Near NY but not NY!

Strange question perhaps but....

I will be flying to New York (Newark) on business mid-August and will have a few days to spare.

We have been to NY for a few city breaks and would like to go somewhere else (luxurious of course!) but still within easy distance of Newark airport.

Any recommendations from all you experts out there?

We'd be looking for: good food and wine, relaxation but with a few things to see, excellent accomodation, perhaps a bit of culture depending on how tired we are...lol.

All interesting suggestions welcome.

As most of NY and NJ will be heading for either the Jersey shore or the Long Island beaches, I am definitely not going to suggest those. Instead, I suggest you rent a car and head north from Newark along the Hudson.

About 2 hours north of EWR are several charming historic towns along the Hudson. Local attractions include Kykuit, the Rockefeller family estate http://www.hudsonvalley.org/kykuit/index.htm

and the Franklin D. Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park. Make lunch or dinner reservations at the nearby Culinary Institute of America. There are (perhaps surprisingly) several wineries along the Hudson in this area (NY is the 4th largest wine producing state in the US)



Other sites nearby are the home of Washington Irving (Sunnyside) http://www.hudsonvalley.org/sunnyside/index.htmand also the US military academy at West Point.





For lodging, there are many small, lux inns with a focus on local wine and produce in their restaurants.

One such place: http://www.lepetitchateauinn.com/

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cruisinred wrote:

I suggest you rent a car and head north from Newark along the Hudson.

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Thank you - great suggestions.

I f you want to be closer to Newark airport, check out the latest NJ beach destination (recently redone and now high end) Long Branch. Check out http://www.oceanplaceresort.com/. The boardwalk had a total makeover, they have great restaurants, shopping, beach activities, etc. It was recently featured on CNBC as a new beach destination in NJ and best of all very close to NYC and of course Newark Airport so no worries if you get caught in the summer beach traffic, because you won't have far to drive ! http://www.ddg-usa.com/Projects/Pier_Village/A.jpg









http://images.google.com/url?q=http:...e8eF0tdy42_08w

That looks so cool--great pics, too. I would never have considered it.

If you rent a car and like to go to casinos you have Antlantic City to go to and its been upgraded beautifully in the past year or so

These are all great suggestions. I grew up in that region and think you will be more likely to find what you are looking for in Northern NJ or New York State. The coast gets pretty over-crowded in the summers with weekend warriors. Plus - the humidity can be a real issue.

Thank you for all the great suggestions.

I hadn't thought very much about humidity - very good point!

I'll report back if / when we take the trip.

I live in the Hudson Valley, NY and I agree that the Jersey shore is too crowded this time of year. If you like to avoid crowds you might consider coming this way instead .

http://www.ulstertourism.info/todo/index.html

http://www.ulstertourism.info/todo/index.html

http://www.dutchesstourism.com/

http://www.dutchesstourism.com/thingstodo.asp

Here's an auction for the area:

http://www.luxurylink.com/auctions/auc_detail.php?id=180524&WT.ac=MOPLEXS