We noticed a few things this week.
A few theaters, some roasteries, that cute florist you didn’t know existed, and more cozy spots from the cities we live in.
- The Long Way Home
Fresh Kills Park Overlook Platform and West Mound Trail Loop
A two-mile loop atop Staten Island's reclaimed landfill climbs West Mound to an overlook platform, revealing grassland, tidal creeks, and Arthur Kill views—where the long way is the only way.
- The Long Way Home
Canarsie Pier Belt Parkway Underpass Walk and Jamaica Bay Overlook
A concrete underpass beneath the Belt Parkway opens onto a wooden pier stretching into Jamaica Bay, where marsh views and open sky replace highway shadow in a slow transition from infrastructure to water.
- The Long Way Home
Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse Boardwalk Loop and Atlantic-Facing Benches
A crumbling art deco boardwalk and empty bathhouse arcade in the Rockaways offer a slow loop past ocean views and mid-century infrastructure quietly decaying by the sea.
- The Long Way Home
City Island Bridge Pedestrian Walkway and Eastchester Bay Crossing
A six-minute walk across the 1901 steel truss bridge connecting City Island to the Bronx, where the only sounds are car hum, tidal current, and the occasional sailboat below.
- The Long Way Home
Belt Parkway Shore Parkway Pedestrian Overpass and Verrazano Frame
A concrete pedestrian bridge over the Belt Parkway in Dyker Heights transforms into an accidental observation deck, where the Verrazano Bridge commands the western frame and traffic provides the soundtrack.
- The Long Way Home
Astoria Ditmars Boulevard Terminus Loop and Elevated Platform Overlook
The northernmost stop on the N/W line where trains pause, reverse, and offer a fleeting elevated view of Astoria rooftops and the East River span toward Rikers Island.
- The Long Way Home
Metro-North Harlem Line Croton-Harmon Turnaround and Platform Wait
Where the Harlem Line ends and begins again, a scheduled 12-minute pause offers views of the Hudson rail yard and a liminal platform moment above the river—summer travel's most deliberate intermission.
- The Long Way Home
Chicago Riverwalk Lake Street to Ping Tom Park
The extended Chicago Riverwalk now runs two uninterrupted miles from the Loop to Chinatown, passing under downtown bridges before opening into the quieter South Branch and ending at Ping Tom Park's pagoda with skyline views framed by railyard cranes.
- The Long Way Home
The 7am AirTrain to Howard Beach marshland loop nobody takes for the view
An $8.25 JFK AirTrain ride to Howard Beach unlocks a 1.8-mile boardwalk through Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge wetlands where herons outnumber travelers and the A train rumbles overhead.
- The Long Way Home
Staten Island Railway End-to-End Ride and Tottenville Turnaround
The Staten Island Railway runs 14 miles from St. George to Tottenville—the southernmost point in New York City—passing through salt marshes and quiet neighborhoods. The 45-minute ride costs nothing beyond your ferry swipe.
