<p>Explore the top destinations to relax and recharge when you can only escape for a day.</p>


Travel

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 <p>Spot some seals on a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/whale-seal-watching-tours-ybk6ypcp">two-hour cruise</a> that leaves from Freeport. A naturalist onboard discusses the behavior and biology of seals and other wildlife you’ll see. The two-hour tour includes an open discussion,&nbsp;heated cabin and food for purchase (cash only). Reservations are required for boarding times and dates. The season runs through April. If boats aren't your thing, go on a <a href="https://www.jonesbeachenc.org/">guided seal walk</a> at Jones Beach State Park.&nbsp;Meet at the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center to learn about seals and follow an educator in their vehicle to the seal-watching location.&nbsp;</p> 
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Local

Go searching for seals on LI

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 <p>For years, skiers, snowboarders, bobsledders, biathletes and the like have looked down with arrogance, hurling insults and worse, at those whose preferred method of descending a mountain is an inner tube, believing that <em>anyone can do it</em>. Test your mettle at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.camelbackresort.com/">Camelback Mountain</a>, a premiere venue for tubing enthusiasts in the Poconos. During peak winter conditions, the resort features more than 40 lanes for tubers.&nbsp;Depending on your location, Camelback is roughly two hours from Long Island, a 100-plus-mile drive along I-80, where you’ll likely see lovely forests and the backs of 18-wheelers struggling up its hills. But there are <a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/camelback-mountain-snow-tubing-pqwy26o6">lots of ski resorts</a> within a few hours of here, many of them offering two-hour sessions of sliding fun for a price. (Camelback’s start at $59.)&nbsp;</p> 
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Pennsylvania

Go snow tubing at a Poconos resort

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 <p>The world is not clamoring for a chance to dine in the dark, but that is what is increasingly happening at certain select venues, especially in Manhattan. The conceit, which involves keeping one’s eyes closed during a meal of, well, who knows what, aims to sharpen our senses and encourage us to eat not with our eyes but everything else. At <a href="https://lavibranyc.com/">La Vibra</a>, a Latin American fusion place in the Flatiron neighborhood,&nbsp;diners pay&nbsp;$80 for a meal of either meat, seafood or vegan, according to preference. Other than the list of pre-dinner cocktails (extra), all patrons agree&nbsp;to leave everything up to the kitchen (allergies excepting).&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/dining-in-the-dark-qpx5no7g">Dining in the Dark</a> is held on various dates and times at various Manhattan restaurants. For information and reservations, visit <a href="https://dininginthedarkexperience.com/">dininginthedarkexperience.com</a>.</p> 
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Dine in the dark in Manhattan

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 <p>Of course it’s too early for cabin fever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t inoculate yourself and your family in advance with a Poconos getaway that might take you to one, two, three or even four — yes, four — indoor water parks. They’re all less than 25 miles apart, and all offer overnight accommodations in which water park admission is included. There’s <a href="https://www.kalahariresorts.com/">Kalahari Resorts</a> in Pocono Manor, with its truly terrifying raft rides for the kids and serene swim-up bar for the not-kids. (Water park-only tickets are $69; stays at the adjacent lodge start at $719 a night); <a href="https://www.greatwolf.com/">Great Wolf Lodge</a> in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, a 120,000-square-foot facility warmed to 84 degrees year-round ($40/$354); Tannersville’s <a href="https://www.camelbackresort.com/">Aquatopia at Camelback Resort</a>, where the sun shines through a transparent roof ($59/$336); and H2Ooohh! at <a href="https://splitrockresort.com/">Split Rock Resort</a> in Lake Harmony ($35/$196). Visit all four for that perfect pruned look.</p> 
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Make a splash at a Poconos water park

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 <p>The Harlem Renaissance, the seminal movement in American art, music and letters, which was spearheaded by such African American figures as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Duke Ellington, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024. As such, there’s never been a better time for a long day trip to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/things-to-do-harlem-ixy5fi11">upper Manhattan's Harlem</a>. Start with a <a href="https://www.harlemheritage.com/">Harlem Heritage walking tour</a>. Guide&nbsp;Neal Shoemaker&nbsp;points out the speakeasy where a 17-year-old Billie Holiday was discovered, where Madam C.J. Walker ran the hair care and straightening products company that made her America’s first female millionaire, where the Savoy Ballroom once stood and impromptu Ella Fitzgerald performances were the rule and more. Next, shop at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harlemhaberdashery.com/">clothing company Harlem Haberdashery</a>, which sells&nbsp;high-quality hoodies, hats, denim wear, kimono jackets, eyewear and&nbsp;sneakers, or at&nbsp;<a href="https://shopnilu.com/">NiLu</a>, which sells everything from candles to coffee table books celebrating the neighborhood. Catch a show Friday or Saturday at&nbsp;<a href="https://billsplaceharlem.com/">Bill’s Place</a>, a holdover from the days when the block was so loaded with jazz clubs and speak-easies it was known as Swing Street.&nbsp;It’s a no-frills scene, no food, BYOB only, and the best seats are always gone early, but rare is the jazz fan who doesn’t leave with a deeper appreciation of that most original of American art forms and the streets that gave rise to it. For dinner, straight-up decadence is a guiding principle at <a href="https://www.melbasrestaurant.com/">Melba’s</a>, from the heavenly collard greens to velvety garlic mashed potatoes to grandma’s recipe for sweet potato pie to mouthwatering fried chicken to an eggnog waffle.&nbsp;A&nbsp;glass of iced tea is mandatory.</p> 
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Listen to jazz, eat soul food in Harlem

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 <p>We know the diary, we’ve seen her black-and-white photos, the smile as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa’s.</p> 
 <p>And of course, we know the story — of her family’s desperate attempts to flee the Nazis, and the two years they spent hiding in a secret annex before being betrayed, arrested and sent to the concentration camps, where only the girl’s father, Otto, would survive.</p> 
 <p>And yet, for all that, Anne Frank remains something of an abstraction.&nbsp;</p> 
 <p>In a landmark collaboration between the Anne Frank House and Manhattan’s Center for Jewish History, the Frank family and their milieu are being brought to vivid life in this country as never before. &quot;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/anne-frank-exhibition-lonswovw">Anne Frank The Exhibition,</a>&quot; at Manhattan’s Center for Jewish History, is the largest of its kind ever mounted outside Amsterdam, 7,500 square feet of installations and artifacts — some never before seen by the public — along with a full-scale model of the rooms where the Frank family and other Jews lived from 1942 until their arrest in 1944.&nbsp;</p> 
 <p>The <a href="https://www.annefrankexhibit.org/">exhibition</a>’s several rooms and interactive displays tell a chronological story, starting with the Franks’ pre-Amsterdam lives in Frankfurt, Germany, and continuing past the family’s tragic end to the Allies’ liberation of the concentration camps and the subsequent impact of the publication of Anne’s diary.</p> 
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Visit the Anne Frank exhibition in NYC

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 <p>Start your day at <a href="https://www.neverendingbookstore.com/">Neverending Story</a> bookstore, a roughly 1,000-square-foot independent shop features hundreds of books of all genres and it's not too far from The Argyle Theatre on Main Street. The shelves are stocked with classics, bestsellers, children's' books and more. Next up, check out <a href="https://bungersurf.com/">Bunger Surf Shop</a>, which opened in 1962. Aside from custom surfboards, items for sale include clothing, surfboards, Boogie boards, skateboards and tons of accessories. A surf camp at Gilgo Beach is offered by Bunger each summer, as well as hourly surf lessons and board rentals. Grab&nbsp;dinner at&nbsp;the refurbished <a href="https://www.theargylebabylon.com/">Argyle Grill and Tavern</a>. This eatery is a two-minute drive or a three-minute walk from the theater, with dishes like bacon-wrapped scallops&nbsp;crab cake&nbsp;and coconut shrimp. Try the lobster bisque, which is butter-poached lobster, lobster cream, sherry and chives. End the day at the <a href="https://www.argyletheatre.com/">theater</a>.&nbsp;Songs like &quot;Sherry,&quot; &quot;Big Girls Don’t Cry,&quot; &quot;Who Loves You&quot; and &quot;Can’t Take My Eyes Off You&quot; are timeless hits from Frankie Valli &amp; the Four Seasons. But the story behind them is just as intriguing in the popular musical &quot;Jersey Boys,&quot; which comes to the stage&nbsp;at 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23 through April 6.</p> 
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Things to Do

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Browse books, catch a show in Babylon

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 <p>Entering <a href="http://www.wallstreetbath.com/">Wall Street Bath &amp; Spa 88</a> in lower Manhattan is like stepping into another world, several of them. First, there’s the wondrous, sobering Dostoyevskian one represented by the spa itself, as close as most of us will ever get to an Old World Russian banya. It’s a coed bathhouse both meditative and mysterious, featuring a stone sauna composed of 16 tons of rock, another for schvitzing (i.e., pouring a bucket of cold water over your head), a nice-sized Jacuzzi, large indoor pool, cold plunge pool and eucalyptus-tinged steam room where an attendant will gladly introduce you to the healing properties of platza massage, also known as whacking you with a broom made of oak leaves. Don one of those bell-shaped wool banya hats, come game for anything, and you’ll emerge a completely different person. How different? Don’t be surprised if, whatever your background, you find yourself with a distinct craving for Russian and Slavic fare, one easily satisfied by Wall Street’s on-site Matryoshka cafe, which welcomes towel-in-hand swimsuited types with open arms (or you can dress and snag a table at an upstairs restaurant with the same menu).</p> 
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Refresh at a Manhattan day spa

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 <p>While they’re often booked weeks in advance, <a href="https://www.bocuserestaurant.com/">The Bocuse Restaurant</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.americanbountyrestaurant.com/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=NYRestaurants&amp;utm_content=american-bounty&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA4-y8BhC3ARIsAHmjC_FjKSyi8ICWiHW1KIJyyuWFg_9OZxJ9rtkPUMrDFUILkVsqqIdeK5EaAm7xEALw_wcB">American Bounty</a>, <a href="https://www.ciachef.edu/">Culinary Institute of America</a>’s training restaurants in Hyde Park, are open to anyone with a reservation who’s willing to drive a couple of hours north. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/culinary-institute-america-d4kt3ags">The trip</a> is well worth it for the food, yes, a constantly changing menu that may include&nbsp;Bocuse’s tureen of black truffle soup sheathed in puff pastry, the buttery tartiflette (an unctuous gratin of potatoes, bacon and cheese) and, in particular, a dessert composed of white chocolate, Concord grape sorbet, yogurt and pear jam, as impressive as it is unlikely.&nbsp;American Bounty, which opened in 1982, before words like regional, seasonal and farm-to-table were part of the common culinary conversation. It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that the restaurant’s creed of cooking with fresh, local ingredients and the fledgling chefs taught to embrace it — one-fifth of all Michelin-star restaurants in America are run by CIA alumni, according to the school — have helped change the way all of us eat.&nbsp;The menu may well have changed by the time you see this, but&nbsp;food is far from the only reason that meals at the country’s foremost cooking school are so special. Said specialness is due in part to the students, whose dedication and earnestness, even their missteps, demonstrate a love for the possibilities of food that’s infectious and often moving.</p> 
 <p>Restaurants founded and/or operated by the school’s alumni are scattered across the Hudson Valley, towns like Millbrook (Babette’s Kitchen), Kingston (Ship to Shore), Wappingers Falls (Heritage Food and Drink) and Rhinebeck (Willow at Mirbeau).</p> 
 <p>Nowhere is that truer than in Poughkeepsie, where alumni restaurants include Lolita’s Pizza, Crew, Mill House Brewing Company and Essie’s Restaurant, <a href="https://www.essiesrestaurantpk.com/">a Caribbean-fusion place</a> run by Brandon Walker.&nbsp;Walker’s signature Bolognese is made with goat meat and a complex tomato sauce amped up by Moroccan flavors, apricots, dates and goat cheese, while his spherical jambalaya croquettes are a riotous blend of shrimp, Cheddar and andouille sausage. Jerk ribs are sauced with sherry and tamarind, and Walker even manages to bring nuance to lowly cornbread, its subtle sweetness a product of Jimmy Red corn paired with a luscious lemon-vanilla butter.</p> 
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Hudson Valley

Dine at the Culinary Institute of America

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 <p>Few towns on Long Island can offer residents and visitors a vibrant downtown, a nationally recognized working farm, an intimate live music venue where Billy Joel has performed and a castle. Huntington can. <a href="https://www.paramountny.com/">The Paramount</a> is a staple in the Long Island entertainment world, where visitors can catch comedy shows, concerts, book tours, tribute bands, live podcasts, boxing and special events. Located below the music venue, <a href="https://www.spotlightny.com/">Spotlight</a> is a restaurant and art space. It has a full bar, including 12 taps, and a dinner menu. Catch a flick at <a href="https://cinemaartscentre.org/">Cinema Arts Centre</a>, a&nbsp;theater offering classics like the occasional Alfred Hitchcock film, plus current movies&nbsp;and special events.&nbsp;Wine and dine in authentic European ambience at <a href="https://www.ohkbarandrestaurant.com/">OHK Bar &amp; Restaurant</a> in Oheka Castle.&nbsp;Located in Heckscher Park, the <a href="https://www.heckscher.org/">Heckscher Museum of Art</a>&nbsp;includes more than 2,300 pieces that span 500 years, with an emphasis on Long Island artists. Suggested admission is $5.&nbsp;<a href="https://kerbersfarm.com/">Kerber's Farm</a> — originally founded in 1941, adding nostalgia to its ingredients — offers popular items like the famed cheddar buttermilk biscuit egg sandwich, honey that’s harvested on-site and Kerberry Pies that have been selected for Oprah’s Favorite Things List. The free-to-visit farm is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and visitors can spot sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, bunnies and a goat. End the day with a cold cheese slice from&nbsp;Little Vincent’s, open in Huntington since 1984. Cash only.</p> 
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Rock out, grab a slice in Huntington

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 <p>Downtown Riverhead is a historic destination with buildings that date back to the 19th century. Grab a hot beverage at <a href="https://mugsonmain.com/">Mugs on Main</a> and head over to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sundayrecordsriverheadny/?hl=en">Sunday Records</a> (125 Roanoke Ave.; 631-599-3918), which organizes its vinyl in Long Island-friendly fashion by explaining which local radio station would play which vinyl. The store focuses on older albums but also carries some new releases and old-school memorabilia. If you're in the mood for a local brew, grab a stool at <a href="https://northforkbrewingco.com/">North Fork Brewing Company</a> around the corner. Next, hop in the car to <a href="https://www.tanger.com/riverhead">Tanger Outlet Riverhead</a> for dozens of big brand stores and <a href="https://www.sciencecenterli.org/">Long Island Science Center</a>, a learning museum focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programming. Weekly events for museum visitors include Science Saturday classes (parent must be present), where students will participate topic-based workshops. Or visit <a href="https://www.longislandaquarium.com/">Long Island Aquarium</a>, home to many marine and land animals and features indoor and outdoor exhibits including daily sea lion shows. Stop for ice cream at <a href="https://snowflakeicecream.com/">Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe</a>, a roadside stop for takeout ice cream dating back to 1953. Wrap up the day by catching a performance at <a href="https://thesuffolk.org/">The Suffolk</a>, a restored 1930s Art Deco theater which has been reborn as a performing arts center.</p> 
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Learn science, shop in Riverhead

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 <p>Even non-guests are welcome to take a plunge on the roof at JFK International Airport’s six-story <a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/twa-hotel-jfk-airport-jx2lhdkf">TWA Hotel in Queens</a>, where the outdoor swimming pool appears to be heated to a rolling boil, steam rising furiously from its surface. Mesmerizing and conspicuously fenceless, the 64-foot-long pool floats over Terminals 4 and 5, looking on as planes from negotiate arrivals and departures from jetways just a few hundred feet away. You needn’t be a hotel guest to enjoy <a href="https://www.twahotel.com/thepoolbar">TWA’s poolcuzzi</a>. A day pass is a real bargain for Long Islanders to soak in a 95-degree oasis. The 512-room hotel now sits in the 1962 TWA Flight Center, designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, a midcentury architectural masterpiece that was painstakingly, magnificently restored and reopened to the public in 2019. Scattered throughout the terminal is memorabilia such as Saarinen’s original blueprints, along with full-scale exhibits depicting a ’60s living room and period hair salon complete with beehive hairdryers. Grab a drink or a bite at the Paris Cafe, the bar stools and tulip tables perfectly period, although both are now overseen by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and serve food that sometimes feels too good for an airport. When it comes to era-channeling audacity, however, nothing quite compares to the Lockheed Constellation parked just off the hotel’s lobby, a 1958 propliner rechristened the Connie bar, and reachable via a staircase on the tarmac. Arrive at your destination via the AirTrain from the LIRR’s Jamaica Station to Terminal 5.</p> 
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Warm up in a heated rooftop pool at TWA Hotel

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 <p>Start by shopping for handmade products created by Long Island artisans&nbsp;at spiritual-healing shop <a href="https://www.dreamswestli.com/">Dreams West</a>.&nbsp;In addition to crystals and stones, you’ll find mother-daughter pocketbooks, blankets, suncatchers, paintings, photographs, handmade jewelry, skin care and aromatherapy products, essential oils, incense, clothing and books. A new, sleek studio is also part of the shop. Yoga for all ages and reiki sessions are offered weekly, plus classes involving sound healing, blanket knitting, &quot;how to read tarot card&quot; classes, psychic, intuitive and astrology readings, and a mommy-and-me aromatherapy class.</p> 
 <p>At <a href="https://www.coco-li.com/">Coco Confections + Coffee</a>, a gourmet chocolate and coffee shop, owner-chocolatier Terry Kenniff offers&nbsp;hands-on truffle-making workshops. He leads participants through every phase of the truffle-making process — the history, geography, chemistry, math and physics. Everyone leaves with 20 truffles they've created themselves.</p> 
 <p>End the day at <a href="https://www.fosterrestaurant.com/">Foster</a>, a&nbsp;farm-to-table restaurant and&nbsp;one of Feed Me's Top 50 restaurants.&nbsp;Pea greens and potato crisps, a tempura fish-of-the-day sandwich and shrimp and grits are just a few of the creative, light and luscious dishes.</p> 
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Take a chocolate class, do yoga in Sea Cliff

Take a chocolate class, do yoga in Sea Cliff

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 <p>Is Rockefeller Center becoming an amusement park? First, there was<a href="https://www.rockefellercenter.com/attractions/top-of-the-rock-observation-deck/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAhP67BhAVEiwA2E_9g8MNejFIX70pmA0ElaxcZZxg7-bfvSUh7esWqvBiIHgw5LUsji47nxoCxLYQAvD_BwE"> The Beam</a>, which straps tourists to a steel girder and lifts them several feet above the building’s observation deck, treating them to unparalleled views even as they create a reasonable facsimile of the famous &quot;Lunch atop a Skyscraper&quot; photo taken when the Rock was being built in 1932.</p> 
 <p>Now comes <a href="https://www.rockefellercenter.com/attractions/top-of-the-rock-observation-deck/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAhP67BhAVEiwA2E_9g8MNejFIX70pmA0ElaxcZZxg7-bfvSUh7esWqvBiIHgw5LUsji47nxoCxLYQAvD_BwE#skylift">Skylift</a>, a round, rotating vessel that slowly rises three stories from the roof, the contraption eventually looking like a wedding cake hovering over the 70-story building. Like The Beam, the views are matchless, the rush one-of-a-kind, and the experience certifiably terrifying for anyone afraid of heights.</p> 
 <p>Back at sea level, the Rock’s seasonal ice skating rink is open again and two newish restaurants are worth a meal:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.5acresnyc.com/">5 Acres</a>. with upscale burgers and comfort classics, and <a href="https://www.jupiterrestaurant.nyc/">Jupiter</a>, which serves Italian fare in an attractive setting that includes an outdoor rink-side terrace.</p> 
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Take a ride at Rockefeller Center

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 <p>Make a&nbsp;day of visiting five West Village shops and eateries, all of them new and noteworthy. First, everyone’s heard of NYC’s famous chopped cheese sandwich, but everything comes chopped at the <a href="https://www.brownbagny.com/">Brown Bag Sandwich Co.</a> on Thompson Street, from the popular mortadella-and-provolone feast on a kaiser roll to a fine roast beef number sparked by pickled mustard.</p> 
 <p>For dessert, head over to <a href="https://www.eatcops.com/">COPS</a>, a Canadian export specializing in hot, made-to-order doughnuts that opened in September (the sour cream-glazed variety is otherworldly), or <a href="https://saltandstraw.com/pages/locations?location=new%20york">Salt &amp; Straw</a>, a kicky, Portland-born ice cream shop that debuted on Hudson Street on Oct. 18 with flavors both decadent (fleur de sel with caramel ribbons) and weird (pastrami on rye — ice cream — actually, it’s pretty good). Or, join the line of social media mavens at <a href="https://lilsweettreat.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorwP-OVyRpOrOoRQqhmnF5fcan8SbOQbR61WL4cG-TRx-PMnMOd">Lil Sweet Treat</a>, a tiny Seventh Avenue shop which that features high-quality, scoop-your-own candies from around the world, everything from pineapple gummies from Sweden to Belgian Sour Bears.</p> 
 <p>Finally, come down off your sugar high with a visit to Sixth Avenue's<a href="https://thelocavore.com/variety-store"> Locavore Variety Store</a>, a new and fascinating boutique in which every item from beanies to bug repellent is produced within a 100hundred-mile radius of the city.</p> 
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Shop local, eat global in the West Village

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 <p>Bone up on the Netflix megahit Squid Game&nbsp;with the &quot;<a href="https://squidgameexperience.com/new-york/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=sc&amp;utm_campaign=191141_nyc&amp;utm_content=708870077648&amp;utm_term=squid%20game%20experience_b&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA4fi7BhC5ARIsAEV1YiaDmgBmymhi6tFBp4gpQ-rhoEri-NpL_nt6z4x_hpAKX7M2n4ioZTMaAieyEALw_wcB">Squid Game Experience</a>&quot; in midtown Manhattan, an immersive activity in which players compete in a series of high-stakes challenges very much like the show (Tickets start at $29). The adventure unfolds, appropriately, not far from West 32nd St.’s K-town, easily a daylong adventure in itself. Indulge in Korean &quot;school food&quot; at <a href="https://www.foodgallery32nyc.com/">Food Gallery 32</a>, a tiny food hall that somehow accommodates a dozen vendors, peruse the stalls at <a href="https://www.kpoponlinemall.com/">Koryo Books</a>, a decades-old shop whose name gives little hint that it’s the city’s premier spot for buying K-pop albums and merchandise (although don’t miss the tea room upstairs), and share one of the divine Basque cheesecakes at <a href="https://www.bygracestreet.com/">Grace Street</a>. At dinnertime, you won’t be able to enjoy high-class Korean barbecue on a high floor at Gaonnuri until December (the entire building is without electricity due to a flood), but that just means it’ll be harder to get into <a href="https://antoyabbq.com/">Antoya BBQ</a>, another superlative spot. End your K-day with — what else?— karaoke just across the street at <a href="https://www.32karaoke.com/home">32 Karaoke</a>, whose extensive Asian music catalog also includes 20,000 English and 10,000 Spanish songs. Rent one of several private rooms by the hour and croon the night away.</p> 
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Play, eat and sing in Koreatown

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 <p>America has a complicated relationship with &quot;Saturday Night Live,&quot; NBC’s occasionally-brilliant, often-painful paean to sketch comedy. But surely the fact that the show has just begun its 50th season is testament to — well, what, exactly?</p> 
 <p>That’s the subject of this long day’s journey into Saturday night, one that begins at Spike Lee Cinema in downtown Brooklyn (formerly the original Alamo Drafthouse). Loosely based on the lead-up to SNL’s first episode in 1975, the new film &quot;Saturday Night&quot; is a disarmingly affectionate look at the show’s birth, one which should stimulate some pointed post-movie conversation over double-patty burgers at <a href="https://www.swoonys.com/">Swoony’s</a> in Carroll Gardens,&nbsp;which happens to be owned by SNL alum Tracy Morgan. Finally, polish off your SNL research at the newish <a href="https://www.secondcity.com/shows/new-york/improv-after-dark-nyc?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA4fi7BhC5ARIsAEV1YibFyoSICkVNucyK3_MEwwMhj7qhaXj9B4jqqhDbyLu5yYH4dUCfL_IaAlx5EALw_wcB">Second City Brooklyn</a>. Originally founded in Chicago in 1959 (hence the name), Second City has long been a proving ground for future cast members of the show, including Bill Murray and Gilda Radner. Watch tomorrow’s stars today in &quot;Ruthless Acts of Kindness,&quot; a two-hour program of songs and improv by leading young comics.</p> 
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Celebrate 50 years of "Saturday Night Live" in Brooklyn

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>Head to <a href="https://massapequabowl.com/">Ultra Lanes Massapequa</a> for gaming and bowling. &quot;It’s as if you’re at a laser show while you’re bowling. The pins glow different colors,&quot; Brenda Kay, special event coordinator explains. During cosmic, glow-in-the-dark bowling, offered daily, &quot;We have the lights off and there’s music, and neon lasers shoot out on the sides and fronts of the lanes,&quot;&nbsp;says staff member&nbsp;Nicole Viera.&nbsp;There are also arcade games galore, and while you bowl you can grab a bite from the caf&eacute;.</p> 
 <p>Take a two-minute walk to <a href="https://www.burgerologyusa.com/massapequa-menu/">Burgerology Massapequa</a> and try some of their greatest hits. &quot;People go crazy for the Cookie Skillet ($10),&quot; says manager Jackson Cortez.&nbsp;The most popular for young kids is the &quot;Surprise Party&quot; shake. It comes with real cotton candy, a giant lollipop and cotton candy crunch ($14). The S’mores Dip is popular as well. Get-Your-Own-Brunch-On-A-Platter ($22.95) just made its debut. Order a huge platter of five&nbsp;12 oz. pancakes, 12 slices of bacon, sausage, three bowls of berries, whipped cream and maple syrup and share with your family.&nbsp;Alternatively, take a five-minute walk to the <a href="https://www.allamericanhamburgerli.com/">All American Hamburger Drive-In</a> on Merrick Road. Favorites in this classic fast food joint include: the large fries ($2.95) and double cheeseburgers ($4.15).</p> 
</div>

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Go bowling and grab burgers in Massapequa

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>Pickleball might be the rage in this country, but in much of the rest of the world, it’s padel, a sport that uses racquetball-size rackets and tennis-sized balls and is played in a squash-like enclosed court where the walls are fair game. It’s fun, fast-paced and open to all at <a href="https://www.padel.haus/">Padel Haus</a>, New York City’s only club of its kind, although one with three Brooklyn locations (Williamsburg, Domino Point and Dumbo) and another in Greenpoint on the way.</p> 
 <p>Those in the mood for something more leisurely might instead head to the <a href="https://www.royalpalmsbrooklyn.com/">Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club</a>, a 10-court, walk-in facility near the Gowanus Canal that’s particularly friendly to novice shufflers, offering a free five-minute lesson from a club pro, tons of shuffleboard slang on its website to get you up to speed (the discs are called biscuits??) and a nice selection of cocktails to keep the atmosphere light.</p> 
 <p>And while people have been throwing axes with alarming frequency for years, nowhere is it done with more seriousness than <a href="https://www.kickaxe.com/">Kick Axe Throwing</a>, where things also start with a tutorial on how to throw (and, more importantly, how not to), as well as instruction in Hyper Axe — throwing real axes at digital targets, aka the future of ax throwing — and directions to the bar for bites and beverages.</p> 
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Take up a new (or old) sport in Brooklyn

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>When it comes to the natural world in all its splendor and variety, Long Island is truly blessed in every way save one: its conspicuous absence of caves. For some, this may seem like no great loss, especially given the abundance of stalactite formations of unknown origin in the New York City subway. But for the rest of us, there’s nothing like going deeper, exploring mineral deposits, tunnels and underground rivers in all their subterranean glory. The easiest way for an Islander to scratch the itch is by visiting New Jersey’s <a href="https://www.sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/">Sterling Hill Mining Museum</a>, a two-hour drive from Melville to&nbsp;Ogdensburg. Tours of the former zinc mine (1897-1986) are given on weekends, and include a visit to the so-called Rainbow Tunnel, an area of fluorescent zinc ore that glows bright red and green when exposed to ultraviolet light. After that, adults but not kids are invited to go prospecting for fluorescent nuggets to take home, although the little ones are welcome to do a little on-site sluicing — putting sandy water through a sifter in search of minerals. Two hours north, meanwhile, sits the <a href="https://www.dutchessland.org/get-involved/places-to-visit/dover-stone-church-preserve">Dover Stone Church Cave</a> in Dutchess County, a magnet for tourists since the early 1900s. Hike past the Gothic cathedral-shaped entrance — hence the name — and into the cavern itself, where you’ll find a babbling brook and a waterfall.</p> 
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New Jersey

Go exploring in a cave

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>The Taylor Swift Laser Show at the <a href="https://www.vanderbiltmuseum.org/">Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium</a> in Centerport could be the next best thing to a live concert. &quot;We’ve renovated our planetarium dome theater with new seating and a top-of-the line audio system,&quot; says planetarium director Dave Bush. The show features five laser light projectors that beam light across the surface of the 60-foot dome and around the theater. A fog-like machine is used to create special effects, so images and a plethora of colors suspended in the air.&nbsp;While Taylor’s songs play, a variety of laser images appear.&nbsp;The show runs weekends at 4 p.m. Additional programs include Pink Floyd and Van Halen laser shows which are recommended for older kids and adults that run weekends at 9 p.m. The $20 per person ticket price is for laser shows and day time shows include access to the planetarium and museum grounds.</p> 
 <p>Take a 10-minute drive to <a href="https://sweetmamasmenu.com/">Sweet Mama’s</a> in Northport where breakfast and sweet treats are served all day.&nbsp;Cookie Monster ice cream with Oreos and chocolate chip cookies hiding inside&nbsp;is a favorite for kids. You can try French toast three ways: sticks for kids; the teen French toast favorite &quot;Funky Monkey&quot; (graham cracker encrusted French toast stuffed with Nutella, bananas and chocolate drizzle) or the French toast croissant.</p> 
</div>

TRDAYTRIP_Planetarium

Watch a light show, eat breakfast for dinner in Northport

Watch a light show and eat breakfast for dinner in Northport

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>New York is richly endowed with Egyptian treasures of all sorts, enough to justify a daylong visit or more. Start with <a href="https://horizonkheopsexperience.com/nyc/">Horizon of Khufu</a>, an immersive experience in midtown Manhattan that uses VR technology to take visitors back 4,500 years to the funeral of King Khufu, a journey that includes &quot;visits&quot; to the pyramids at Giza, a chance to decipher hieroglyphics and more. After that, head to the <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/">Metropolitan Museum</a>, home to 30,000 pieces of Egyptian art, where you can embark on a self-guided tour of the reign of Tutankhamun, thrill to the magnificent Temple of Dendur and more. (Don’t miss William the Hippo, a 4,000-year-old blue hippopotamus sculpted out of clay and the museum’s unofficial mascot.) Round out your day with a trip downtown for some Egyptian fast food at <a href="https://www.zoobaeats.com/usa-homepage?srsltid=AfmBOor6qJXoFc5PVQkOFaCIOjBaAN98gVF_cP7k6qlXhvUwEbZOfbfy">Zooba</a> — hawawshi burgers, dukka fries and the like — or even better, head to Queens and the Little Cairo eateries of Steinway Street in Astoria. The variety of Egyptian riches there includes heavenly feteer at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mum.feteer/?hl=en">Mum Feteer</a>, exquisite tagines at <a href="https://sabrys-seafood.com/">Sabry’s</a> and AbuQir, where you can choose your own seafood adventure from the delicacies on ice.</p> 
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Walk like an Egyptian in NYC

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>Ah, Brooklyn in the 70s. Crime was high, rents were low, and everybody danced to &quot;Saturday Night Fever&quot; and skated roller disco. You can do both in a new way at Bushwick’s <a href="https://www.xanadu.nyc/">Xanadu Roller Arts</a>, named for the Olivia Newton-John flick that skated its way into film infamy, and later, Broadway. The gorgeous maple floored facility — the city’s first new rink of its kind in years — accommodates all skating levels under its disco ball, even as it serves cocktails and doubles as a concert space. Elsewhere, few time machines will take you back like Slice of Brooklyn, a four-hour bus and pizza tour that visits such pie legends as Bensonhurst’s <a href="https://spumonigardens.com/">L &amp; B Spumoni Gardens</a>. And while iconic seafood restaurant <a href="https://www.lundysofbrooklyn.com/">Lundy’s</a> closed in 1979, it reopened&nbsp;Dec. 11 in Red Hook with a menu that’s sure to stir nostalgic feelings of tiered shellfish towers past.</p> 
</div>

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Take a '70s Brooklyn borough tour

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>The desire to recharge one’s batteries is a recent impulse, or so we tend to think, a consequence of modern man’s overreliance on technology, alienation from the natural world, blah, blah, blah. But if that’s the case, how to explain Albert Smiley, who bought the 300 Hudson Valley acres that would become <a href="https://www.mohonk.com/">Mohonk Mountain House</a> way back in 1869 for the express purpose of creating a place to — according to the website — &quot;rejuvenate away from the stresses of work and city life?&quot; Indeed, this Victorian castle in New Paltz, less than two hours north of the city and still owned and operated by the Smiley family, has been a welcoming oasis for dignitaries and celebrities ever since, although anyone with a need for psychic escape (read: all of us) is welcome.</p> 
 <p>And while an overnight stay is the best way to experience this all-inclusive resort (rooms start at $692 a night in January), it isn’t the only one. Booking a spa treatment (they start at around $250) will grant you access to Mohonk’s outdoor heated mineral pool, steam room, sauna, relaxation area and solarium with a stone fireplace, as well as other amenities besides. Among these is the resort’s 85 miles of hiking trails, gardens, greenhouse, on-site museum and lounge. Need yet another incentive? Tea and cookies are served every afternoon — a Mohonk tradition.</p> 
</div>

TRDAYTRIP_HudsonSpa

Go spa-ing in the Hudson Valley

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<div class="description"> 
 <p>As soon as kids enter the <a href="https://www.cmee.org/en">Children’s Museum of the East End</a> in Bridgehampton, they&nbsp;dash toward&nbsp;the indoor padded gym, pretend market, post office and library with cozy tents for reading. Now families can also be creative in the new art room, included in museum admission. An endless variety of arts and crafts materials will bring all visions to life. Littles can&nbsp;use acrylic paints, crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, paper m&acirc;che materials and stamps with ink pads.</p> 
 <p>Hop in your car and take a five-minute drive to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bridgehamptoncandykitchen/">Bridgehampton Candy Kitchen</a>, which is cash only. This family-run restaurant nearing its 100th anniversary offers a homey breakfast and lunch all day, plus dinner.&nbsp;Reminisce while sipping a nostalgic egg cream or lick the latest kid-favorite homemade ice cream flavor:, chocolate with marshmallow fluff ($7). Other favorites include pancakes with ice cream ($15.95) and milkshakes ($10).</p> 
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Play at the children's museum, eat ice cream in Bridgehampton

Play at the children's museum, eat ice cream in Bridgehampton

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One-day trips from Long Island: Guide to local, NYC and more drivable destinations

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One-day trips from LI: Local fun, NYC attractions and more

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