One can call me non-committal, but I won’t let go of my car just yet. Although I take the subway or walk or ride my bike everywhere, there are too many interesting things to drive to on a long weekend to get rid of my car. I haven’t been in one place for a full 3 weeks since I graduated from high school; leaving town on the weekends is my way of live.

Being from Fort Worth and Austin, I’m not used to thinking “oh, well, there is a beach close by” so, now that i’m on the east coast this thought occurred to me: “there is a beach close by and we should totally try to get to it”. Initially, we set out for Coney Island, taking advice that it would be easier to drive. When we got there, we couldn’t find a place to park. We drove around and around the same blocks weaving through pedestrians and around and under bridges being ever so cautious to not turn right on red and keep the one way street signs in sight. It was hopeless, so, when we ended up at the highway entrance we decided to just head out to Rockaway Beach.

To our pleasant surprise, parking was free that day, so, after finding a gap in the umbrellas and towels in which to settle, we ate cheeseburgers, put our toes into the water, decided it was too cold, and fell asleep in the sun.

Barton Springs was also too cold for me, but this was even chillier.

After an evening of beer and conversation, a friend and I stumbled upon the High Line and decided to walk the length of it as the sun set. I fell in love. I wouldn’t call it a get away spot, but it would be a great place to sit and read in the sun on a day off that isn’t Central Park. Its rather dreamy, but lately there has been some buzz about exhibitionists in a hotel that overlooks the park.

So, the other weekend, I grabbed the girl with the big smile and headed out into the Catskills for a weekend of camping. My very good friend Jessica grew up in New Paltz and has been suggesting we explore her hometown.

Somehow, between Texas and New York, I lost my ability to read a map. We made our way up to New Paltz just fine, but once we left the town, I had no idea where to go. We weaved our way through the Catskills, expecting to find a camp site by following signs, but the signs were lacking. The map seemed to say we were in the middle of a large park, but there was no outside indication of this. Were we in the park? Is my map out of date? Are we somewhere else?

After pulling over in frustration to figure out a better plan than driving about aimlessly, we spotted a bulletin board across the highway from us with park information. It was the only indication that a park was anywhere close to us that we could find, and weeds were growing up around it. After taking a photo of directions to a nearby campground, we headed out with confidence.

The campground was exactly what we wanted. It had a nice canopy of tall trees, fire pit, and level ground for the tent in addition to the family reunion in the sites next door that provided free live musical entertainment via an 8 year old violinist.

After waking to “Its not fair! They took our firewood!” the next morning, I wondered if I was the culprit. We decided to go for a hike. I got lost again on the way to the trail, which I didn’t realize until we read the name of the trailhead we had found. Its in the same spot… kind of. We followed the turns, everything looked right, it just wasn’t where we thought we should be. It was a trail nonetheless, so, we set out uphill to find a great view from the top of an old fire watch tower.

I decided to replace the Texas Hill Country with the Catskills as a weekend getaway destination. There are more hikes to go on, and more campsites and towns to explore. We’re bringing the GPS next time, though.

I took the “Do you belong in NYC?”:

DO YOU BELONG IN NYC?
Yes, but sometimes you wish there were a better option.
You do love New York, and you fit in here better than you have anywhere else. You’re committed to the city, and you take advantage of all of its amazing food, culture, nightlife and arts. But you have nagging doubts about this relationship. Spend your whole life here? Not sure about that. Sometimes you wonder about that farm in your fantasies or even just a smaller city. But in reality, you know there’s nowhere better. Click here for suggestions about how to really enjoy NYC.

Do you belong in New York City?