Someone once told me that the only people you’ll find in New York during the summer are tourists. I don’t think he was joking.
While the dog days of summer may drive the locals to the Hamptons and away from the concrete jungle, the season also ushers in a slew of visitors looking to get up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty, Times Square and the Empire State Building.
Ditto for the “City of Brotherly Love,” where tens of thousands of tourists flock to see Ben Franklin and the Liberty Bell. Whereas the famous landmarks are worth touring, if you are planning to spend part of the summer in New York and Philadelphia this summer, don’t limit your sightseeing to crowded tourist attractions. Instead, consider these unique outdoor adventures:
NEW YORK CITY
Believe it or not New York City is no slouch when it comes to beaches. Last summer hundreds of tons of sand were shoveled into three areas: South Street Seaport, Governors Island and Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City in Queens to create urban beaches. Granted, you can’t swim, but you can play beach volleyball, munch on beach eats and there are DJs on weekend nights. In addition, South Street Seaport has a miniature golf course and offers spectacular views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
According to city officials, while the outer boroughs have about 14 miles of real beaches, the new man-made ones are closer for a lot of visitors who spend their time in Manhattan.
PHILADELPHIA
If you are looking for outdoor adventures that are void of cellphones, TVs, computers and the omnipresent CrackBerry, then head to Philly for a day of kayaking, biking or zip lining.
Urban kayaking tours depart from the Schuylkill Banks at Walnut Street, either north to the Philadelphia Museum of Art or south to Bartram’s Garden. Also within city limits, you’ll find Livezey Rock, 35 feet high and 60 feet long, and ideal for avid climbers.
Are you a pro on two wheels? Then head out on a moderately challenging 28-mile biking trail, which runs from the Philadelphia Museum of Art along the Schuylkill River to Valley Forge. If mountain biking is your thing, then visit the Wissahickon Valley Park portion of Fairmount Park, where the trails around Forbidden Drive are considered suitable for first-time mountain bikers.
Finally, in nearby Montgomery County, Spring Mountain Adventures offers a series of zipline and rope challenges that take you through treetops and over scenic terrain.
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