Everyone has his or her own list of ‘things to do in New York.’ But another, similar pleasure is often overlooked: finding those “Am I still in New York?” moments.
Stand up paddleboarding (or SUP-ing) on the tranquil waters of Jamaica Bay on a summer afternoon is one of the latter. Glide along the salt marshes and the unoccupied stretches of sand and it’s easy to forget your proximity to Times Square, or even to Rockaway Beach, which sits on the edge of the peninsula, just far enough away to feel undiscovered.
On a recent weekend, we took the subway to Beach 116 St and rented a couple of boards from A-Team Paddleboarding (no longer in business). Andrew and Amy, a husband and wife duo who recently opened a surf and SUP shop called Station RBNY, offer board rentals as well as solo and group classes out on the bay throughout the summer.
“People enjoy the paddle board classes but our most popular class is definitely SUP yoga,” says Amy, as we motor along the Rockaway Peninsula to the launch site. After we received a handful of pointers from Amy, like proper stance and balance and forward and turning strokes, we launched straight into the bay, under the nose of the Rockaway Point Yacht Club.
Jamaica Bay is an ideal place to learn to SUP in New York City. Out in the bay, the sea grass sways, the horseflies buzz, planes drift into JFK. It is a unique scene, amplified by the skyline of Manhattan, visible in the distance through the offshore haze.
Back on the beach we sit on our boards, exhausted but content, watching the horseshoe crabs scuttle along the sand like giant sea cockroaches while the Forster’s Tern birds cut tight banks over the water’s edge. Jamaica Bay is the city’s largest open space, home to more than 300 bird species. But perhaps its most noteworthy feature is that, as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, it forms the bulk of the only national park in the United States you can reach by subway.
And on an early summer’s day in Jamaica Bay, with yachts and pleasure cruisers bobbing on the inside edge of the Rockaway Peninsula, about 15 miles from the center of Manhattan, this could be almost any place in the world but New York.
How to get there: Take the Far Rockaway bound A Train and change at Broad Channel for the S to 116th Street. Rentals start from $30 per hour, private and group lessons from $50 per person.
Gordon Macrae is a travel writer based in Brooklyn. He is currently writing a travel guide to the beaches of New York City and around. He is less Scottish than you think.
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