A FiPS Guide To the 5 Best Getaways Within An Hour From The Slope

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We love Brooklyn, but sometimes to appreciate the charms of NYC, you need a break. So, to aid in your imminent end-of-summer planning, I've picked my 5 favorite getaways that are located just outside the city.

Croton Point Park / Photo via www.new-york.eventseekr.com

1. For the Outdoorsy-Type: Croton Point Park; Croton-on-Hudson, NY

What To Do: Camping, picnicing, boating, fishing, and hiking are all at your fingertips at the Croton Point Park. Take a cooler and head out for the day or stay overnight at one of their cabins or BYO tent. 

Getting There: Rent a Car and be there in 1.5 hours (which is advised, and yes, it's a little more than an hour) or Metro North to Croton Harmon + 1.3 mi walk

How Much?: A 6-person cabin will run you $75 or a tent site for $50, plus the cost of rental car and road snacks. Free to visit.

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My Gear To Go Hiking Adventure

This past weekend I checked out one of Park Slope's Gear To Go Outfitters organized trips. Even though my outdoorsy experience as a kid was limited to backyard tents and a two hour trail into Appalachian Mountains, I was game for a new adventure.

This past Sunday morning I set out with 2 liters of water, sunscreen and a camera in a borrowed backpack. Aside from organized trips, Gear To Go Outfitters is the only full-service outfitter in the area that sells and rents everything you could possibly need for hiking and backpacking. I didn't need many supplies, for the nine mile trek along the Shawangunks was low on elevation change but long in distance.

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WHO GIVES A SHIT: Do You Hate Traveling To The Motherfucking Suburbs As Much As I Do?

I'm gonna go out on limb here and make some predictions:

• Many of you have relatives that live in Connecticut, New Jersey, or Long Island.
• These relatives want you to come and visit them ALL THE MOTHER HUMPIN TIME
• These relatives also think that it's no biggie to come visit them ALL THE MOTHER HUMPIN TIME cause there are "easy" public transportation choices available to you! Yay! Take a train! Take a bus! Take the subway, to the train, to a bus, to a car!

Here's the thing, suburban ppl: most of the time, these trips are a TOTAL FUCKING NIGHTMARE.

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Babies Banned in First Class on Air Malaysia

 

Here's how I imagine first class on Air Brooklyn: flight attendants of ambiguous ethnic origin and sexual identity serve classic cocktails and a dinner includes truffled mac n' cheese, a beet and goat cheese salad and a salted caramel tart. The inflight movie selection is sorted by auteur, and on your headset you can listen to Jonathan Franzen reading excerpts from the latest New York Review of Books. But most importantly, every seat has a built-in cradle and the aisles are stroller width. Despite the fact that (luckily) this airline only exists in my brain, Air Malaysia has still managed to position itself as the anti-Air Brooklyn by banning infants in first class. 

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Show Me Your Daytrips! City Slickers Hit the Sticks

It's hard to blog about Park Slope when I am avoiding it as much as possible. So, for the moment, I'm fucked in the Catskills.  Deal with it.

And let's face it: it's just a parallel summer universe of Park Slope anyway. I can't get down the country road but for the 718 t-shirts. And some kids I've never seen before have taken up residence on my goddamn hammock!

Yesterday, in my ongoing quest to broaden junior's horizons, we went mountain-climbing in the Gunks. As you can see, the kid couldn't wait.

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