By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Spending spring break in New York offers a few advantages.
• Less travel time means more time for fun. Why blow a couple days of your spring break traveling?
• Staying close costs less for travel. Though you may find some great airfare rates, a tank of gas will always beat it.
• You support the state’s economy. Show New York a little love by spending your spring break dollars here.
• More friends can go. Maybe Cancun is out of reach for some of your friends but traveling in-state would work. If you get more friends to go with you, you can score better deals on tickets for attractions and perhaps some unique accommodations that require a group.
Lynn Kistner, travel agent with Canalview Travel Service, Inc. in Fulton, recommends New York City.
“It is always fun,” Kistner said. “There is always plenty to do and things to see.”
With endless night life, cultural offerings like Broadway, numerous museums, and landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Empire State Building and Times Square, you will have lots to fill your days in the Big Apple (https://visitnewyork.com). Don’t want to drive in the city? Park your car at the Amtrak station in Poughkeepsie for the week and take the train into the city, where public transportation is both highly accessible and inexpensive. Even with the cost of the train tickets (up to $40 each way) and parking at the train station (about $45), this option will save you a bundle on parking at your hotel, which can cost around $80 per day, and the cost of parking at the various places you want to visit for the week.
Kistner is also a fan of Western New York. In addition to the obvious attraction of Niagara Falls (www.niagarafallsusa.com), explore the many cultural offerings of Buffalo (www.visitbuffaloniagara.com), the city that invented Buffalo wings (they even have a “Buffalo Wings Trail”) hosts festivals, live performances and other events.
For winter buffs, head up to Lake Placid (www.lakeplacid.com/). Even if it’s unseasonably warm, you can check out the Olympic facilities throughout the area and zipline over an Olympic ski jump, glide down a mountain coaster and learn about Olympic history.
While traveling within New York will provide less of a learning curve on current COVID-19 requirements, the places you want to visit may have their own requirements, so check out their social media pages while you make your plans.
