Living in one of the fashion capitals of the world has numbed many of us to the idea of shopping outside of New York City. Until now, New Yorkers have had little reason to. About an hour north of the city is home to one of New York’s most undiscovered fashion centers, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.
Woodbury Common features 220 stores with a wide selection of products: designer fashions and sportswear for men, women, and children, shoes, fine leather and luggage, accessories and jewelry, housewares and home furnishings, gifts and specialty items. If you are a bargain hunter or have high tastes for your limited budget this is definitely the place for you!Some of my favorite stores in New York City have outposts at Woodbury Common, like AG Adriano Goldschmied, American Apparel, Barneys New York, Betsey Johnson, Diane Von Furstenberg, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Theory.
Be sure to plan for your trip accordingly. Weekends are normally much busier than weekdays so be prepared for large crowds and jam-packed stores.Expect a frenzied in-store atmosphere at the more popular stops such as A/X Armani Exchange, Banana Republic, Burberry, and Coach.The Center occupies more than 800,000 square feet and is one of the largest contiguous outlet centers in the world.Wear comfortable shoes as your day will be filled with plenty of walking.Do look forward to spending a beautiful day outdoors among a refreshing country landscape with plenty of opportunities to sit down, relax and enjoy the view.If you plan on doing a lot of shopping it might be a good idea to travel with an empty suitcase to easily tow all your purchases back home.Before you begin shopping, be sure to stop by the Information Center located in the Tower Building to obtain a Center Map and a copy of the VIP Coupon Book, $10 for non-members, free for members, register before going at www.premiumoutlets.com/vip/.
How to get there: Take the Gray Line New York’s Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Shopping Tour
. Woodbury Common is located on Route 32 in Central Valley, NY, just one hour north of New York City. Open every day 10am-9pm.(Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, 498 Red Apple Court, Central Valley, NY, 845.928.4000, www.premiumoutlets.com/woodburycommon.
For more information on the specific (and very feasible) routes, please visit www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_woodbury_commons.htm. Check out other Shopping Getaways from NYC.
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.
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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