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Fly to Denver, then drive one or two hours to a small mountain town (there are dozens) and enjoy beautiful relaxing scenery that is totally different from your home in NYC.
Opps. Just noticed you don't drive. I guess you are stuck in a city. Maybe you can take somebody with you that drives. You are missing 90% of the world by not driving.
Vancouver could still work admirably, or San Francisco. Over the pond, Amsterdam or Edinburgh.
I vote for Edinburgh. You could spend a week there and not see everything you want to see. The art museum was a treat and free. The hotels in town are pricy but we found this quirky place we loved called Salisbury Green. Ask for room 31 with the chair in the turret. It's convenient to the bus route and they serve a great breakfast every morning. You can buy an all day bus pass for 4 pounds. It's far cheaper then taking a taxi and they are among the best public transportation we've ever taken. I'm missing Edinburgh as I type this. It's truly a magical city.
I vote for Edinburgh. You could spend a week there and not see everything you want to see. The art museum was a treat and free. The hotels in town are pricy but we found this quirky place we loved called Salisbury Green. Ask for room 31 with the chair in the turret. It's convenient to the bus route and they serve a great breakfast every morning. You can buy an all day bus pass for 4 pounds. It's far cheaper then taking a taxi and they are among the best public transportation we've ever taken. I'm missing Edinburgh as I type this. It's truly a magical city.
And if you wanted to get out of town - a day in the Highlands, or the East Neuk fishing villages in Fife, whatever - Rabbies has several day trips that are both affordable and memorable.
Hotels in Edinburgh are pricey, particularly around the Edinburgh Festival (and Fringe) in August, but there are many B&Bs and the like that are quite decent. Fly from Newark nonstop to EDI and skip the London hassle.
For an overseas relaxing trip, I would suggest the Galapagos Islands (part of Ecuador) which would be nice for a week.
I liked this suggestion but after doing 14 hours non-stop on a plane ride to Japan... I was hoping for something no more than 7 or 8 hours non-stop. That was just insane
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I would also like to add that I'm single in case that matters? A co worker of mine suggested San Fran as well. Last spring break I went to London and last summer I went to Aruba.
When you say you don't drive, I'm assuming that as you are in NYC you don't drive at all. Accordingly, my suggestions will be based on that.
WEEKENDS
While you've been to DC, you can make a relatively cheap weekend to the DC area from NYC. Vamoose Bus (Vamoose Bus - NYC | Maryland | Virginia) runs between Penn Station/Madison Square Garden and Arlington/Rosslyn, VA and it is cheap. The Rosslyn drop-off point is a 5 minute walk from Metro (our subway system). I've done inexpensive weekends between here and NYC, and Vamoose is great! (I have zero financial interest in Vamoose, other than the fact I like to save money.) Beyond the usual tourist spots in DC, there are many places to explore. Metro brings you to lots of places in the DC area so between that and walking, you can easily cover the city. (Honestly though, the NYC subway system is better (one relatively inexpensive fare to all locations at all times, express trains, 24/7 service for starters).) Dining options around the Mall are terrible, but you don't have to go far to find good fare.
Boston is also an option. I grew up in NH, but had lots of fun in Boston as a young adult. The T (their subway) is fairly extensive, so getting around should be pretty easy. You have the city, as well as Cambridge, on the T. Where DC is a hot swamp in the summer, Boston is more pleasant weatherwise, and is a fun and culturally rich city.
TRIP
I love San Francisco! It's a very walkable city. Getting from SFO to the city itself will require either a cab or some kind of airport limo (van) service, but once in the city itself you can get to places pretty easily either by cable car (early in the morning is better for longer distance travel), or by foot. Food is excellent, at least potentially. Use your NYC sense, and you should be fine.
For instance, my wife, daughter, and I went to SF a couple years ago and I saw this little place in Chinatown. I believe it was called House of Dim Sum. I ordered. It looked like a deli counter. I had no idea what we were getting, things looked good and I asked for them. What a meal! The funny thing was that we have a local friend whose mother lives in SF and later learned she knows and loves the place. It's nothing fancy, but the food is just excellent.
(Fwiw, when I'm in NYC, I almost never eat at any chain restaurants, Starbucks for breakfast notwithstanding. If it's got an A inspection rating and the menu looks good, I'm in.)
Anyway, I hope this helps! Have a great summer!
This was very helpful. Thank you! I will keep these in mind.
If you don't want to spend a lot of money - and I realize it's not very far from where you live - why not a week in Philadelphia? We have really world class museums, historic sites, some of the best gardens in the country, and great restaurants. You can take excursions to nearby Amish Country (Lancaster Country) or to charming New Hope, PA.
Fly to Denver, then drive one or two hours to a small mountain town (there are dozens) and enjoy beautiful relaxing scenery that is totally different from your home in NYC.
Opps. Just noticed you don't drive. I guess you are stuck in a city. Maybe you can take somebody with you that drives. You are missing 90% of the world by not driving.
I was going to suggest this! Denver would be a great getaway to nature away from the grey and concrete of NYC.
Estes Park is the popular mountain town but may be too touristy for some. Quick glance over google maps of that area shows many other small towns available.
Maybe she can do a uber ride to a cabin and just enjoy the serene views? If more active, can try to do some nice hiking/trails in RCMNP. Make sure to acclimiate to the altitude and take plenty of water!
And if you wanted to get out of town - a day in the Highlands, or the East Neuk fishing villages in Fife, whatever - Rabbies has several day trips that are both affordable and memorable.
Hotels in Edinburgh are pricey, particularly around the Edinburgh Festival (and Fringe) in August, but there are many B&Bs and the like that are quite decent. Fly from Newark nonstop to EDI and skip the London hassle.
Two thumbs up for Rabbies. We did two tours with them and they were great fun. I swear I could go back to Edinburgh and spend just a month there.
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