New York City is the best, but sometimes a city break is an absolute necessity.  During the summer, a beach day is a nice escape.  But fall is a perfect time to explore the hiking trials and cute towns upstate, along the Hudson River.

Beacon, New York and Storm King Art Center

Storm King Art Center is a 500 acre outdoor museum and sculpture park.  It is about an hour outside of the city, and the perfect day trip for those who don’t want to actually hike.  The entrance fee is $18, although if you still happen to have a college ID without an expiration date you can get in for only $8!  Plan on spending several hours wandering and exploring the sculptures, while getting in your daily steps.  Bring a picnic lunch or stop for food and drinks at one of the cafés or food carts.

Getting to Storm King is easiest by car.  However, as most people in the city don’t have a car, the train is another good option.  Take the Metro-North to Beacon and a shuttle will take you from the train to the museum.  It will cost you an additional $20 and you need to book it in advance.  But considering it’s really the only option, aside from getting an Uber once you get off the train, it’s worth it to avoid any hassle.

After spending time at Storm King, take the shuttle back to the Beacon train station and explore the quaint town.   The main street has lots of shops, restaurants and bars to explore.  We stopped for drinks at Meyer’s Olde Dutch Food and Such and Melzingah Tap House and had a great dinner at The Roundhouse.  The Roundhouse has both indoor and outdoor seating.  The patio area has excellent views overlooking the river and waterfall, and is a bit more casual than inside.  Although we didn’t have time to visit, the Dia:Beacon, a 300,000 square foot art museum, was also highly recommended.  It’s something to check on on a future trip to Beacon for sure.

Peekskill, New York

Peekskill is about a 45 minute train ride from the city on the Metro-North.  It is a perfect day trip for hiking, as the Blue Mountain Reservation is just 1.5 miles from the train station and has 22 miles of hiking trials.  There is a free shuttle that will take you from the train station to the foot of the trial and back.  You can spend hours on the trials, climbing your way to the top of Blue Mountain for some great views.

If hiking isn’t on the agenda, but you still are looking for a city break, the Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm is another great day trip option.  Spend some time apple picking, then stop in at the White Hill Vineyard for a glass of wine (or three).  A fun filled day, all in one spot.

After you’ve finished hiking or apple picking, stop in at one of the many restaurants in downtown Peekskill.  In addition to their great local beer selection, I had the maybe best burger of my life at the Peekskill Brewery.   Or if you just want a quick treat, stop for ice cream at The Hudson Creamery, where they have the most interesting flavors (i.e. strawberry balsamic).  Before getting back on the train, take a walk along the water front to admire the views, capping off a great day away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Breakneck Ridge / Cold Spring, New York

The Breakneck Ridge MTA stop is just over an hour train ride from the city.  The actual Breakneck Ridge stop is a tiny little platform that I’m fairly certain was built just for the day trippers coming up from the city.  You have to be in the last train car to get off at the stop, but if it’s a relatively nice weekend you’ll just follow the crowds, because there will be tons of others going the same way.  Once you get off the train, take a right up the road about a half mile, to the foot of the trail.

My friends had warned me about how difficult this hike was, but I was still not prepared.  The first hour and a half or so of this hike is straight mountain climbing.  They call it the “scramble” up the mountain and it’s a very good description.  We thought we had reached the top 3 times before we actually did, but thankfully the views along the way made up for the continued climbing we had to do.  Once you actually reach the top, there are a few different routes you can take back down.  The descent we took, (blue trail) take you to into Cold Spring, where you can stop in for food, drinks and perusing the shops before boarding the train back to NYC.

We had lunch at Le Bouchon, a French restaurant on Main Street.  The restaurant is adorable, built inside a house, with tables on the front porch, where we were lucky enough to get a seat.  The food is excellent and the restaurant is within a 5 minute walk to the train station, to quickly and easily get you back to NYC.

 

Having so many places and things to do, so easily accessible from the city is such a huge perk.  Take advantage of the cooler temps and the fall foliage and get out and explore beautiful New York.