Come camp with us!

camping new york city

We’ve been glued to our computer screens this week searching for flights to our summer vacation destinations but there’s one week that we’ve made sure to block out on our iCals to remind us to stick around NYC for and that’s the week of June 11th when OutdoorFest will be taking over the city.

You might have read our previous write-up about the 10 day festival but we wanted to take a moment to talk about the kick off campout on Saturday, June 11th which is filled to the brim with its own activities. It’s almost like a mini festival within a festival and the perfect way to get a healthy dose of the outdoors if that’s the only chance you have to experience OutdoorFest, or if you’re super excited about all the other outdoor events happening around the city that week.  Continue reading Come camp with us!

Outdoorfest 2016: Our picks for the Coachella of outdoor events

outdoorfest picks

Sometimes the best way to deal with the disappointment when you thought spring had sprung but the weatherman is predicting that it will be cold again this weekend is to start planning for summer. It’s with that in mind that we submit to you the following—our picks for Outdoorfest—an  annual festival of NYC based outdoor activities. The festival, which is taking place this year from June 10-19, released its initial lineup of events this week and we’re excited to see that some of our favorite outdoor organizations will be hosting trips and workshops throughout the week. Here’s where you’ll find us: Continue reading Outdoorfest 2016: Our picks for the Coachella of outdoor events

Social climbing: How outdoor activities can help a new city feel like home

Outdoor Community in a new city

This week we bring you a personal essay from contributor and Sorta Outdoorsy pal Allie Lee. If you have a Sorta Outdoorsy story you’d like to share, email us at hi@sortaoutdoorsy.com.

When I made the New Year’s resolution to “be more spontaneous,” I had no idea that I would actually keep it. But soon, I found myself, with just a few weeks’ notice, moving from New York to London. Although I was excited to move to a new city and get out of my comfort zone, I was nervous about leaving the close-knit climbing community that was a big part of my life in New York. Continue reading Social climbing: How outdoor activities can help a new city feel like home

Surf: Catch a winter wave in Queens

Winter Surfing in Queens
Photo courtesy Outdoorfest

We did something recently that was so awesome we can’t believe we hadn’t done it already. What we did was take the A train out almost as far as it goes to Beach 67 early one morning to surf. We were heading to our first surf lesson and as the train rolled past Broad Channel, we looked out at the water and questioned starting such a hobby in the middle of winter. Continue reading Surf: Catch a winter wave in Queens