FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2016
MEDIA CONTACT
Sarah L. Knapp, offMetro.com, Owner/Publisher
646-543-9246, contact@offmetro.com
offMetro joins the OutdoorFest family to connect more urban dwellers to local adventures, car optional.
NEW YORK (September 19, 2016) —
offMetro.com announced today that its award-winning green travel site has been acquired by OutdoorFest, the creator of NYC’s biggest multi-day festival dedicated to outdoor activities as well as the national meetup series Mappy Hour.
“I’m thrilled about the company’s future with OutdoorFest, which shares our vision for getting urbanites to reconnect with the great outdoors,” said offMetro’s co-founder Lauren Matison, who will stay on as editor-at-large. “OutdoorFest has sparked an incredible movement nationwide that we’re proud to be a part of. By joining with OutdoorFest, our readers will not only have more ways to discover under-the-radar destinations near New York and San Francisco, but they will also now have an inspiring community platform for local adventure enthusiasts to connect both on and offline.”
At a time when adventure travel is booming and climate change continues to be a hot topic, offMetro is uniquely positioned to offer a useful resource for adventure travelers seeking to lighten their carbon footprint.
“As a New Yorker, I appreciate all of the opportunities to spend time in nature, in or nearby the city,” said Susan Rockefeller, environmentalist and founder of Protect What is Precious. “offMetro does an incredible job of making city-dwellers aware of these opportunities, and connecting them with easily accessible and environmentally-friendly experiences outdoors.”
The offMetro editorial team will work with pre-established and new Mappy Hour chapters to bring fresh content and guided trip opportunities to urbanites in more than 10 major cities in the coming year. oM will also be expanding its brand, opening in Los Angeles with offMetro LA in early 2017.
About offMetro.com
Launched in 2009, offMetro is the leading online resource for car-free getaways from NY and SF. Lauded by Lonely Planet as one of the “top 10 most reliable websites in responsible travel,” oM promotes a greener lifestyle through coverage of outdoor adventures, eco-friendly hotels, and sustainable restaurants that are easily accessible via alternative modes of transportation.
About OutdoorFest
OutdoorFest is built on the belief that you can live in the city and love the outdoors. OF creates both physical and virtual places for urban dwelling outdoor enthusiasts to unite and enjoy various adventures while growing communities that advocate for the accessibility of the outdoors. In 2016, OutdoorFest will launch a dedicated online Mappy Hour community platform to work alongside their in-person meetups and the diverse content of offMetro to encourage more people to get outside. In 2017, the festival will expand to Washington D.C., and Mappy Hour chapters will grow to include NYC, D.C., Austin, Calgary, Baltimore, Denver, Los Angeles and Dallas.
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