offManhattan

Living in Manhattan in the early 1800s was risky business, not from the threat of crime but because of frequent epidemics of cholera and yellow fever.  And if the diseases didn’t get you, one of the devastating fires that regularly consumed large sections of the city might. To meet this challenge, the city built the Croton Aqueduct, a 41-mile engineering marvel to bring clean water from northern Westchester County to the residents and businesses of Manhattan. Its completion in 1842 triggered the rapid expansion of New York into one of the world’s leading cities.

Although operating ceased in 1958, the Aqueduct is now a National Historic Landmark and offers idyllic hiking and biking terrain in some of the most serene residential areas of greater New York. When you’re feeling spontaneous, the metro north train from Grand Central Station can have you standing at the foot of these charming Hudson River communities within a half hour. A short walk gets you from the station to the beautifully maintained and traffic-free (excluding deer) path.

For all you offManhattan readers who don’t own a car, and have ever thought you could dodge traffic better than a New York City cab driver, this is your chance to give it a shot. At the Velocity 17 go kart track in Maywood, New Jersey, you’ll find out what it’s like to weave your way through cars at 30 miles per hour. Except here, your butt will rest only two inches off the ground and you better watch out for the hairpin turns and chicanes thrown in for good measure.

After entering the track area and viewing a brief safety video, you will don the required helmet and neck brace. When your name is called, you will step into one of the electric-powered beauties and await the start signal. Pushing down on the pedal, you’ll immediately feel the intense acceleration, and hitting the first turn you’ll realize how much skill is involved to drive this track fast. The races last about eight minutes each and are about two miles long. Once you have recovered from the exhilarating ride, stick around and wait for your stat sheet that will most likely show you how poor your lap times are compared to the veteran racers. But you can always race again!

Looking for something to do this winter that doesn’t involve freezing your tuchus off? The offManhattan staff has partnered with NBC Travel Editor Peter Greenberg to produce a list of the ten best indoor activities in the other New York City boroughs.

The list includes top places—some quirkier than others—for swimming, rock climbing, spa-ing, eating chowder, cooking lessons, and many more.

Check out our picks at PeterGreenberg.com.

Before it was the Brooklyn Historical Society, the institution on the corner of Pierrepont and Clinton existed as the Red Cross Headquarters during World War I. If you can, imagine a time before the Brooklyn Bridge, telephones, and Britney Spears. Steeped in history, the building is now exhibiting a glimpse of pre-gentrified Brooklyn.

On display through March 29, “Counter/Culture—The Disappearing Face of Brooklyn Storefronts,” is part of a third year Public Perspectives Exhibition Series. A photo and video retrospective shows the impact of rising rents and the lack of family successors on mom-and-pop shops in Brooklyn. James and Karla Murray—married photographers and curators—observed the trend and spent the last ten years photo journaling the changing storefronts. The pictures reveal the once standard neon and stainless steel signage that graced these fading facades.

Williamsburg has long been a focal point for established and emerging graffiti artists competing for niche spaces in which to exhibit their artwork. At present, local residents appreciate a wide selection of street art that peers out from walls, billboards and abandoned commercial and industrial lots.

Once deemed as a subversive act by many detractors, graffiti has evolved into a popular art form that’s gained wide recognition in international galleries and influenced marketing campaigns, graphic designers, and the fashion industry. And while London has replaced New York at the forefront of street art, Williamsburg has remained a fertile ground for experimental graffiti.

George Eliot wrote of a “Delicious autumn!” that meant nothing to me until I moved from Los Angeles to New York. To many East Coasters, this season of leaves dying beautifully is the most anticipated, yet in New York City, foliage at its best is missed. I took the advice of an offManhattan article about Alpine Endeavors, and decided to try out one of their new fall hiking treks in the Shawangunks up north, even as the weather started turning from warm to wintry. I called one of my transplant New Yorker friends to join me. We left the city on a 7am Adirondack Trailways bus from Penn Station to New Paltz.

We pulled out of the station as the blue sky brushed off the last of dawn’s yolky pink glow. In just over an hour-and-a-half we arrived in New Paltz, a small community situated against mountains and forests. Within a few minutes, we were in a new vehicle with Ian, our guide, driving up a swirly two lane road until we reached the entrance of the reserve.

“One impulse from a vernal wood, May teach you more of man, Of moral evil and of good, Than all the sages can.” —William Wordsworth

Last year I wrote on offManhattan about the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, affectionately calling it an “oasis of tranquility . . . unmatched anywhere in the greater New York area.” I had considered mentioning The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, but my last memories from a trip there more than 15 years ago were less than positive. In fact, all I could recall was people picnicking on the grass, Frisbee games in every open space, and ill-cared-for acres of gardens. The facilities were run down and the sense I received was that this was more of a park for recreation than a garden for reflection and beauty.

Bowery Presents has taken its first step outside the city limits in their quest for World domination.  Will they become a hated behemoth like Live Nation?  For now, they’ve joined up with promoter Andy Feltz to create Montclair Entertainment, and that’s just what they’ll do; bring music to the historic Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey in November.