Flee New York: Weekend Getaways, Day Trips, Vacations and More (Beta)

Ashram Getaways From New York City

It seems Ashram getaways are becoming a "trend" for a certain segment of New Yorkers.  We just stumbled across a Gawker post on "Ashram Getaways are the New Spa Getaways."

Looking for a weekend mini-vacation that focuses on the rigorously spiritual?  While doing the communal dinner dishes and not speaking to anyone all weekend may not be our own personal idea of fun, we can see the appeal for overworked and over-stimulated city-dwellers looking for a more authentic experience for their disposable time and income.  To that end, we've assembled some helpful links to get you started:

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch, Woodbourne.  This ashram, founded in 1976 on the principles of hatha yoga, offers four hours of yoga a day in this style. It also has special programs, including family weeks and juice fasting.

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Woodstock. The mornings here start at 5 AM with meditation and chanting followed on weekends by Buddhist teachings. In the  afternoon, a similar schedule is repeated.  

Ananda Ashram, Monroe.   This retreat holds several kinds of yoga lasses, including hatha, anusara and vinyasa, and has a theater that shows dance performances and plays.   Late risers will appreciate the 8 a.m. start time to most days.

Dai Bosatsu Zendo, Livingston Manor.  Everyone is required to follow this Ashram's 4:30 a.m. wake-up calls, work, practice and silence.

Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper.   Guests can visit this 230-acre property on most Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings for an introduction to meditation and Buddhism.  Standard weekend reatreats are also offered.

Blue Cliff Monastery, Pine Bush. A Vietnamese Buddhist monastery opened in summer '07 in a converted conference center. The food is 100% vegan, and students and those 65 and older get a discount on overnight stays.

Vivekananda Retreat, Ridgely, Stone Ridge.   Twice daily meditation sessions anchor the retreat schedule and yoga classes are offered on sutras or Vedantic scriptures.  Four hours of unstructured time each day is built into the schedule.

Summer Getaways From NYC: Escaping the New York Heat

The humidity (really, we can't stand it) is spiking, the days have grown long, and the L.I.E. between New York and the Hamptons is a freaking zoo from Thursday to Monday.  You've got to get away, and where else but the Internet can you turn for leads and suggestions on how best to escape your own personal music video hell of "Hot Town: Summer in the City."  Flee New York is here for you: Check back all summer long for a regularly updated list of where to find the best summer getaways and escapes from NYC. 

LISTS

The L Magazine's list includes six great suggestions ranging from Hudson River Tubing to Kate's Lazy Meadow Motel in the Catskills. 
[Summer Weekend Getaways: Escape NYC]

New York Magazine's 52 Weekends page is an absolute gold mine.
[52 Weekends out of NYC]

All Getaways has a list of 77 straightforward suggestions...
[New York Weekend Getaways]

Gridskipper has lots of slightly off-center Hamptons coverage and tips.
[Gridskipper Hamptons page]

NYC Pulse has a list of 10 top beaches in the NYC area.
[NYC Summer Beaches]

UTILITY

Airfare Watchdog keeps a close eye on flights out of town.  Some of their discounts are astonishing.
[Airfare Watchdog NYC list]

Travelocity's last-minute packages can sometimes be a good option for getting you up to Maine or Canada.
[Last Minute Packages]

VRBO is a great place to start looking for house and cabin rentals upstate and everywhere else.
[Vacation Rentals By Owner Online]

Vacationing Along The Canals of New York State

Though it may seem like an ancient relic of elementary school songs and a bygone era of manufacturing, the Erie Canal and many waterways like it still exist and even thrive.  And, lately, the canals of New York State have been attempting to reinvent themselves as vacation destinations.

We just discovered a very interesting travel website - NyCanals.com.  It's dedicated to promoting vacations, daytrips, and recreation along the Erie Canal and several other New York State canals. 

According to the site:

Canal cruising, a European-style holiday, is truly a vacation filled with adventure. ... From new canal harbors and waterfronts, to more than 220 miles of Canalway Trails along its waterline, no matter how you float it, boaters enjoy 524 miles of surprise after surprise.



“Most people still do not realize that the New York Canal System offers boaters an alternative to cruising the ocean or lakes,” said Matthew Behrmann, Director of the New York Canal Corporation. “Traveling along one of the Canals is a wonderful boating trip because each mile is filled with new adventures.”

Owned and operated by the New York State Canal Corporation, the 524-mile New York State Canal System is a network of navigable, inland waterways that take travelers to nearly every major city in New York State – a necklace of more than 40 communities.

The site has a ton of history relating to the canals, as well as tips on plum sections of the system that have been converted to recreational or entertainment use.  You'll also find tips for chartering a canal cruise or renting your own houseboat and seeing the state under your own power.

If we had a week to spare this summer, this might be something we'd look into!

LINK: [Vacationing on The Canals of New York State] 

Last Minute Memorial Day Weekend Getaways For New Yorkers

If a three-day weekend of sin sounds like your idea of a relaxing Memorial Day holiday, then Atlantic City, or even Las Vegas are still both very much on the table.  The two entertainment capitals have never been more affordable.  In fact, New York Magazine's just completed a comprehensive feature about where to find the best deals.  [Las Vegas - Sinning on the Cheap]

For last minute deals to Atlantic City, Vegas, or elsewhere, you'll want to check our Travelocity's "Last Minute" packages.  It's also worth trying sidestep.com and kayak.com to search for discounted airfare and hotel packages. 

Looking to rent a cabin, house, or secure a room in a bed and breakfast?  You can search Vacation Rentals by Owner and find out what's still available for the weekend.  (Probably not much - but it's worth a try!) [VRBO]

Looking to plan a last-minute Memorial Day trip around a random, special event in New York State?  The State Tourism board's blog has a roundup of Memorial Day Events eing held around the state, including fun at Bellaeyre Mountain, special lectures at The Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library, and a quilting convention in Sackett Harbor, NY.  [Memorial Day Weekend Events in New York State]

Of course, you have the option of planning a "Stay-cation" and making the best out of exploring what the city has to offer.  For suggestions on this strategy, check out our "Flee New York in New York" section.  And if you've never checked it out, the local "New Yorkology" blog has some decent suggestions for NYC stay-cation options.

Fleeing New York For The Weekend or Longer? Here's The Latest on Interesting Options.

The New York Post's travel section is running a great series this year on getaways to all 50 states. [50 States, 50 Stories - NYP]

New York Magazine has some tips on the plummeting cost of a luxurious weekend in Miami. [5-Point Weekend Escape Plan: Upscale Miami]

Want to Flee New York in New York?  Why not make plans to do something no one's done in eight years?  The Statue of Liberty's Crown is will again on July 4. [New Yorkology: Statue of Liberty Crown Reopening]

Curious about our ugly step-sister to the South?  The New York Times spent a weekend exploring the latest interesting stuff in Philadelphia.  Their assessment?  "Philadelphia's evolution from day trip to destination city is such that you can spend a long weekend there without visiting any 18th-century sites, and not even miss them."  [36 Hours in Philadelphia - NYT]

And this is probably the most useful link of all.  Check out this comprehensive list of websites that the NYT's "frugal traveler," Matt Gross, uses to do his travel research.  There were a couple interesting sites on the list we hadn't seen before, such as Oanda.com -- a one-stop shopping spot to compare the latest foreign exchange rates. [Research: The Traveler's Best Friend - NYT]

New York Travel and Getaway Blog Roundup

1. This is a pretty good find.  Four different bed and breakfasts in Ithaca are offering a free night's stay this Spring to hybrid drivers.  Why not rent a Prius and enjoy a cost-effective weekend upstate? [I Love NY Blog]


2. Check out 111 New Yorkers talking about where they'd like to escape to ... and why. [NY MAG]


3. Is Buffalo a realistic Spring getaway destination?  The New York Post thinks so! [NY Post]


4. With the recession on, Atlantic City is offering deeper discounts than ever before.  [NY Daily News]


5. Find out how Twitter is helping travelers the World over -- with timely advice from strangers. [NYT Frugal Traveler]

NYC Getaway and Weekend Trip List

Here at Flee New York, our plan is to become increasingly utilitarian.  Never mind the editorializing, we mean to put useful information straight in front of you.  (Then you can take it or leave it!)  Here is our ongoing list of great web resources to plan getaways and weekend trips out of New York City.  If we're missing a great resource, please leave a comment!

NY Mag: A weekend trip for every week in the year... [52 Weekends]
Trip Advisor: Page devoted to NYC Getaways [Weekend Getaways From New York]
L Magazine: Save gas, stay put in the city, enjoy... [Great Piece on Getting Away Locally]
NY Mag: Turn up the romance [Romantic Weekend Getaways]
Long Island.com: Official L.I. travel site. [Long Island Vacation Site]
Flee NY: Garden State getaway options... [New Jersey Getaways]

Winter Getaways From NYC

Tourist hoards invading midtown got you down?  Ice rinks and giant Christmas trees strike loathing in your heart?  Us too.  Below find some suggestions for getting out of town during the holiday season and beyond. 

1. Though you might not think of the tip of Long Island as a particularly desirable destination, Montauk in Winter can actually be quite nice.


2. Keep an eye on Airfare Watchdog's New York flights, as you can generally cop very cheap flights to place like Fort Lauderdale (Currently $159), Miami ($139) and Palm Springs ($265) if some hotter weather is what you're after.


3. The New York State Tourism board has a searchable database of winter fun. 


4. NYCSki and board offers ski and board daytrips out of the city. 


5. The nearest-to-NYC cross-country skiing site with groomed trails is Fahnestock Winter Park.


6. New Jersey has some nice outdoor activities for winter as well. 

New York Wine Month Offers October Getaway and Daytrip Fun

 

October is New York wine month, and vineyards and wineries from Long Island, to the Hudson Valley, to the Catskills and Adirondacks are offering special promotions and tours all month long.  It's certainly worth identifying some vineyards you'd like to visit this month -- as the weather is lovely and the ownership and staff are well-prepared to show you a good time.   Check out the New York Wine Month website for a searchable page of all the participating wineries, vineyards and restaurants around NY state. 

Also, the USA Today recently ran a great story on winemaking in the Hudson Valley.  It's worth a read as well.

LINK: [Winemaking roots go deep in the Hudson Valley Soil]

The USA Today piece also included a great video of grape stomping festivities at the Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY.

Photo: Richard Giles LINK: [New York Wine Month]

Fall Foliage Drives Out of New York City

Looking to get out of the city and enjoy the emergence of autumn and the brilliant fall foliage display in upstate New York and New England?  We can't blame you.  The country is gorgeous this time of year.  Below, find some resources for planning your fall foliage day trip or weekend getaway:

Guide: Fall Foliage in Upstate New York [Round the Bend]

Fall Foliage on the Eastern Seaboard: [About.com]

Fall Travel in the Catskills [Travel & Leisure]

Collection of fall foliage links for photographers [PhotoTravel]

Fall Foliage Getways and Travel Ideas [Escapemaker]