Help me get away from NYC for a weekend

November 20, 2015 11:24 AM

I'd like to go on a short solo vacation during the Thanksgiving weekend, to somewhere green and quiet, where I can just relax and read. I live in New York City and I don't have a car. I also don't want to fly. Where can I go?

Ideally I would leave Thursday morning, stay in a small AirBNB, and return Sunday night. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, but I also understand that this would be a last minute trip during a popular travel day.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

posted by alligatorman to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (13 answers total)

Maybe Hudson NY? Honestly this is sort of a huge challenge though given timing/lack of car....you might want to just visit the Cloisters.
posted by sweetkid at 11:33 AM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I was just thinking of Hudson or Beacon. Hudson is a nice walking-around town, and they have a bar/bookstore combo that would probably be great for hanging out and reading. And I know you just mentioned relaxing and reading, but if you were in Beacon you could visit Dia:Beacon.

Getting there won't be hard because Metro North will take you straight up the Hudson River from Grand Central Terminal, and then you just have to grab a cab to your destination.
posted by Mothlight at 11:38 AM on November 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

Take the train down to Ocean Grove NJ. Beautifully preserved Victorian town. Lots of inns and restaurants. You're right on the ocean beach. You can walk north to explore Asbury Park. Other little towns to the south.
posted by valannc at 11:56 AM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

MetroNorth only goes up to Poughkeepsie, you need to take Amtrak to get to Hudson.
posted by plastic_animals at 11:58 AM on November 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

Might be a little further than you want to go, but Concord Coach just opened up a direct bus line to Portland, ME to NYC. We've got a lot of cool stuff here! And I know that at least two of our delicious Indian food restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving as they always are. There's normally a few other places that do a thanksgiving thing, but those are more of a "make a reservation for a thing" thing.

But yeah. We're a cool place. Very relaxing. Awesome food scene. Not terribly expensive.
posted by mayonnaises at 12:04 PM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Phoenicia, NY in the town of Shandaken! Small village with hip stores, a GREAT library and AirBnB's and motels, restaurants and friendly people, It a two hour bus ride from NYC and, of course, the bus stops in Phoenicia! 2 lovely large streams (almost a river!) surrounded by mountains!
posted by donaken at 12:06 PM on November 20, 2015

Assuming by "green" you just mean outdoorsy/country and not warm. The bus to Ithaca is only 5ish hours (the Cornell Campus to Campus bus is the nicest option, but Shortline is cheaper). The town will be pretty chill since a lot of the Cornell/IC students will be out of town. It's green but walkable (w/ a decent bus system) so you won't be completely stranded; with nice cafes to sit in and read.
posted by melissasaurus at 12:12 PM on November 20, 2015

Princeton, NJ. Take NJ Transit.
Cape May, NJ

Mystic, CT. Stonington, CT. You can get there by train.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:24 PM on November 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Even if you're not skiing there's 1 train a day to Vermont. Plenty of delightful towns up in them hills.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:21 PM on November 20, 2015

Also, Montauk is lovely and most stuff is open this time of year.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:22 PM on November 20, 2015

Further afield, but the train to Montreal takes 11 hours and goes through beautiful countryside while you read. Because it is not Thanksgiving here you won't be struggling quite so much for accommodations and because of the low dollar it would be much cheaper. Quebec is so different from NYC that you will really feel you got away. No snow yet, and kind of greenish.
posted by saucysault at 2:52 PM on November 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

Northampton, MA. Greyhound will get you there in under 5 hours, it's quiet and if you get bored it's got college-y shops, cafes, and theaters.
posted by oryelle at 12:02 PM on November 21, 2015

what did you end up doing OP if you don't mind sharing?
posted by sweetkid at 10:49 AM on December 8, 2015