New York State

So often is New York City referred to simply as “New York” that it's easy to forget that the Big Apple—the city to end all cities, make no mistake—doesn't even begin to comprise all that the larger state has to offer. I studied in Poughkeepsie myself, and a refrain often heard amongst fellow students was that we were so lucky to be situated in and surrounded by "the scenic Hudson Valley,” a phrase touted ad nauseam in catalogs advertising the virtues of our liberal arts college. The language was overdone, but it was by no means false advertising. Beginning just a few miles above Manhattan and extending up, up, up all the way to the Canadian border, there's so much verdant nature on either side of the river in summer that you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in lucky green Ireland (incidentally, winter is just as good, with skiing and après galore—not to mention vivid foliage come autumn). Out east lie the famous beaches of the North Fork and the Hamptons, plus the myriad charms of the bucolic villages that populate these areas. Whether you're looking to hike the national parks or relax by the water, escape the city for a countryside weekend or eat and drink your way through the towns that line the way, the Empire State is never just one thing. —Charlie Hobbs, associate editor