This year I have made plenty of resolutions. There’s the typical diet, the much needed time with the family, and building upon that, a strong desire to start camping again. Somehow we stopped doing it, and then years passed.

Regular readers of Uptake’s Vacation Blog (thank you!) will soon be able to follow the (mis)adventures of my family as we start camping (the kids have never been) and we leave the video games behind. Hilarity should ensue.

I hope you’ll join us (here, not camping, my car only seats four and the dogs)!

This post is part of Uptake’s Tuesday Roadside Attractions Series. If you have a photo of an odd, funny or interesting roadside attraction that you would like to see featured here please submit it via the link in the sidebar with subject line: Roadside.

Major metropolitan areas don’t often cater to the nature-loving crowd, but that doesn’t mean you can’t camp while getting your urban fix. Why would you try, especially when visiting New York City? Because camping in the NYC area is about a quarter of the cost of your average Manhattan hotel room, and that’s a room that’s likely going to include one bed and not near enough room for a family.

My family of four is 3 months into our year-long RV tour of the United States and we recently made a 2 week stop in the Big Apple. We were surprised to find that New York City actually offered the most convenient big city camping experience thus far, and camping allowed us to experience a big bite of the city without breaking our itty-bitty budget.

The secret? We didn’t actually camp in New York City.

Short of pitching a tent in Central Park and hoping you don’t get busted by park security, the closest camping is going to be found outside of Manhattan. (OK, there is camping in Long Island, but that doesn’t count, nice as it is.) Jersey City, New Jersey is home to the Liberty Harbor Marina and RV Resort. The word Resort really should be in quotes. It’s a parking lot.

Actually, it’s a parking lot with a small lawn near the restrooms where you can pitch a tent if you’re camping old school style.

The real appeal of this location is its, well, location. It’s a five-minute walk from a PATH station, the subway system that connects New Jersey and lower- and mid-Manhattan. A ride is just $1.75 per person, even less than a genuine subway ride on the MTA system. The trains come often day and night and deposit riders at the World Trade Center or at several stops throughout midtown. At $60 a night, this is a great way to experience the city with a family.

Photo by Britt Reints

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