Madeline Weinfield shares one of the best kept secrets for a tiny home getaway in New York City
Sometimes getting away from it all is less about how far you go and more about where you go. Believing firmly in that statement, I had been anxious to stay in one of Getaway’s tiny homes for quite a while. Getaway is a new company seizing on a growing urban, millennial desire to unplug, disconnect, and to go back to something a little more authentic and connected to nature, without investing too much money in travel expenses.
Getaway has set up a collection of minimalist-chic tiny homes in the woods outside of New York City and Boston (tiny homes are within a two hour drive, or public transport plus taxi journey of each respective city). Encouraging guests to completely disconnect, slow down, and cure their epidemic business, Getaway doesn’t provide the location of their tiny homes until just a few days before you depart for your trip. Planning is discouraged as is packing much more than a toothbrush and a good book. (Cell phone lock boxes are also prominently displayed upon arrival.)
Wildly popular, and with a limited number of tiny homes available, Getaway is already booked on weekends through December. However, this summer Getaway has set up three pop-up tiny homes on a beach in New York City. Craving a short escape and nurturing a desire to explore some of my city’s lesser known beaches, I snagged a mid-week spot at one of the tiny home pop-ups.
For the sake of keeping Getaway’s commitment to surprise, I won’t disclose the location. But, I will say that I took a ferry to get there—a ferry I had never ridden before and for a reason that escaped me. What I can tell you is that I found a new beach and a new neighborhood in a new borough. More importantly, I can tell you that I had a bonfire on a Wednesday night—a night usually reserved for the daily necessities of my week. I can also tell you that I asked my traveling companion some of the thirty-six questions The New York Times says will make you fall in love. I opened a novel I had forgotten about weeks ago, and browsed through the home’s intriguing collection of coffee table books (Cabin Porn and How To Split Wood, Shuck An Oyster, and Master Other Simple Pleasures among them). For the first time in days I slept deeply. Seagulls and ocean waves replaced the car horns and neighboring apartment noises I was used to.
The next morning, I woke in my city, yet miles from my routine. I made a cup of coffee and walked along the beach. I took a freezing, rejuvenating shower. I got ready without a mirror. I made it to work having already put my feet in the ocean. It wasn’t until lunch time that I realized I had sand all over my legs, and at that point I was already feeling nostalgic for the tiny house with no hot water on a beach I hadn’t known existed.
What more can you ask for from a Wednesday night?
Madeline Weinfield is a writer and traveler living in New York City. She is the Community Editor of The Culture-ist and a frequent contributor. Follow her adventures on Instagram @madolionw.
