Day Trips from NYC

The Vineyards of Long Island -a great outing on a summer's day as most of them offer tastings and tours and offer a great way to discover locally produced wines- http://www.liwines.com/.

The beaches of Long Island are yet another favorite summertime getaway for me. I have friends who live in Babylon in Long Island and through them we do have access to the private community beaches but aside from these private beaches there are ton of public access beaches like Jones Beach which are easily accessible via the LIRR from Penn station and offer concerts and other events..aha summer...

The Milleridge Inn in Hicksville - just a short drive from the train station - is a bit kitschy, but rather fun - it's an old country inn with a sort of reconstructed colonial village (very Ye Olde) attached. Rye Playland was quite popular for daytrips when I was younger; is that still around? The rides were a bit creepy - really, scarier than what I remember of Disneyland or other fairgrounds, and some of the haunted houses left me traumatized - but nevertheless...

Last summer I really wanted to visit Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, but never had the time. Here are some resources for easy day trips to take around the city: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/d/day_trips_around_new_york_city/index.html http://gonyc.about.com/od/daytrips/Easy_Day_Trips_from_New_York_City.htm

My favorite place to is the Roosevelt Field Mall. At least that is where my friend and I go on occasion.

What does everyone think of the Hamptons? I've visited for a couple of weekends, but ultimately I found the scene a bit pretentious - sort of like a slightly more rural NYC. If I'm going to do a getaway, I want to, well, get away - not see the same people/crowd/restaurants I see in NYC.

Hey, ajadeidealist, how about fleshing out some of your suggestions with some conrete tips on how to get there, etc. I'm interested in doing a couple of day trips soon as the weather gets a little better, but wouldn't really know where to start.

I havent been to the Hamptons as yet but I am surprised to see that the Hampton Jitney bus service(http://www.hamptonjitney.com/) is running in the winter as well. Who enjoys going to the beach in the winter? Is there a winter scene in the Hamptons as well ajadediealist?

Sure, Uraniumfish! For the Cloisters, just take the M4 bus on Fifth Avenue all the way uptown to its final destination. Mystic CT and Great Barrington can both be accessed via Amtrak bus from Port Authority - Great Barrington is about three hours, while Mystic CT is barely one. Or take the Long Island Ferry to Mystic for a more scenic option.

What is at the Hampton's? I heard so much about it. I know it is a shore point, but does anything exciting go on there?

@ajadeidealist Are these kinds of day trip destinations (Mystic and Great Barrington) okay to do without planning too much, or do you really need to know where you're going? If I just get on the train and land there, am I likely to have a decent time just wandering around, or do I really need to know my way?

The Hamptons is a set of villages in Long Island. They are by the seaside and are attractive destinations in summertime. New Yorkers who can afford to do so all have luxury beach homes in the Hamptons, so it gets obscenely social in summertime, with everybody who's anybody in the celebrity world, etc, throwing parties in their big houses. Everyone else who can't afford such accomodations usually can rent a little room in a bungalow, and take their little towel and sunscreen lotion, and try to claim a little square of the over-crowded beach. That's what the Hamptons is. I find the whole celebrity gawking obscene and want no part of it. I also had a lot of trouble enjoying the natural beauty of the beaches for all those ridiculously large crowds of people. I can't imagine having a good time in a place like that. Since I have lived in Florida, I can be a real snob insofar as the quality of beaches, and unfortunately by the Hamptons it gets ruined by the people!

@ Uraniumfish apparently now many of those big guns who own property in the Hamptons can't make their payments and foreclosures are on the rise in record numbers . Guess the 2010 summer season will be a little subdued in the Hamptons. Btw the beaches that I go to in Long Island are relatively quite deserted and not high profile as the Hamptons though the water is nowhere as clean as Florida and the Caribbean. However they provide for a nice day outing during the NYC summers. -http://www.hamptons.com/Real-Estate/National-Headlines/9845/Foreclosure-Threat-Hits-Hamptons-Big-Shots.html

@Uraniumfish - I think both destinations are great for people just landing, as it were, albeit in different ways. Mystic is a small, charming town with loads of Bed and Breakfasts - the big scene there is the shipbuilding museums, as well as standard New England coziness. GB is a great place to spend a weekend - there's a rather nice Days Inn in the town itself near the bus stop if you're literally hopping off with no destination, but its big draw to me is its fantastic restaurants (there's one on Railroad Street that used to be called Verdura but changed the name...down at the end right hand side of the street), the lovely walks, and the artsy scene - Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillar, etc., are nearby. Also expensive but worth it is Mohonk Mountain House. Go for the day to hike or have lunch, or stay overnight - call ahead to get picked up from the Amtrak New Paltz station.

Thanks, ajadeidealist. I can't wait for decent weather to start a-roamin'.

Ahhh, this is great. I want to do a lot of weekend / day trips this spring and summer. Well, I really want to go to St Barth's and maybe never come back. But, I suppose these will do. :) Haven't ever been to the Cape; but, I heard that's really beautiful in the summer as well. Anyone go there often / at all?

Even if I were a celebrity, i wouldn't want to go to an overcrowded beach. I'm not a beach person anyway. I prefer to go on the boardwalk and play skeetball, or other arcade games. If the Hamptons do not have this, than forget them. I'll go to Long Beach where there is a boardwalk.

I know what the Hamptons are in general, but aren't their beaches on a bay? Doesn't seem as wonderful as the open ocean....

@BroadwayBK: I've never been to the Hamptons for any reason. This is why I was curious to know what was there. Based on comments in this forum, I think I'll just go to Long Beach or Robert Moses, although Robert Moses does not have a boardwalk. But there beaches are pretty clean and they have a life guard on duty.

Montauk is awesome and way way better than the Hamptons. I agree the scene in the Hamptons isn't something I want to go near.

I've never been to Montauk. How is it compared to Long Beach?

@DBlack I agree Montauk is lovely especially the view from the top of the Montauk Lighthouse.. spectacular ..

@ hhusted Montauk is a lot more remote and secluded. More famous people live in Montauk. It's also harder to get to, and has a more romantic quality, probably. I don't know how to compare it since I don't know Long Beach all that well.

Can you go to Montauk and enjoy a day without necessarily owning a house out there? And if so, where and how?