I need to get away from town for two weeks.

It's been too long since I've been out of the city and I'm really not handling the stress of NYC too well these days....I want to go somewhere this summer for two weeks that is quiet, full of good opps to commune with nature and relatively inexpensive where I can rent a bike and just get off of the grid for awhile. Any suggestions?

Go North!

Maine or even Nova Scotia. We honeymooned in Rockland Maine and had a great time

Vermont... always a giant breath of fresh air.

Subject: VT is a solid option

Go to Bridgewater, VT. It's a tiny little town. It's quaint. There's a covered bridge. Not much in the way of infrastructure but there is a great bakery there (Umplebys!) and a beautiful furniture store (Charles Shackleton). It's close to Woodstock which is much more developed -- and a bit more expensive. You'll find a couple of restaurants and bars in Woodstock. And if you like canoeing there's lots of that available. And there's also the beautiful Queechee Gorge nearby.

Use the Bike VT book and a hiking guide book you'll have some great times in the area.

Do you have a passport? To cool off in summer, I recommend Svalbard. It's as close as you can get to the North Pole on a regular commercial flight. World's northernmost settlement. Good for hiking, snow mobiling, dog sledding, communing with the awesome power of nature and amazing wildlife, sunbathing at 2am, etc. Non-local food is pricey there, but it's possible to get a cheap flight, and guesthouse accomodation is reasonable.

WOW! Svalbard is interesting. DH wants to go to Iceland someday. Maybe we could swing a visit to Svalbard on the way to or fro.

quiddity wrote: WOW! Svalbard is interesting. DH wants to go to Iceland someday. Maybe we could swing a visit to Svalbard on the way to or fro.

No direct flights from Iceland to Svalbard. But you can take Icelandair to Reykjavik, then Oslo, and it's a cheap domestic flight with SAS-Braathens to Longyearbyen in Svalbard; that's the best way from NY. July is high season; we went in late June and had no trouble getting tickets and accomodation. Awesome.

I second for Maine, try Arcadia or Mount Desert. Woods, ocean, beautiful scenery great food. Maine's pretty close too, a little under an hour by plane and Jet Blue has direct flights to Portland for around $100.

http://www.visitmaine.com/region/region_downeast.php

Super Budget Vacation: Ocean Grove on the Jersey Shore.

where to stay in ocean grove? ideas? thanks. i know there are lots of b&b's...

I would stay in Cape Breton or Peggy's Cove. Both in Nova Scotia. Lots of nature, lots of great seafood. Lots of biking available. And the rooms are cheap as well. The most I spent was $50 Canukian ($5 Yankee) for a motel room right on the water, with a view and everything was clean and the rooms were big.

Subject: Thanks and keep them coming

Thanks everyone for the good tips...Went to Jones Beach today and got some stress vented...Any other places you'd suggest please offer them up.