offManhattan

Even the most devoted pet owners admit that one of the prices of puppy love is a less spur-of–the-moment lifestyle. Booking kennels and finding dog-sitters can put a damper on last minute getaway plans.

Fortunately, we have found seven weekend destinations that welcome you and your pooch so you can still indulge in that spontaneous trip out of town. Metro North, New Jersey Transit, and LIRR accept small domestic pets on board, but they don’t specify a weight or size limit. Your dog needs to be in a carrier for the journey, so this is an excuse to use that chic, over-priced doggie-bag that you hoped would come in handy.

1. Audrey’s Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast, Wallkill, NY

Human Instincts: This five-room, 1740’s inn feels like your very own country home. Nestled in the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains, this meticulously-restored bed and breakfast is a great place to cozy up around the fireplace. On-premise owners take care of all of your whims, and room rates include a five-course breakfast. Relax in the outdoor Jacuzzi year-round, and dip in the pool in warmer months. You are welcome to use the spacious communal kitchen to prepare meals and snacks. Just a short stroll from Audrey’s is the Bruynswick Inn, where Brittany-born chef Jean Boulidor will delight you with a memorable dinner. For reservations, call 845.895.1147.

Pooch Package: Charming owners Don and Audrey estimate that 85% of guests bring their dogs, so every package is pet-friendly. There are bound to be other dogs to meet and greet, so make sure that your pet is well socialized. The inn has an off-leash policy, so dogs are encouraged to explore every nook and cranny of the farmhouse and its five acres of woods and lawns. Food and water bowls are provided and bedtime treats are the rule. A two night minimum stay is required.

How to get there: Take Metro North Hudson line to Poughkeepsie, where you will transfer to the Ulster-Poughkeepsie Link bus to New Paltz. Call Don and he will pick you up at the bus station in New Paltz: 845.895.3440.

It may be a Hallmark holiday, but Valentine’s Day is also a fine excuse to use that get-out-of-town-free-card. Well, maybe not free. But these hotels do feature fabulous packages at a variety of price points that are sure to help cupid shoot his arrow.

Here are five unique and relaxing hotel options for a romantic getaway near New York City that all have one beautiful thing in common—they are accessible without a car. (Your shmoopie will think it’s hot you care about the environment, trust us.)

Next week, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut will open Bike Rides: The Exhibition, which will celebrate bike culture with artworks and Lance Armstrong and David Byrne bikes. Opening party welcomes the public on October 4. [AldrichArt]

The casino entrepreneur who made a Vegas water fountain dance is taking a gamble on Ozone Park in Queens for his next adult playground. [CrainsNY]

The Red Hook place that packs a mean Watermelon Gin Punch has temporarily closed but will reopen “bigger and better.” [NYMag]

Either we’re too tired or too busy, at the beach, in a movie, or watching people cook on TV, but somehow, somewhere along the way, art got left out. Here is a list of eight expiring museum exhibits from New York City to Boston that are worth a cultural escape from Manhattan.

What: International Festival of Arts & Ideas

When: Saturday, June 27th

Where: New Haven, Connecticut

Why: For the past 14 years, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas has paired arts programming with a plethora of panels and conversations on current and international affairs. While the world is in a constant state of change, the tragic series of events that have unfolded in recent weeks and days allows this year’s festival themes of Global Identities and Local Heroes to resonate with heartbreaking significance. “We look to the festival’s global storytellers to uncover universal narratives and celebrate the richness of myriad perspectives,” said Mary Lou Aleskie, the annual event’s executive director. True to this, festival goers have a cultural panorama of exhibitions to visit this Saturday, spanning theater, dance, opera, music, and programs about the ideas behind these arts.

If you are a fan of American literature or if you went to high school at some point over the last 100 years, then you have read at least one or more of Mark Twain’s 30 books. Knowing him as a novelist, satirist, humorist, and worldwide lecturer, I was curious to explore the West Hartford home he lived in during his most productive period in the latter part of the 19th century. In a brief span of years, he wrote such classics as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and The Prince and the Pauper, to name just a few.

SUMMER, when New Yorkers flee to the Hamptons or to their rooftop gardens, recoiling from the swarm of tourists, is finally near. This season, forgo the immediate urge to do the habitual, and consider outer-borough travel; take the train to New Haven.

Smaller, lesser-known cities—yes, even the ones without subway systems—are often hidden gems. This past weekend I had a chance to explore an important connector on the Long Island Sound between New York and Boston. New Haven, Connecticut, a city with a rich history of architecture and industry and home to Yale University, is one Metro-North stop worth checking out.

Many “college towns” are just that—a suburb that houses a large university, which in turn spurs a downtown development with restaurants and shopping, mostly to provide services to the student body and capitalize on their spending potential. The area’s “urban-ness” is often only a byproduct of the academics. New Haven is different. While Yale’s huge effect on the local economy cannot be ignored, New Haven was always an urban area. In fact, its current downtown street grid and central green, laid out in 1638, is one of the first examples of urban planning in the country. Nearly a century before the academia of Yale set foot in the city, New Haven’s downtown was already in motion.