On our Long Long Honeymoon, we’ve enjoyed our share of rustic camping locations. Places like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Glacier National Park come to mind. Getting back to nature is what camping’s all about, right? But what happens when we take our “condo on wheels” into an urban environment like NEW YORK CITY?
Our marina campground, technically, was not in New York. It was in New Jersey, just across the Hudson. But the proximity to Manhattan was fantastic. We could see the Statue of Liberty from our campsite. With a little effort, the Empire State Building could be seen on the horizon. We were near the water, and even had a waterfront club at our disposal.
From the marina, we had two easy and inexpensive means to transportation to the city: the PATH subway train, and the NY Waterway ferry. Of these choices, the ferry was by far the most enjoyable. While it cost a little more ($6 per person each way), it was a wonderful experience in itself. The speedy ride to Manhattan was almost too brief, as it offered stunning views of the city.
This was not our first visit to the Big Apple. I’ve been dozens of times, having conducted a lot of business there over the years. In fact, when I was in school, Kristy and I rented an apartment in Greenwich Village. So how does RV camping compare to that experience?
My New York friends may not want to hear it, but our RV is arguably more comfortable and better equipped than the average Greenwich Village shoebox apartment. We had every comfort with our RV. What we lacked, however, was a campground that truly offered the best of both worlds.
The New Jersey marina has a wonderful location, but all the ambiance of a parking lot. And it lacks full hookup sites (we only had water and electric), so this necessitated the usual water rationing and visits to the dump station.
While in New York, we were blessed with fantastic weather. The city really comes alive in the springtime, and we sampled many of its charms. Of all my visits to New York City, this one stands out as among the most pleasant and enjoyable. It’s also one of our best urban camping experiences, ranking up there with Las Vegas.
I can usually determine how much we like a particular location by how many times we extend our campground stay. In New York, we extended twice. Yes, we had a blast.
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