty of good places to eat casually or formally.

Jane

<b>Eastern Long Island --</b>

North Fork -- wine country
South Fork -- Hamptons


<b>Hudson Valley --</b>

Cold Spring (see this week's TONY for a weekend write-up of Cold Spring)

Ideas from the NY Times:

http://travel.nytimes.com/gst/travel...?term=day+trip

Thank you to those that responded to my request for day trip ideas. Persimmondeb asked for more info about what we like. We like winding two lane roads that lead to interesting places. Many of the friends that responded aluded to such places. We will post our results in January.

bleason

If you like country two-lanes with neat stuff at the end of them, if you take 202 through Jersey to New Hope, mostly 4-lane in Jersey, sorry, and then continue on 202, not only does it become a two-lane, it wanders through a lot of very unspoiled and scenic Bucks County and will take you to Doylestown, which has excellent restaurants as well and some nice museums (Michener, Mercer, Fonthill, Pottery Works). It also gets quite rural on the other side of Doylestown. This is about a two and a half hour drive from the city (would take Holland Tunnel to 78 to 202). I also used to enjoy noodling around on 17A in New York State, hitting farm stands and sort of seeing where we might fetch up, (Warwick is nice), but I haven't been up there in years, and I know there have been a number of changes to the roads in recent years.
Also if you like the idea of Doylestown, and you really like winding roads, take 78 all the way to the City of Easton in Pennsylvania, get on 611 South and wander on down. Lots and lots of scenic and very twisty Pennsylvania landscape, some of it right along the river. Word of warning, though, I wouldn't drive it after dark for the first time, especially if I wasn't used to driving country roads at night. Very dark, hairpin turns, and a fair amount of traffic. On the plus side, though, you would never believe you were only 2 hours from Manhattan.

I agree with Jane - but I live here. You can reach New Milford (the southernmost town in Litchfield County) in an hour and a half from midtown: take the West Side Highway to Henry Hudson N to Saw Mill N to 684 N to 84 E to Exit 7 (Route 7 north).

Two lane roads that lead to interesting places...well just past New Milford up Route 202 is Lake Waramaug in New Preston, the prettiest part of Litchfield County that's within a 2 hour drive of the city. Many New Yorkers have summer/weekend homes here. You could drive around the lake, then take Baldwin Hill Rd. right over to Washington Depot which has a great little village center.

My favorite day trip out of Manhattan is to the Dia Beacon:
http://www.diacenter.org/bindex.html

Cold Spring and many other great Hudson Valley towns are very close by. It's a beautiful drive up there, less than 90 minutes but a whole different world from the city.

New hope/Lambertville/Bucks County area west of the city is also nice. But the drive is less picturesque. Many cute shops, a huge flee market on weekends, and good hiking trails out there. Also good cross-country skiing if there is snow.

South Norwalk, CT. It will take you about an hour. Theres a beautiful aquarium and a lot of restaurants from casual to fine dining. There are also some very pretty boutiques and shops on Washington St and the area is nicely decorated for Christmas. I recommend Strada 18 or Match on Washington St. Once you park everything is within walking distance. If you want to venture to Stew Leonards...good luck! It will be crowded but its a unique shopping experience.

I have finished my day-trip out of NYC, a trip I have titled: “In search of Bill and Hillary, David Letterman, Paul Newman, and the ghost of Mark Twain.” But first, thanks to all that responded to my earlier question concerning day trips out of NYC. I have filed them for later reference. Now my trip. I left NY via 9a enjoying views of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, and the Palisade Cliffs of NJ. The highway eventually became the Hutchinson Parkway and brought us into Westchester County (did not see Bill or Hillary). In Connecticut, the Hutchinson became CT 15 and the Merritt Pkwy. This slightly winding 40’s era freeway has beautiful vistas, bridges and overpasses. Each bridge and overpass was designed by architect G.L. Dunkelberger and constructed with WPA labor in the 30s. The Pkwy is listed on National Registry of Historic Places. But our goal was to travel two lane roads so we exited left on CT 106 North to New Canaan. This toney town has a classic New England main street and with many of the marquee stores of NYC. (We did not see David Letterman or his 15 year stalking companion). We continued North on 106 into Wilton CT. Along the way, we experienced miles and miles of two-lane roads that met our back-roads criteria: tight and dark asphalt, well marked yellow center lanes, white stripped edge painting, cabled retainers on sharp curves, winding, ravine hugging, and endless geographical or archeological views. From Wilton, we took CT 33 South to Westport and spotted classic CT homes nestled in large acreage lots in the Saugatuck River valley. Westport has excellent traditional New England streets and byways, but we did not see Paul and Joann. Undeterred, we headed north on CT 57 looking for the ghost of Mark Twain in Redding, CT, his senior years home. Mark’s spirit ,was no where to be found, but we found liquid spirits in the Redding Road House, a place that Mark reported to have spent many of his senior year hours holding court. (439 Redding Road). Although 0 for 4 on sightings, it was time to head back to the city via US 7 and I-95. Mission accomplished.
bleason