offManhattan

Peck away at blackberry. Listen to music (a little too loudly). Sleep. All things we see people doing on the morning commute. But the number one subway pastime? Reading: The Times, a magazine, a book, an e-reader. . .Wednesday, September 8, add literary magazine to that list. From 7:30-9:00am that morning, at subway stations throughout Brooklyn, One Story (the brilliant Brooklyn-based mag on a mission to return the short story to its rightful place of glory) and the Brooklyn Book Festival will brighten the morning commute by handing out issues of One Story, along with invitations to a reading during the festival on Sunday, September 12 (12pm). It that doesn’t beat staring off into space, we can’t help you (we’ll be busy reading).

· The Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Centennial exhibit ends this Sunday, September 5. [bbg.org]

· Eat good food and explore another borough at the Asian Feastival this Monday in Queens; proceeds go to the Food Bank For NYC. [AF]

· The 2nd Annual Hamptons Black International Film Festival is September 2-5. [thrillist]

· All your favorite food trucks will gather on Governors Island this Sunday—think Jerk Chicken sandwiches, Peppermint & Chip ice cream, Peking Duck dumplings, local craft beer—for an event called Parked; bring your picnic blanket and have a nice lazy Labor Day weekend. [MeanRedProductions]

· The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival concludes its season this weekend with Troilus and Cressida and The Taming of the Shrew at Boscobel Mansion. [HVSF]

· The Westchester Cycle Club’s Golden Apple Bike Ride is this Sunday. [oM]

· The New York City Unicycle Festival celebrates its first annual event this Saturday. [NewYorker]

· Enjoy a free hot dog when you buy a beer at the Stone Brewing Company BBQ in Brooklyn this Saturday. [Sycamore]

· The last of the free Friday Night Fireworks at Coney Island is tomorrow. [TONY]

On Sunday of Labor Day weekend, the Westchester Cycle Club is putting on an all-level bike ride that goes throughout Westchester and ends with a lunch. At least 1,000 riders are anticipated to attend the Golden Apple bike ride, which covers a range of routes—25, 50, 75, 100 and even 125 miles—over the Croton Gorge, through horse country, and stopping atop a dam for the rewarding views. Longer, faster rides leave earlier. The shorter, slower ones will leave later, at times ranging from 7:30am to 9:30am. When you register, you’ll get links to route maps and turn-by-turn cue sheets (or you can just follow the crowd). Food vendors and marshalls will be staged along the route, and bike shops will have booths at the finish, where lunch is provided.

What SUP? Stand up paddle boarding, a curious combination of surfing and kayaking, has been turning heads on all NY waterways. The sport may be old news to Hawaiians, where Hoe he’e nalu originated, but its recent arrival on the east coast has caused a wave of excitement. If you’re interested in trying this activity—also a great alternative to the gym—one place in the city is now offering a way to hang ten on the Hudson.

Fall is a great time of year to re-energize with a spa weekend. On your next relaxing retreat, stay at one of these five eco-friendly spas—be it in a city, by the sea, by a lake or in a quaint village—without the hassle, expense and environmental hazards of driving. Check out our list of spa getaways near NYC for ideas.

· On Saturday, trot north of NYC for an evening horseback ride, hayride and fireside cookout; public transportation, beer, and wine included. [OutdoorBound]

· Free kayaking at Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse. [oM]

· Your alternative to watching the Emmy’s could be swing dancing and Sam Adams swigging at the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden (which turns 100 this year) on Sunday at 7p.m. [BohemianHall]

· Learn to make four vegan-friendly desserts—including blueberry cheesecake, fudge brownies, and apple pie—with rockstar green chef Judita this Sunday afternoon. [BrooklynKitchen]

· Take the kids to the New York Aquarium for a wet smooch at the seal encounter before catching the fireworks show on the Coney Island boardwalk on Friday. [ConeyIsland]

· The 165th annual Dutchess County Fair is this weekend in Rhinebeck; take the bus or train. [hvmag]

· Enjoy MamaMancini’s Meatballs on Saturday at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. [BrooklynFlea]

· The Jazz Age Lawn Party returns to Governors Island one last time this year on Saturday and Sunday with Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra, so get our your suspenders and “dip-me” shoes. [GovIsland]

Although the days are getting noticeably cooler, there is a balmy weekend forecast ahead and our minds are on one thing: the beach. Not Southampton, not Shelter Island, but a more off the beaten stretch of shore called Ditch Plains Beach. This sandy tip of Long Island is cliffy and quiet—if you don’t mind surfers and the occasional wakeboarding celebrity designer. Here on Long Island, the shiny, pristine setting, tasty food stands, and yoga-surfing clinics are enough to make Ditch Plains the kind of getaway all New Yorkers need at the close of summer.

Read on for our tubular step-by-step guide to living like a Ditch Plains local, if only for a day.

Don’t let the rope outside rub you the wrong way; there’s nothing pretentious about Chef Ricardo Cardona’s creatively reimagined Dominican food. Nestled inside what used to be an auto shop, Gabbana is an open, two-level space with cozy, dark blue leather booths, live Colombian music, and a chimichurri dish to moan over.