Urbanite

It’s certainly not a tropical island, but if your goal is to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, Staten Island’s Snug Harbor is the perfect retreat. Located on the north shore, it was built in 1801 as a haven for retired sailors and dubbed Sailors Snug Harbor.

Today, the 83-acre Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden campus (1000 Richmond Terr., snug-harbor.org) sees more...

For a mini vacation that’s mere miles away, take a car or train to Westchester County for a dose of nature and history, and also some solid eats.

In between meals, head to New Rochelle to see the preserved 18th century home of Thomas Paine, the father of the American Revolution, meander through the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller are...

The moment you step off the 7 train and onto the street in Flushing, you feel very far from New York City.

The towering signs are mostly in Mandarin or Korean, and the intoxicating scent of noodles and sizzling meat wafts through the air. Right by the Long Island Rail Road entrance, groups of people huddle by stalls, slurping long noodles from Styrofoam containers, tucking away steaming scallion...

There’s a new fun and interactive way to see the world: through the lens of a sustainable community.

Tribewanted, an ecotourism cooperative based in the U.K., works in three communities around the world: John Obey Beach in Sierra Leone, Vorovoro Island in Fiji and as of last month, Monestevole in Umbria, Italy. They are on a mission: to change the way people look at the world by encouraging...

Vacation doesn’t have to be a beer and Buffalo wing binge-fest. (Or a Champagne and oyster extravaganza, depending on your taste.) Vacation destinations like Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires and The Lodge at Woodloch in the Poconos offer a meditative natural setting that will transform cynical urbanites into mellow, mantra-chanting tree-huggers, and also help you lose some pounds along the way.

While...

Have you always wanted to visit Washington, D.C., but could never choose the right time? Why not see it in bloom! From now through April 14, the city will be pretty in pink as the buds of 3,000 cherry trees open. The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the trees Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo gave to the United States to symbolize ongoing friendship between the two nations in 1912. The blossoms...

As the days get warmer and the crocuses and daffodils pop their colorful heads out of the ground, there’s no better time to get out and enjoy a part of the city you may have overlooked.

Red Hook has been a popular spot for foodies and Brooklynites looking for bargains at just reopened post-Superstorm Sandy Fairway Market for years.

Still, other New Yorkers have visited the area to hit...

The month of March is the height of maple sugar season. And just 75 miles north of Manhattan, in the heart of the Hudson River Valley, lies the nation's most buzzed-about artisan sugar house. Madava Farms, with its 800 expansive acres of sustainable maple forest, is the home of Crown Maple syrup.

A rustic dirt road leads to snow-blanketed hills dotted with majestic red and sugar maples. The...

Last month's disastrous cruise in the Gulf of Mexico and other recent high-seas emergencies spurred Sen. Charles Schumer Sundayto call on the industry to adopt a bill of rights for passengers.

Schumer called cruise ships the "wild west of the travel industry."

"It's time to rein them in before anyone else gets hurt," Schumer said. "This bill of rights, based...

Just because the calendar promises spring is near, don't think a trip to Vermont is out of season. While summer hiking, fall foliage and winter skiing are all traditional draws to the Green Mountain State, Vermont offers many exciting events to welcome the arrival of spring.

For skiers and snowboarders, this time of year means milder conditions and longer daylight hours - and that's something...