21 Escapes: Your Year-Round Guide to Leaving New York City Behind

New York City’s greatest luxury might be its proximity to everything else. Within a few hours, the urban soundtrack fades, replaced by mountain silence, ocean waves, or the quiet of deep countryside. The city’s transit networks are your starting point: a train to Hudson Valley’s trails, a ferry to Fire Island’s dunes, or a bus to a Berkshires village.

This collection of 21 destinations, all within a five-hour journey, is curated for the New Yorker—or the visitor extending a city stay—who needs a reset. The recommendations stand in every season: ski weekends in the Catskills, summer rentals on the Jersey Shore, autumn drives through the Finger Lakes, and restorative spring visits to Connecticut inns.

We’ve refreshed this guide with current travel details and lodging picks. Consider it a manual for the regular, necessary departure. As the late actress Myrna Loy observed, boredom in New York is a choice. The antidote is often just a ticket away.

Additional reporting by Alex Erdekian.