Category: Getaway
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A summer road trip to Syracuse and Montreal
Earlier this month, Paola and I took a combined train and road trip from New York to Syracuse and to Montreal and back. We left New York City by train first thing in the morning on July 4th to meet my parents for holiday festivities. We spent the evening grilling on their porch, managed to…
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How we traveled in First Class by train from New York to Boston for a great price
Due to the happy confluence of a work trip and a summer sale on Amtrak Acela tickets, Paola and I had the good luck to travel together to Boston. Only this time, we did it in First Class! For the longest time, I’ve received 12-hour upgrade coupons from Amtrak. They have two big stipulations: I…
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The Villages, Florida: Disneyland for retirees
My parents bought a home for their retirement a few years ago in Central Florida in what used to be “cow country” and citrus groves, but is now a city called The Villages. It’s a senior living community where you must be over 55 years old to be a resident. It’s also one of the…
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Panam, Mexico’s most Mexican sneakers
When I first saw a pair of vintage-inspired Panam sneakers on my first trip to Mexico, I wanted a pair for myself. The only issue was I couldn’t find my size anywhere! While it’s very common for shoes in Mexico to not reach my size, it reinforced the shoe’s unattainability and local cache. So when…
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Our first and hopefully not final Frontier flight
The price was shocking: $285 for two round-trip tickets from Long Island to Orlando, Florida for Christmas. At this late date, every other airline was nearly $400 or more for one ticket! The last straw was when I realized that United, the cheapest “normal” option, was now charging for carry-on bags in Economy. There’s always…
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Transcending time in a New York cab
It’s 4:20 in the morning and I can see the stars. This is a bit glamorous, I think as I flag down a taxi on a nearly deserted Third Avenue below our apartment. I have had plenty of early morning flights, but this will be my first pre-dawn departure since moving to Manhattan over three…
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Quick escapes from New York City by bus
There’s nothing quite like stepping off the bus onto the street of a new city on a Friday night to face its new sights, sounds, and smells. We like to get out of New York for the weekend from time to time, and the cheaper and quicker we can do it, the more time and money we…
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New York State Campgrounds and the Adirondacks
Camping at a New York State campground is a balance between nature and comfort at an attractive price point. You can reserve and research online, though until you’re there, you’re not quite sure what you’ll get. We had a lot of questions and everything turned out fine, so this is my effort to share what…
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Weekend Getaway to Storm King Art Center
Imagine you could book a semi-organized day trip outside New York without getting in a car or bus. Well, you can, with Metro-North Getaways, which offer round-trip on the train and discount museum and event tickets. We’ve been big fans of the Metro-North option for some time, having done the Farm Fresh tours twice, Dia:Beacon,…
Hops Trains and Backpacks 