1. Skiing the state's 44 ski areas
Yes, 44. That's more than any other U.S. state, yet somehow they manage to attract only a sliver of the attention given to mountains elsewhere. Why? Perception. Think New York and most people think skyscrapers and the Rockettes. Think beyond New York City, and people think the snow is too hard, the cold too brittle, or the mountains are unranked. Oh contraire.
Gore Mountain in the Adirondack Park Preserve outside of Lake George, has great terrain including 88 trails (especially glades), eight snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails and 2,300 vertical feet. And Whiteface, just outside Lake Placid, is run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority of New York and you'll find real Olympians skiing here. Not to mention an enchanting village that looks like a scene from an old black-and-white Christmas movie. And that's only 2 of the 44 mountains you can check out here.
2. Breathing in the Big Green Apple
New York City is one of the Top 10 Greenest American Cities. Surprised? Hey, its public transportation system is used by 80% of its residents, which gives it huge bragging rights. Calculated by population, New Yorkers also use fewer resources and put less pressure on their surroundings than any other city of its size. In fact, New Yorkers today burn gasoline at the rate the U.S. did in the 1920s! Add Central Park (which was considered a folly of epic proportions when its 843 acres of muddy swamp were set aside in the 1850s), and you have even more green for NYC to boast about.
3. Living out your lighthouse-keeper fantasy
Fall asleep to the sounds of the Hudson at the Saugerties Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast and be a lighthouse keeper for a day. Originally built in 1869, the lighthouse has been restored to accommodate an unusual bed and breakfast where guests share a kitchen and a bathroom. There's even a real lighthouse keeper named Patrick Landewe, but you can elbow him out.
4. Setting sail on the oldest U.S. oyster sloop
All aboard The Christeen, a beautifully restored 40' gaff-rigged oyster sloop built locally in 1883. You'll voyage across Oyster Bay (nestled in the heart of Long Island's Gold Coast) and enjoy a fresh air picnic - as the volunteer crew serves up rich and humorous local lore. Still a busy commercial oyster fishery, Oyster Bay is a must-see spot, and The Christeen is a must-do adventure.
5. Noshing on hot dogs served from a Pagoda
Just 40 minutes north of Manhattan in Mamaroneck, you'll find Walter's Hot Dog Stand and the famous "split" wieners created by Walter Warrington. The building, a Chinese-style pagoda, has been around since 1919 and is now a U.S. national landmark. Locals claim the taste of a Walter's wiener is worth any wait.
6. Fishing for fresh fluke and flounder
City Island, a historic seaport city within the borders of the NYC metropolis, is a true working fishing village that offers ample opportunities for professionals and amateurs alike to fish for fluke, flounder, striped bass and bluefish. Reel 'em in yourself or eat someone else's catch of the day. City Island is a fisherman-and-seafood-lovers paradise.
7. Getting pizza by the slice or by the pie with clams (still in the shell)
NYC has sent pizza into a whole new stratosphere. The flashiest restaurateurs want in on pizza; so do some of the most classically trained chefs. Many have given the pizza crown to Lucali's, in Brooklyn, and others still swear by Famous Joes, whose "slice" once defined New York City. However, if a food writer from GQ Magazine (Alan Richman) is to believed, he recently traveled the country and ranked the Top 25 American Pies - and five are found in NY: Lucali's and Totonno's, both in Brooklyn, Tarry Lodge in Port Chester (where you'll find a clam pie), Una Pizza Napoletana in NYC and (of course) Famous Joes.
8. Getting the right job in the right New York town. Locum tenens opportunities are now available in cities across the state, including the Big Apple. Search for jobs on the Global Medical homepage or call 866.858.6269 today.