What: Free Bike Mornings, May 24 – September 28.
When: Every morning between 10am and noon.
Where: Governors Island (just off the southern tip of Manhattan)
Why: The island was a United States Army post from 1783 to 1966, and then belonged to the United States Coast Guard until 1996. Since then, it has been uninhabited—excluding striking art installations and gourmet food trucks—providing you with the perfect escape from the cars and congestion of Manhattan.
Cost: It is free to rent cruisers and children’s bikes. All weekday and weekend afternoon ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan are $2 round trip for adults. Children under 12 ride for free at all times and senior citizens’ fares are half price. Morning ferries (10am & 11am) on Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. Visitors will be able to purchase ferry tickets at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan or at Pier 6 in Brooklyn. 28.
How to get there: The free Governors Island Ferry leaves from Slip 7 at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, at the corner of South and Whitehall Streets. (Governors Island, 212.825.3045, govisland.com)
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