· On your next visit to Atlantic City, have some sushi with that sea view at Tropicana’s new restaurant, Fin. [tropicana.net]
· For its 56th summer, the Newport Jazz Festival (August 6-8) has wrangled the best note-makers in the industry—Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Jamie Cullum, Maria Schneider, Chris Botti, Ahmad Jamal, and Anat Cohen—and has partnered with several hotels in town to present some very tempting (budget-friendly) packages. [newportjazzfest.net]
· Spontaneity is a great quality, but now it’s really time to make a plan, so take a look at offManhattan’s 14 assorted activities in and around NYC for July 4th. [oM]
· All 54 outdoor pools have opened for summer, so enjoy a free splash on a hot day at parks like historic Van Cortland, just off the 1 train at 245th St. in the Bronx. [nycgovparks.org]
· Chef Todd Mitgang, of newly opened South Edison restaurant in Montauk, offers seven scrumptious recipes, from lobster rolls to sorbets. [hamptons.com]
· Be it a graffiti art project, a poetry slam, DJ-battle-infused 39th Annual International African Arts Festival, or a two-day party commemorating the end of slavery in New York, the Brooklyn Arts Council has a lot of fun and free (or deeply discounted) events planned for this summer—beginning this weekend. [bac.org]
· The outdoor international film festival starts next week in Long Island City’s Socrates Sculpture Park. [liqcity.com]
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram