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.
Here come the geese! No, they aren’t quite flying a V-formation yet, but they’re still pooping on everything. It’s what geese do. These lovely birds put more miles in per year than even the best road tripper. Take that, RV people!
This Canadian Goose (don’t let the name fool you, they spend lots of time in the United States) is supervising its two little goslings. The goslings will come back to this spot every year for a family reunion, and they’ll spend a lot less on gas than the rest of us. Also, three-legged races!
Fun fact: The Canadian Goose mates for life (however, if one dies the other will take another mate — probably someone much younger and really pretty). My uncle is like that.
For more on Geese, check out the Barenaked Ladies. They know a lot about Canadian stuff.
This photo is part of our UpTake Family Vacation series.
Although the marketing material compared the town to Las Vegas, Nevada and Branson, Missouri – two destinations known for their over the top entertainment – I was nonetheless surprised upon driving into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The billboards blinked and the painted buildings fought for attention from the eye. It was a landscape that seemed like it should be set to a soundtrack of honking horns and carnival barkers, although neither could actually be heard anywhere I visited. This was, it was clear with in moments, a place to come for a good time – although not necessarily a relaxing one. But with so many families using their precious vacation days to escape over-scheduled lives, isn’t a little relaxation practically a requirement for any family vacation? I think so, and fortunately we were able to find a little bit of it amid the hustle and bustle of this tourism cornucopia.
Photos of Savannah, Georgia frequently feature stately buildings and elaborate wrought iron created by talented architects and artisans, but there’s plenty of natural beauty to be found in this small coastal city courtesy of Mother Nature.
Tourists may be most familiar with the live oaks that line the streets and squares of the National Historic District. These twisting giants draped in Spanish moss give the town its decidedly Southern charm and, as legend has it, have often served as much-needed bumpers for drunk drivers fresh from the city’s many bars and street festivals. Savannah is, after all, a city that prides itself on knowing how to throw a party, but not every guest over the centuries has been able to handle the liberal drinking laws responsibility. Many of the live oaks (and a few of the city’s statues) bear the resulting scars. Read More »
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.
