Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome back to Exploring America. State by state. We just wrapped up the quiet charm of Connecticut, and today we're stepping into a state so massive in reputation that people forget it's actually a whole state, not just one city.
[00:00:14] This is New York, the Empire State. And it holds an almost impossible range of experiences inside one set of borders. Yes, there's Manhattan with its skyline that basically defines the word city in most people's minds around the entire world.
[00:00:29] But New York is also the roaring thunder of Niagara Falls, the quiet peaks of the Adirondacks, rolling vineyards around the Finger Lakes, historic river towns along the Hudson, and small farming communities that feel a thousand miles from a subway platform. New York earned its nickname the Empire State because early leaders believed it was destined to be the center of a growing American empire of commerce and industry.
[00:00:54] And in many ways, that prediction came true many times over.
[00:00:58] Today we're covering both sides of that story, because to really understand New York, you need to see it as one state with two completely different rhythms. The electric pulse of the city and the wide open, slower moving landscape that surrounds it for hundreds of miles in every direction, from the Canadian border down to the Atlantic coastline of Long Island. Let's start upstate, where the driving is genuinely spectacular and often overlooked by first time visitors. Chasing the city alone, the Taconic State Parkway winds through rolling hills and dense forest just north of the city, a beautiful old parkway built in the early 20th century with almost no commercial traffic and absolutely gorgeous fall color when the leaves turn in October. Along the Hudson River, Route 9W gives you dramatic views of the Hudson Highlands, with steep cliffs rising straight out of the water and small towns like Cold Spring and Beacon worth a full afternoon of wandering through antique shops and riverside parks. Further west, the roads circling the Finger Lakes wind past vineyard after vineyard with the deep blue water glinting between rows of grapevines on nearly every hillside you pass. Near Niagara, the Robert Moses Parkway gives you sweeping approach views of the falls long before you even step out of your vehicle. And if you have time for one long upstate drive, consider looping through the Adirondack park along Route 30, sometimes called the Adirondack Trail, which winds past lakes, mountains, and small hamlets that barely seem to have changed in decades, with moose crossing signs that are more than just decoration. Letchworth State park is often called the Grand Canyon of the east, and it earns that nickname honestly with a gorge cut by the Genesee river that stretches for 17 miles and includes three major waterfalls visible from a series of dramatic overlooks along the rim Watkins Glen State park packs an entire gorge trail with 19 waterfalls into a walk you can finish in a couple of hours with stone staircases and bridges that make the whole thing feel like a hidden secret garden carved into rock. Dia Beacon, a contemporary art museum housed in a former Nabisco Box printing factory along the Hudson, surprises even people who think they don't like modern art, with massive sunlit galleries filled with large scale installations you can wander through for hours.
[00:03:21] Chitenango Falls, a lesser known waterfall in central New York, gives you postcard views without a single tour bus in sight.
[00:03:29] Out in the Thousand Islands region along the St. Lawrence river, tiny castle covered islands and quiet river towns offer a completely different kind of New York experience most travelers never even know exists. And don't overlook Howe Caverns and the Catskills foothills, an underground cave system you can explore by boat on a hidden underground lake. A genuinely surreal way to spend an afternoon. Niagara Falls deserves its reputation as one of the great natural wonders of the world, and no description really prepares you for standing at the railing as millions of gallons of water thunder over the edge every single minute of every single day. Take the Maid of the Mist boat ride right up close to the base of the falls where the spray soaks you before you even realize how close you've gotten to the churning water below.
[00:04:16] Walk behind the curtain of water itself through the Cave at the Winds experience standing on a wooden platform just feet from the roaring cascade, feeling the mist hit you like rain. Come at night if you can, when colored lights illuminate the falls and turn the whole scene into something closer to theater than nature. And don't skip the Canadian side viewpoints either, which many visitors consider even more dramatic and complete than the American side since it faces the horseshoe shaped falls directly. Now for the city itself, Manhattan is dense, loud and absolutely worth every bit of energy it demands from you in return.
[00:04:54] Times Square is the postcard image everyone expects, blazing with light day and night, though most locals will tell you it's a place to see once and move on from quickly rather than lingering for hours. Central park is the real heart of the island, 840 acres of paths, lakes and quiet corners that let you forget you're surrounded by skyscrapers with hidden spots like the Ramble and Bethesda Terrace rewarding anyone willing to wander off the main paved paths. The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock both offer legendary skyline views, and honestly picking between them mostly comes down to whether you want the Empire State Building itself included in your photo or not. The Brooklyn Bridge is worth walking across on foot just for the perspective it gives you on the whole city at once, with the Manhattan skyline rising ahead of you and the harbor spreading out below in every direction. And don't overlook simply wandering neighborhoods like Greenwich Village or the Lower east side, where much of the city's real character lives outside the postcard landmarks. A ferry ride out to Liberty island puts you right at the base of one of the most recognizable monuments on earth, a gift from France that has welcomed generations of new arrivals into this country since the 1880s.
[00:06:08] Right next door, Ellis Island's immigration museum tells the story of the millions of people who pass through those halls on their way to a new life in America, with exhibits full of real documents, photographs and personal belongings left behind.
[00:06:23] Standing in the same registry room where so many families once waited nervously for their turn is a genuinely moving experience and one that puts the whole idea of America into a very human perspective that stays with most visitors long after they leave the island and head back to the mainland. The 911 Memorial and Museum, built at the site of the former World Trade center, is one of the most powerful places you can visit in the entire country. The two reflecting pools set into the exact footprints of the original towers are quiet and solemn even amid the busy streets of Lower Manhattan around them, with the names of every victim inscribed along the bronze edges in careful, deliberate order. The museum below tells the story of that day with real artifacts, recovered steel beams and personal accounts from survivors and family members. And most visitors leave the experience deeply affected in ways they didn't quite expect.
[00:07:17] It's not a light hearted stop on your itinerary, but it's an essential one, and giving it a full morning rather than rushing through respects what the site represents to the city and the country.
[00:07:28] You cannot talk about New York without talking about the food, and two things top the list immediately. New York cheesecake, dense, rich and famously simple, reaches its high point at places like juniors in Brooklyn, a spot that has been perfecting the exact same recipe for generations and shipping slices around the country to people who can't make the trip. And then there's the pizza, the true New York slice, thin, foldable and sold by the piece at corner shops on nearly every block of every neighborhood and every borough. Everyone has their favorite spot, from old school coal fired ovens to newer wood fired shops popping up across Brooklyn. And half the fun of visiting is picking a friendly fight with a local New Yorker over which one is actually the best in the city. Beyond the landmarks we've already covered, the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds one of the greatest art collections on the planet, easily worth an entire day if you love wandering through human history one gallery at a time. The American Museum of Natural History is a must for anyone traveling with kids or just anyone who loves dinosaurs and space exhibits under one roof. Grand Central Terminal is worth a visit purely for its architecture, a soaring main hall with a painted celestial ceiling that stops most first time visitors in their tracks the moment they walk through the doors. The High Line, an elevated park built on an old rail line running through Chelsea, gives you a completely different, greener view of the city as you walk above the streets among planted gardens and the cloisters. A quieter museum in upper Manhattan, built from actual medieval European architecture, feels like stepping into an entirely different country and century.
[00:09:12] A few things to watch out in Times Square Costume characters posing for photos will demand payment afterward, often more than you'd expect, so know that going in or just politely decline the photo request entirely from the start. Restaurants immediately surrounding major landmarks tend to charge tourist markup prices for genuinely mediocre food, so walk a block or two away for better value and often noticeably better quality at the same time. Souvenir pizza shops near heavy tourist zones sometimes trade purely on location rather than quality, so ask a local New Yorker where they actually eat instead of following the crowd off the subway. And be wary of unofficial ticket sellers near major attractions promising Skip the Line access, since official box offices and verified apps are almost always cheaper and considerably safer. Manhattan itself is not RV friendly at all, with narrow streets, extremely limited parking and serious traffic congestion at almost every hour. So plan to park your rig outside the city in New Jersey or in the outer boroughs and take public transit in for your city days instead. Upstate New York, however, is wonderful RV territory, with wide interstates, scenic byways and plenty of room to maneuver a larger rig comfortably through the Adirondacks, Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley regions without any of the stress of city driving. For paid camping, Campgrounds near Niagara Falls put you within a short drive of the falls, with full hookups and easy highway access on either side. Letchworth State park offers a large, well maintained campground right inside the Gorge itself, one of the most scenic places in the state to wake up in an RV and step outside to a waterfall view for free or low cost. Camping the Adirondack park allows dispersed camping on state land outside of designated campgrounds, one of the most generous free camping policies in the entire Northeast, though you'll need to follow specific distance and duration rules set by the state, typically staying at least 150 feet from water and trails. Always check current regulations before setting up in the backcountry, since rules can vary a bit by region and season. In Manhattan, expect to pay premium rates almost everywhere, though boutique hotels in Brooklyn or Queens can offer real savings with an easy subway ride into the city each day. You want to explore Niagara Falls has hotels directly overlooking the falls themselves. Worth the splurge for at least one night. Wake up to that view and that sound. The Catskills region offers classic mountain resorts with a slower, more relaxed pace, a great option if you want a few days away from the city energy entirely. And the Finger Lakes region has a growing number of vineyard inns and lakeside cottages that make a perfect base for a few days of wine touring at a much gentler pace. New York City's subway system runs around the clock and remains one of the most efficient ways to get around Manhattan and the boroughs, even if it can feel overwhelming at first glance. Metro north and the Long Island Railroad connect the city to the suburbs and beyond, and Amtrak links New York City to destinations up and down the entire east coast in a matter of hours.
[00:12:26] Don't miss the Staten Island Ferry completely free, which gives you a stunning view of the Statue of Liberty and the full Manhattan skyline without spending a single dime. Upstate, a car remains the most practical way to get between towns, though Amtrak does connect several major upstate cities along the scenic Hudson corridor. Beyond cheesecake and pizza, New York's food scene runs incredibly deep. A classic New York bagel, boiled before baking, has a chewy texture locals will insist you simply cannot replicate anywhere else in the entire country. Pastrami on rye from an old school deli like Katz's is a genuine rite of passage, piled impossibly high and always worth the long wait in line. Street cart Hot dogs and warm pretzels are practically a New York uniform for lunch on the go between meetings or sightseeing stops. And upstate, don't skip a real buffalo wing in its actual city of origin or fresh apple cider donuts from a farm stand during fall harvest season up in the Hudson Valley, catch a Broadway show, an experience genuinely unlike live theater anywhere else in the country.
[00:13:34] With decades of history behind nearly every theater marquee on the block, rent a bike and ride through Central park at sunrise before the crowds arrive. When the paths feel almost completely empty, Head upstate for a day of wine tasting through the Finger Lakes Wine Trail, sampling Rieslings at small family run vineyards along the water.
[00:13:54] Or lace up your boots for a hike in the High Peaks region of The Adirondacks, where 46 mountains rise above 4,000ft and dedicated hikers spend years working through the entire list one summit at a time. Each experience feels like a completely different state, and that range is exactly what makes New York so rewarding to explore slowly rather than rushing straight through it. Summer in New York City means free outdoor concerts, Shakespeare in the park, and rooftop bars all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. With skyline views in every direction you look upstate, summer is prime hiking and camping season in the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes. Wineries host tastings and festivals nearly every weekend from June straight through September. Niagara Falls is busiest in summer, so arrive early in the day to beat the crowds at the main viewing platforms and boat launches before the tour buses arrive. New York City is genuinely one of the more expensive destinations in the entire country, with hotels, food and attractions all running well above the national average almost everywhere you turn. That said, plenty of the very best experiences walking the Brooklyn Bridge, riding the Staten Island Ferry, wandering Central park cost absolutely nothing at all. Upstate New York runs dramatically cheaper, with affordable camping, budget friendly diners and hotel rates a small fraction of what you'd pay in Manhattan. So balancing a city stretch with an upstate stretch keeps your overall trip cost very reasonable. Cell coverage throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs is excellent, with strong signal nearly everywhere you go, even underground on most subway platforms these days, coverage gets noticeably spottier once you head deep into the Adirondack backcountry or remote stretches of the Catskills. So download offline maps before venturing into those quieter, more remote mountain areas. That's New York City, a state holding the energy of the world's most famous skyline right alongside quiet mountain trails, thundering waterfalls and vineyard covered hills. Next time we're heading into New Jersey, a state full of hidden beaches, historic small towns, and a personality far bigger than its size or its reputation would ever suggest.
[00:16:12] Pack the cooler and I'll see you there.
