Continental taste, Coney Island budget.
As the cost of traveling to Europe soars as a “record number” of travelers flock abroad, even as the dollar weakens, the traditional summer destination could be out of reach for many New Yorkers in 2024.
“There’s been a huge demand for travel over the last three years and many places are driving up prices,” Graham Carter, director of Unforgettable Travel, told CNN. “People are wondering if Europe is worth it.”
For many, the answer seems to be no.
A survey conducted by Tito’s found that 55% of respondents plan to holiday at or near home this summer, citing the cost of travel, tight budgets, pet accommodation and “having just as much fun in their local area”.
Luckily for Gotham residents, strolling around the neighborhood offers a world of entertainment, history, and culture at their fingertips—more than enough to trick out a dream European vacation.
“There are so many places to go, so many things to see, that even travel writers … barely scratch the surface, because the city is so vast,” Matthew Kepnes, a travel blogger and best-selling author, told the Post. “There are so many opportunities to travel in New York.”
With a vacation package, he added, “you want to replicate the emotions and experience of traveling in your own city” — no airfare required.
Check in to London or Paris — without leaving town
“The first important rule of any stay-at-home is to always get out of your routine and get out of your house,” says Kepnes, who is based in New York City and better known online as Nomadic Matt. “Because if you stay in, you’re going to end up doing things like errands and things like that.”
To distract yourself from the mountain of laundry and the pile of dishes to clean, booking a hotel allows you to escape your daily routine and feel like a traveler, even if you are just a stone’s throw from your apartment.
So, take the money you could have spent on plane tickets and treat yourself to a stay at one of New York’s sumptuous hotels, recently awarded 3 keys – the highest distinction – by the Michelin guide.
Experience some of London’s finest hospitality at Soho’s stunning Crosby Street Hotel, part of the British capital’s much-loved Firmdale group, or find solace in a quaint suite at Tribeca’s Barrière Fouquet’s Hotel, sibling to the Parisian original.
You could even leave New York City altogether—book a place to stay inside a castle, like Oheka Castle on Long Island, where Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” music video was filmed—or venture the short distance to Tarrytown’s Castle Hotel & Spa, built to resemble a fortress in the British Isles.
It is in Europe that you will find it
When it comes to sightseeing, art is always a good place to start, and while you can catch the latest works at the Met or MoMA, there are over 100 museums to explore across the boroughs.
“You want to feel like you’re doing new things, being in a new place,” Kepnes said.
“If you don’t feel like you’re traveling, you’ll end up doing things you normally would.”
There are plenty of places in the Big Apple that can transport you to Europe without ever leaving the city and its surrounding areas, even if they’re in a neighborhood you’ve never been to before.
When in doubt, move to another district or even further away, Kepnes advised.
The picturesque cul-de-sacs of Forest Hills Gardens might fool you into thinking you’re in the English countryside, while the Bronx’s Villa Charlotte Brontë is a near-perfect dupe of an ocean-view townhouse in Italy.
For a feel of Paris’s Jardin des Plantes, head to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, while the cool stone passageways and sun-drenched courtyards of the Met Cloisters are a perfect match for France or Italy.
For a spa-like experience in Budapest, visit QC Spa on Governor’s Island, an opulent oasis with outdoor pools overlooking the city’s skyline. And a quick excursion to Tibet is just a ferry ride from Staten Island, to the one-of-a-kind Jacques Marchais Museum. (But in Tibet, you probably won’t be able to grab sfogliatelle or lobster tails at one of the borough’s many Italian bakeries.)
The city is also home to a wealth of culinary options—from Jose Andres’ Little Spain food hall in Hudson Yards to the Portuguese restaurants in Newark’s bustling Ironbound neighborhood—that allow New Yorkers to sample cultures from around the world.
There is a street of Parisian restaurants and boutiques, known as “Little Paris,” on Manhattan’s Centre Street and a multitude of Greek restaurants in Astoria, such as Taverna Kyclades or the Souvlaki Lady.
Missing Germany? Head to the Heidelberg on the Upper East Side and buy all the sausages you can take home at Schaller & Weber next door.
Don’t feel like heading to Copenhagen for a meal at the legendary Noma? Co-founder Mads Refslund owns his own restaurant, Ilis, just across the East River in Greenpoint.
In the Bronx, the bustling Arthur Avenue neighborhood is still full of Italian shops: look for the Calabria Pork Store, with its sturdy sausage-shaped chandelier, and the shellfish vendors selling oysters on the street on weekend mornings.
And of course, there are always the authentic pubs of Woodside, Queens, or the cobblestoned Stone Street in Lower Manhattan, for those who want to visit Ireland. Sláinte!
