The Midland Beach neighborhood of Staten Island has the good fortune of lying along Lower New York…read moreBay with FDR Boardwalk running 2.5 miles from there through South Beach, to under the Verrazano Bridge connecting Staten Island to its sister borough of Brooklyn. In winter, it is mostly deserted to the seagulls and sandpipers huddling up as they mourn the loss of litter to scavenge for their meals, and must hunt the sand for their supper. Yet, the boardwalk braves its way through the dark months, silently inviting the adventurous to strap up and search the boards and beach for cold weather bounty. Midland and South Beaches are contiguous, sewn together by the reconstructed boardwalk lost in Hurricane Sandy, but standing proud once again. The view of water, beach, bridge and man, may not be the best sight ever seen, but in its quiet, scuffling way, it is dramatic and keeps you mindful that in a city of millions, you can be quite totally alone in forgotten corners of megalopolis. There is something almost mystical about that reality that gets inside and calls you back when you need to think deeply and contemplate life.

Took a shot on this because of ChatGPT…read more Trash (literally saw a condom rolling the waves), glass and trash on beach, sand was a mix of dirt, no food options, a lot of bugs (yes, I'm outside, but this was more than any beach I've been to), and just kind of ugly in general Pros: lots of parking, calm waves

Park is an amazing place and always go there every time when visit my friends. Great clean peaceful…read moreplace either for family and friends time together or if you want to walk/rest on your own.

I love Great Kills Park - they have a nice view of the ocean. They have a bathroom - include an eco…read morefriendly outhouse thing. It's a great place to take a long walk on the shore or pivot to the other side and stare at the marina.

Been a client for over a decade. Great service and the best prices around. Searched my last trip…read moreonline for days after I found the best I contacted Sun Express and they were able to beat my lowest price.

I used the travel experts at Sun Express Travel to book a travel package to Europe with my wife and…read morechildren. The trip was an experience of a life time. The price we paid was way less than any travel website we searched. The expertise and professionalism of the travel agent was amazing. He had all the answers and helped put together a vacation that has created memories for me and my family that will last a life time. We will be booking all our travel with Sun Express Travel and recommend them to everyone we know.

Wolfe Pond Bay is far from the ferry, but it is an interesting bus ride (bus S78 from the ferry) -…read moreonce you get past the shopping malls and those stretch all the way to Great Kills. You will think that you're in the country, but it is still New York. Ask the bus driver to drop you at the corner of Hyland and Cornelia. You can either walk down Cornelia Avenue or go 100 m in the direction of Tottenville and then take the path through the woods. Wolfe Pond Bay is a mixture of things: it is a wood, a sweet water lake next to the shore, a beautiful shore with the best quality water for swimming in New York, perfect views of Raritan Bay - but also a large car park and a park where the Russian communities come to barbecue. Go for the pebbled beach (very nice small pebbles). After swimming, walk down south along the beach until you come to Lemon Creek, a sleepy village on the shore. On your way, you may meet lots of seabirds like egrets or herons and the ugly horsecrabs. Yes, this is New York. Turn back right and follow to Hylan again.

In the heart of NYC, my family and I shared an extended stay at this breathtaking location…read more Everything was a living dream starting off with the views (Every window was had a picturesque view no matter what window you chose). The location was at the central node and ideally situated convenient to all the major attractions nearby (Bryant Park, Grand Central, Time Square & Central Park). My wife and I have traveled to many places around the world but nothing tops the experience of choosing Lauren Berger Collections. Our trip was far beyond a stale environment as you get while you're staying at commercial places . Lauren Berger is the up most hospitable, attentive and passionate person at what she does. She puts you first before anything, no matter what you need, she's got it covered. My favorite part of our stay was getting to meet Lauren, it was a true honor. Lauren has managed to connect with us on a personal level and make our stay feel better than home. If it's not LAUREN, it must be boring.

From the owner: About Us: All luxury…read moretravel experiences boast similar ideals: excellent service, abounding amenities and lavish accommodations. While they very rarely disappoint, most properties hardly match the level of passion for hospitality found in the Lauren Berger Collection. Lauren Berger prides herself on offering superb accommodations. Over the years Lauren has cultivated a keen talent for creating elegant, luxurious environments and assembled an impeccable collection of luxury rental properties. Found in prestigious locations around the world, each home is an expression of Lauren's meticulous approach to hosting and entertaining. Elegant, lavish, sophisticated and comfortable; these properties were originally intended for Lauren's closest friends and relatives to utilize and she now extends that privilege to her clients. As a guest of the Lauren Berger Collection properties, you will develop a personal relationship with the individuals who are ready and waiting to serve you time and time again including Lauren herself. The staff is hand-picked and most of the team has been with her for decades. Every detail and desire is carefully intuited ahead of time and each property offers a plethora of services and privileges. The gratitude Lauren feels towards the people in her life who have helped bring this dream to fruition - her husband, her family - is manifested in the extreme care and love with which she presents her homes...

The setup: Mother's Day was coming up and I always try to find something unique and different for…read morethe momma of my kids as well as the mother-in-law. And I stumbled upon Urban Paddle and booked it for a 9am adventure. We lucked out that every variable and condition was ideal: weather, tide, calm water, almost no other boat-related traffic. We're a party of 7. The 'Urban Crew' numbered at 5. We were spoiled from start to finish with a group of really cool and helpful workers that were informative, fun, professional and made sure we were always safe and engaged the entire hour. (Make sure to watch their 6-minute YouTube video ahead of time so you know all about the proper paddling/rowing techniques when it comes time to hit the water.) The 'Urban Crew' were also invaluable because the owner was constantly taking pictures and videos and at the end airdropped them to us which was a nice 'cherry on top' since you can't really snap pictures for big chunks of the time when you're on the water. Is it expensive for an hour? No doubt. Did everyone absolutely love kayaking and getting to see everything from the Colgate clock to the back of the Statue of Liberty's head to the NYC skyline, not to mention all of the stunning yachts all docked and looking completely out of my price-range? Of course. Was it the funniest thing to see my mother-in-law somehow leaning back in her kayak like she was on a hammock while the father-in-law did all the hard work? Yup. (Did a cranky security guard try her best to be a stick in the mud regarding confusion over some parking-related issues when we were about to leave? Oh yeah.) I'd suggest clothing/footwear that you don't mind getting wet as well as sunglasses and sunblock (that sun is no joke bouncing off the water). Highly recommended. (The Mrs. is already plotting when to go back and I think she's even pricing kayaks to buy with that stimulus check that's burning a hole in her wallet.)

Overall this place is solid. My boyfriend and I went for the LED kayaking. The view was beautiful!…read moreThe difficulty was a 2/10 but honestly it does depend who you are and where your skill level is now. Our guide was perfect and he talked to us all night! Only bummed I never received the photos taken from that night. The entire trip takes a little over an hour. Parking is a little confusing but you have to find the parking authority and tell them you are there to kayak and pay $5 for a pass to put on your car. Overall great experience. I strongly advise not to put your hand into the water (who really knows what is in the Hudson River)

Bad service, they didn't let us ask questions, they treated us really badly, I almost didn't get to…read moreride on the jet ski, it stopped working and they said I made a hole in the bottom and they wanted to charge me 1800 of course I didn't get to do anything and of course not to break the jet ski, I really do not recommend going to this place

Had a fun time here. I was terrified at first, but at the end, I switched with my husband and…read moreoperated the jet ski for a bit myself too. Anthony, the tour guide, was great and made me feel comfortable. Anthony, the person who checked us in (yes, there were two Anthonys), was nice and professional. I plan to go back next year and try the Banana Boat and operate the jet ski a bit longer.

This is my third time using Jersey Paddle and they never fail to provide a great experience. They…read morealways have equipment available at a decent price. The staff is always friendly and helpful.

Absolutely loved my experience kayaking at Greenwood Lake! I rented a 2 person kayak for 1 hour for…read more$40. Parking is an additional $5 (unless you park somewhere outside and walk there like I did!). For 1 hour, it is plenty of time to row around the lake! The view is super pretty and the lake is very calm so it's easy to paddle around! I had a great experience; definitely recommend!

HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend! Had the best time ever. I had a Groupon glitch but TWIN RIVERS was more…read morethan helpful and beyond kind. Then there's the tubing experience... soooo relaxing, soooo peaceful... soooo fun! Jet ski staff stayed on alert ensuring our safety everything was perfect. AND then to top it off, we dined nearby with a TRT discount on our meal. Thank you TRT for a much needed excursion... life is good!

It was such a great experience nice view not rushed my 13 yr old son loved every second can't wait…read moreto go back next year !!