offManhattan

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.

For the past month, a new, free public kayaking program has been operating out of Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

It’s May, on a bright, breezy afternoon, Charlie O’Donnell is giving the founders of offManhattan.com a tour of the developing site where two blue shipping containers and 16 one and two-person kayaks will be docked. On the sloping lawn, kids are running around picnic blankets while other locals lie supine in the grass next to their bikes. We’re walking the perimeter with O’Donnell, a triathlete and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at First Round Capital, and it’s hard not to stop and marvel at the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

At the tip of the Rockaway Peninsula on Jamaica Bay, Breezy Point in Queens, often rhapsodized as the “Irish Riviera,” is a seaside community still overlooked by most New Yorkers planning their quick summertime escapes, which is good news for people who like a peaceful beach or bike ride—without losing sight of the Manhattan skyline on the horizon.

What: 28th Annual New Jersey Festival of Ballooning

Where: Solberg Airport, NJ

When: July 23-25; Friday 1pm-10pm, Saturday 6am-10pm, Sunday, 6am-8pm

Why: To achieve new heights in life. Ballooning exists in that special space between flying in an airplane and jumping out of one, and this weekend, the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America will commence rising. An hour from NYC, join 175,000 spectators—including Rick Springfield on Sunday—as 125 colorful puffed-up shapes take to the sky. While the trip is mostly worth it for the experience of hovering 2,000 feet above the clouds for up to a few hours, there will be plenty of other amusements on the ground, from yoga classes to Air Force skydiving shows to funnel cake, a family fun pavilion, and live music. Get out a pen, cross air ballooning off the bucket list, carry on.

Whether sitting under a cherry blossom tree in Brooklyn, in a sculpture garden facing the Manhattan skyline, or perched overlooking the Hudson River on a historical site, from April through October, consider eating alfresco at one of these picturesque places.

Here is a list of seven beautiful picnic spots in and around New York City for that next romantic date or rendezvous with friends.

Although we helmet heads are grateful for the 600 miles of designated bike lanes in NYC, let’s face facts: to most New Yorkers, biking in the city conjures up harrowing images of way-too-close encounters with agitated motorists and cabbies.

As an alternative, we recommend these three refreshingly bike-friendly, multi-level rides, which involve free beer, pizza and routes that weave throughout farms, vineyards, and the sea—all near NYC and accessible without, you guessed it, a car.

To some, paintball appears to be a barbaric activity, when in reality it is an adrenaline-fueled game of tag or capture the flag for all ages. There is a wide range of places to play paintball near New York City. From the traditional outdoor fields, to the air conditioned indoor arena, to the amusement park shooting gallery, there is something for every skill level. If you haven’t tried paintball before, now is the time, and here’s where to go:

NY Paintball | 47-11 Van Dam St, Long Island City, NY | 718.361.8337 | nypaintball.com
The only indoor paintball center in New York City, NYC Paintball is just a few stops outside of Manhattan on the 7 train. If you don’t want to get messy, there is also laser tag.
How to get there: Take the 7 train to 33rd Street stop, then head southeast on Queens Blvd toward Van Dam St., turn right at Van Dam St., and look for 47-11 Van Dam St.