As the least desirable season settles in for the long haul, we stopped to talk with several New Yorkers who embrace the cold with these favorite winter pastimes.
Cindy: “At the moment, my favorite winter activity is playing arcade games. There’s a new bar on Essex Street in the Lower East Side called Two-Bit’s Retro Arcade. Barcade in Brooklyn is dog-friendly and has great craft beers and 25-cent arcade classics.”
“I have discovered Metro-North so I like to take the train to get away, most recently to Cold Spring. I love going to all the thrift stores, art galleries and antique shops. It’s also near the Russel Wright Design Center.”
Emily: “Woodstock, NY is my favorite romantic getaway. The town is very quaint with areas for hiking and sledding. There’s a great farm-to-table brunch place called Oriole 9 in the center of town.”
“I love to go skiing at Jay Peak in Vermont. We rented a car and drove there last year.”
Sarah: “My favorite winter getaway is New Paltz. There are some good restaurants and bars and it’s a fun place to explore. You can take Metro North to Poughkeepsie and then take a bus straight into New Paltz.”
“To enjoy the great outdoors I walk around Minnewaska State Park or Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz. And I’ve always wanted to do Breakneck Ridge.”
Spritzenhaus
Diane: “Hunter Mountain is good for a romantic winter getaway. They have ziplining and skiing and darling little lodges with Jacuzzis. It’s about two and a half hours upstate [in Hunter, NY] and easy to reach by bus.”
“My favorite cozy spots in Williamsburg are Two Door Tavern, which has a fireplace, and Union Pool, which has one in their backyard. There’s also a German beer garden in Greenpoint called Spritzenhaus that has a fireplace.”
“For a quick outdoor retreat, I go to the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.”
“My favorite bed and breakfast is a place called The Miami Motel in the Finger Lakes. It’s really cute and run by a couple. They have huge rooms with hot tubs. There are several wineries in the area and most are open during the winter.”
Charlie, Chef at Painted Lady, American Fare: “Riegelsville, Pennsylvania is my favorite winter getaway. I do a lot of biking, as long as it’s not too cold, and cooking. There are lots of rural farms and you can buy food directly from the farms, like Cherish Creamery. Most have their own markets. Riegelsville is a National Historic District, home to 900 people and the Roebling Bridge [built by Brooklyn Bridge designer Washington Roebling].”
Raphael: “During winter I usually go upstate to Westchester and dine at different restaurants. I also like to wander in Manor Parkin Larchmont and Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck.”
Dia: BeaconJoel: “My favorite winter day trip is Beacon, NY. It has a great museum called Dia: Beacon. Nantucket is also nice during the off season—very quiet.”
Nicholas: “Molly’s Bar on 3rd Avenue at 22nd street has a fireplace. Also Central Bar near Astor Place is a great place to warm up. My wife made me go hiking in Cold Spring once when I was hungover. But it was a very nice town.”
Deanna: “My favorite winter activity is staying warm. Also ice skating. Not at Rockefeller Center or Central Park, but rather down by the Standard Hotel. They put up a rink. There’s a restaurant in Manhattan called Crispo and in the back room they have a fireplace. It’s kind of cool because you don’t usually get to see fireplaces in New York.”
Top photos from left to right: Sarah, Charlie, Cindy, Diane, Raphael
Photos:Hernán Piñera, Spritzenhaus, Jay Peak, Dia: Beacon
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