Early on a Saturday morning, I dusted off my well-worn hiking boots, filled my water bottles and marched to Grand Central Station to climb aboard the Hudson Line. Breakneck Ridge's trailhead has its very own stop along the Hudson Line - a true gift to an adventure-seeker without a car.

Lathered up with sunscreen and mentally prepared to face the 90-degree weather, my two fellow hikers and I hopped off the train and immediately headed upward. We could no longer control the urge to get on the mountain.

The first 45-minutes of the hike is a rigorous rock scramble that leads to a lookout along the Hudson River. It offers views of Storm King mountain and Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island. After a moment for hydration and appreciation for the views, we wiped our foreheads and finished the remainder of the rock scramble - about 30-minutes.

As you turn your back to the river and walk toward the shaded ridge, you are flanked by one, interrupted wave of green trees on your right. It's a sight I hadn't seen in months. The views of the Hudson and the sounds of the trains fade away as you walk through the tall forest, but the sounds of birds and distant happy hikers come into earshot.

While many hikers turn around at the top of the rock scramble and return to either their car or the train station, we decided to take the long loop and make our way South, to the charming town of Cold Spring, NY. Cold Spring was beyond precious and the perfect place to do a quick sock change and scarf down a PB+J before catching the train back to the city.

The hike was nothing short of rewarding and is a perfect excuse to get out of the city. I can only imagine the trail views in the Fall, so it's easy for me to say - I'll be back!

This past weekend was dictated by a decent appetite for adventure and an intense appetite for street food. 

My roommate and I made the trip from Manhattan to Brooklyn to finish our initiation into NYC with a ride on the L-train. Might I add, we were pleasantly surprised with the ease of the commute and caliber of passengers - despite the rumors and horror stories shared by some of our contacts.



We've made most of our daily decisions based off of recommendations from locals, friends, and family.  Decisions on where to grocery shop, where to find the cheapest wine, and what is free in this expensive city, have all been dictated by word-of-mouth.  And so, we continued this trend by visiting Smorgasburg.



As defined by Google, Smorgasburg is a "Buzzy seasonal outdoor foodie market on Saturdays, offering 75+ vendors & city skyline views."

Vendors from various areas, backgrounds, and culinary interests fill the parking lot. Menus range from superfood juices, lobster rolls, ramen burgers, and octopus quesadillas. And of course, the dessert menus were wild (even for New York).



Seeing that it was hot and humid, I went the ice cream route while Nick and Ricky decided to head toward the Korean street food.





The event is located right along the East River with a small stretch of sand and some bright green grass. The park filled with families, Brooklyn hipsters, and European tourists as the day went on. We lounged in the grass for as long as we could before admitting that our skin was close to the color of the lobsters they were serving at the festival.



Despite the physical pain I felt from handing over $10 for one ice cream cone, I will be back. Next time it will be for the smoothies served in pineapples.