So your friends are already bragging about their summer vacation plans, and you can’t even get your act together to book a room at Motel 6. Just because you’re not a type A doesn’t mean you can’t get out of town. Check out these quick and easy trips for blowing out of the hot mess otherwise known as summer in NYC.
Miami
Just when you thought South Beach couldn’t get any hotter, the opening of Gansevoort South suddenly has us re-thinking dropping all our cash on an overpriced Caribbean cruise. With 334 rooms and 259 condos, this is one of those hotels where you never really have to leave—the main level of the 18-floor building features an oceanfront pool, bar, restaurant, 50-foot shark tank, and volley ball courts, and there’s a private cabana level for more intimate lounging. Like its MPD NYC twin, the hotel roof features a pool (this one’s one of the world’s largest) and Plunge bar with stunning views, minus the Jersey smog. Other amenities include a STK restaurant, a new restaurant by Phillippe Chow (of Mr. Chow), a flagship DavidBartonGym + Spa, and block’s worth of luxury boutiques. Should you still need more stimulation, the hotel is a quick cab ride to the Bal Harbour Shops fashion mecca.
The Hamptons
OK, OK, we know the Hamptons get a bad rap. But just once, wouldn’t you like to say you’re spending the weekend “in the country” like that annoying guy in management? Fortunately you don’t have to commit to a $10,000 summer share to get out east. Book a room at the White Sands Resort right on the beautiful beach of Amagansett, complete with grilling privileges. After a day at the beach, follow the brigade of Harleys heading toward Montauk and hit up Cyril’s Fish House for BBC’s (that’s Banana Bailey’s Coladas to you). If you’re still standing, Citta Nuova is a great go-to place for dinner, with people-watching right on the main drag (where you should return the next day to shop for batik beach cover-ups at Roberta Freymann). End the night at Stephen Talkhouse for some drinks on the patio—just don’t be surprised if you run into that annoying guy from management.
“Jet Blue has ruined this place,” intoned a super prep on the back porch of 21 Federal last summer. That may be, but Jet Blue’s frequent, inexpensive flights to the island have made Nantucket a lot cheaper for us non-G5-owning types. Stay at Roberts House right in town and rent a bicycle from Nantucket Bike Shop, right across from the ferry landing to get around—there’s no need to rent a car on this small island. Just pick up a vegetable and hummus sandwich and a Nantucket Nectars lemonade at Something Natural and bike out to Surfside Beach. If it’s not beach weather (always a possibility on an island whose joke motto is “Fog Happens”), wile away the day shopping at Gypsy or get a Bloody Mary or two at the Gazebo. For dinner, put on your finest madras (no jeans, please) and head over to American Seasons, also right in town. Then whoop it up with Goombay smashes afterwards at the Straight Wharf and dancing to one of the great bands that play at the Chicken Box. Nurse your Sunday hangover with huevos rancheros at Black Eyed Susan’s.
Let’s face it: the whole point of going to the Hudson River Valley is to get the hell away from people. Stay one step ahead of the crowds in the up-and-coming Columbia County, N.Y., the foothills of the Berkshires. Get a room at the Union Street Guest House or the Inn at Hudson and pop into Foley & Cox, an interior design shop (opening June 14th) that mixes antiques with custom-made furniture for that perfect house-in-the-country feel. Swoon Kitchenbar is an upscale neighborhood restaurant that keeps it local with ingredients sourced from the area, and Jason’s Upstairs Bar has live bands and a surprisingly fun scene for a place that’s supposedly in the middle of nowhere.
Think that langostino at Red Lobster is tasty? You haven’t had real “lobstah” until you’ve had the fresh, juicy catch from the cold waters of Maine, bub. Hop a ride two hours north of Boston or catch Jet Blue’s 35-minute flight from NYC and make a beeline for the waterfront’s Portland Lobster Co. Get crackin’ on a lobster dinner while you sit on a pier overlooking the windjammers cruising through the island-dotted harbor. Too cool for a bib and you spilled melted butter on yourself? Don’t worry, there’s more to Maine shopping than L.L.Bean—head up the boutique-lined cobblestone streets of the Old Port district to Betsy’s for a flirty silk dress. After you check into your room at the historic Portland Regency Hotel, get a taste of this maritime city’s surprisingly happening nightlife with a conceptual art exhibit or an indie rock show at Space Gallery. Then mingle with the locals over a pint at Gritty McDuff’s microbrew pub. Just don’t head back to the concrete jungle until you’ve ferried out to Peaks Island, where Reggae Sundays at Jones Landing make for a jamtastic closing to a drunken weekend.
