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Inexpensive camp-like location for very small conference?

anarchivist — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:55:31 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for a location in New York or southern New England to have a 3 day/2 night unconference for a 25-30 folks max, relatively close to transportation. I'm envisioning something like a camp with cabins, electricity, a usable kitchen, and a common room for meals and discussion space. Most importantly, it needs to be cheap. I'm envisioning something like the camps at Fort Flagler, on the Puget Sound. I'd stayed there for a family reunion last year, and we had the run of a building that could sleep roughly 30 people. It had a nice industrial kitchen, which made preparing meals for hungry relatives quite easy. We also had access to a mess hall/rec room in another building.

We'd like to self-cater to save money and to build community, so kitchens are preferable. In terms of price, I'm hoping that the lodging would be no more than $30 a head. We don't need wifi, a projector, etc., but having electricity in the space(s) would be helpful.

Location-wise, I'd like something in an area where people could swim, hike, etc., which is also accessible (say, within 10-15 miles) of the train or bus. I'm based in New Haven, but I'm expecting plenty of people from NYC and a small handful from western Massachusetts and Boston. If I had my druthers, I'd love for something that was reasonably accessible from MTA Metro-North trains or Amtrak.

If anyone has personal recommendations, I'm particularly interested in hearing them. I've thought about scout camps, but I don't know if non-scouting people have access to them. The one place I've identified as a potential candidate is the Taconic Outdoor Education Center, near Cold Spring, NY, but I can't tell from the site if you can use the kitchen.

Last Second President's Day Long Weekend Trip - NYC area

Great Swell — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:10:33 -0800

Last minute long weekend holiday getaway, Doable? Advice needed on taking a belated Valentines long weekend with my sweetie. We're in NYC and would prefer to drive. (Or take a train if the place is really acessable). A very nice hotel in the country would be great, we don't need a bunch of outside entertainment - beautiful scenery a plus. We're looking to leave late Thursday or early Friday and return early/mid-Monday. A hundred miles driving time would be ideal, we don't want to waste hours in the car or the train, but this is flexible. A resort or semi-contained hotel (ski lodge? We don't ski...) or a fancy B&B is I think what we're looking for, A getaway that doesn't require a jet trip, and provides maximum relaxation time. LGBT friendly a must. Iconoclastic regional weirdness welcome. Where should we look under short notice.

Where to take a 30th birthday long weekend near NYC?

toomuchkatherine — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:47:39 -0800

I'm turning 30 in two weeks. Help me find a great ~4-day trip not too far from New York to celebrate it. My 30th birthday is June 26. I'm hoping to get out of town (NYC) for it; I don't have *too* much angst about turning 30, but I hope not to be sung "Happy Birthday" to in a local dive. And I've been meaning to explore the great Northeast more anyway.

I prefer the mountains to the beach, and am looking for someplace fun to go within a reasonable (6 hour?) train or car ride from New York City. I'd like to stay in a fun funky town, small city, or rural area. Hudson Valley? Vermont? Adirondacks? Lake Placid? Maine (too far?)? I don't have a tent of my own, so no utter backpacking, but I do like to hike etc.

I've been all over Western Massachusetts, because I have family there; it's nice, but I want to try something new. I will probably be on my own for one or two nights, and joined by the bf for the next part.

Would love any suggestions for towns or specific accommodations. I'm not super flush but am willing to spend a bit to make this a nice getaway.

NYC -> BOS: Coastal Route?

AwkwardPause — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:47:49 -0800

NYC -> BOS via coastal route: where to stop on the way? I'll be driving from NYC to Boston this Saturday, and will have time to do some stops along the way. The plan, as of now, is to gun it to New Haven, and then try to take the coastal route to Boston (probably Rte 1 to 138 to 24) -- where are some good, quirky, or beautiful places to stop on the way? We're into seafood (doesn't need to be fancy) and greasy spoons, but non-food suggestions are welcome, too.

Honeymoon Roadtrip Advice!

HBWonderful — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:22:48 -0800

In order to avoid involvement in the general wedding preparations, I selflessly offered to book our entire honeymoon as a surprise. The plan is to spend 3 weeks in August touring the North-Eastern states. So far, however, I have only managed to book flights from England to New York and back. I now have 2 flights, 3 weeks apart, and a big void between them. After exhaustive research on this site, tripadvisor and others, I am just exhausted. I'm not much closer to finalizing plans, let alone getting anything booked. Perhaps you could help? This is the long-list of places I am considering visiting. Despite several visits to the US I haven't been to any of these previously. I don't suppose I can fit them all in in just 3 weeks though:

NYC
Boston
The White Mountains
The Green Mountains
Cape Cod
Rhode Island
Bar Harbor
Portland, ME
Stowe
Lake George or similar in the Adirondacks
Martha's Vineyard

As a rough driving guide I was thinking of heading up the Hudson into the Adirondacks, then across VT into Maine to Bar Harbor, then back down Route 1 along the coast towards Boston, then off to Cape Cod area, RI, CT and back to NYC.

Our likes:
Easy (for me) to moderate hiking and biking
Great scenery; lakes, mountains, forests, cityscapes etc.
Good food of all varieties, from world-class restaurants to Lobster rolls from roadside shacks.
Shopping, outlet malls etc.
Sunbathing, picnics and lazy adventures
Blagging our way into upmarket parties at yacht clubs, private resorts and the like.

Some problems:

How much of this can I realistically fit into 3 weeks? I don't want to be on the road every other day
If you were going to do this route, what would you cut out? What would be a must-see?
Am I too late to book some of these places in August?
I am hiring a car. We are staring in NYC for the first few days. I have no problem with driving in cities (even on the wrong side of the road) but will I need one in NYC?