New York City can be one of the worst places in the world in the summer, as the Manhattan sky scrapers trap the heat all day long, and the stores run the AC so cold you get ill from going in and out of them all day. However, there is a solution to this, which takes New York from being a terrible summer vacation to one of the best places.
This solution is to ride the ferries all day, getting yourself out of Manhattan, and into the more open spaces in Queens and Staten Island. The ferries can be crowded at times, but once you work out when all the tourists are heading to the docks, you can get all the fresh sea breeze you can. They’re also great places to sit and people watch.
Because Queens and Staten Island are less famous than Manhattan, there’s a lot less people here, and the parks are quiet oases of cool shade, uninterrupted by loud tourists or pesky street hawkers. They also give you a great view of how real New Yorkers live, rather than the sugar coated vision the mayor wants you to see in Manhattan. Public transport here is good, and makes excellent connections with the ferry terminals.
