Pro-tip: City Island and Pelham Bay Park are very nice in summer, and get you somewhat close to nature with just a subway and bus ride. Similarly, LIRR/MNRR ru

Pro-tip: City Island and Pelham Bay Park are very nice in summer, and get you somewhat close to nature with just a subway and bus ride. Similarly, LIRR/MNRR run to quite a few nice hiking or otherwise outdoorsy areas. They're obviously not as flexible as a car, but I've had consistently good experiences taking MNRR to e.g. the Bear Mountain area for day hikes.