Hudson River travel tips

If there's one thing New York City does better than most other US destinations, it's overloading the senses.

After 18 years of living in New York State, I’ve learned quite a bit about the country’s fourth-most populous state. From where to go and what to do, to what to eat and how to get around, here are some tips from a local on how to make the most of your visit to the Empire State.

These days, the hotel world is abuzz with “sleep tourism,” a clever albeit trendy marketing term used to describe programming that extends beyond blackout curtains and soft, plush bedding. A 2016 study in the Current Biology journal expands on the “first-night effect” in human sleep research — stating that new environments often cause tossing and turning. So, then what’s a weary traveler to do while — trying— to sleep in New York City (aka the city that never sleeps)?

When I close my eyes and think of my favorite place in the world, I am on my porch in the mid–Hudson Valley, watching a fat groundhog peering out of his hole, wondering if he can nip on the roots of my Christmas trees before I chase him away. Or I am dipping my bread into the thick, soupy kale sauce of the gnudi di cavolo nero at GioBatta Alimentari, my favorite local restaurant, in nearby Tivoli. Or I am in my car high above the Hudson River, purple mountains ahead, curving riverbanks behind me.

This summer, Norwegian plans to fly from New York to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Shannon—and for these flights, “New York” means Stewart International Airport (SWF), also called Stewart Field.

For New Yorkers, access to a good rooftop can make or break a summer. Whether you’re getting your tan on or enjoying a quiet nightcap with a view of the skyline, time spent on the roof is a quintessential part of summer in New York City. And for visitors, there’s no better or easier way to join in the rooftop revelry than by hitting up some of the best rooftop bars in NYC.

‘Street foods,’ as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are ‘ready-to-eat foods and beverages prepared and/or sold by vendors or hawkers especially in the streets and other similar places.’ As defined by the Cambridge dictionary, street food is ‘food cooked and sold in public places, usually outdoors, to be eaten immediately.’

I first encountered the Palisades, a set of massive cliffs overlooking Manhattan from across the Hudson River, out of desperation. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt an all-consuming urge to get out and explore. For me, that meant jumping on my bicycle and riding deep into the city and then out of it.