Too Hot for the Beach: Hiking Alternative

Fort Tryon Park

NYC is stuck in a heat wave and though we did spend three days at the beach, we avoided the beach on July 4.

Why would we stay away from the beach on the quintessential beach day? For one, NYC. Though the city boasts several white sand beaches, the proximity to the millions living here means every beach is crowded. We were driving a car to the beach, which means the beaches inaccessible to public transportation would be marginally better, but still..scarce sand real estate = no place to relax.

Also, having just spent three days at the beach, we were eager for something a bit more active. So we decided on an urban hike in Fort Tryon Park.

Into the Woods

This park is home to the Cloisters branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but we were taking the dog. And the museum is so unwelcoming to dogs that when I was using the Cloisters restroom and my friend was standing near the door to the staircase entrance, trying to catch an AC breeze when people entered and exited, a guard came out and told her to move. No second hand AC for canines, or their handlers.

My friend posing with the sculpture

And despite mostly wooded paths, the park was still unreasonably hazy, hot and humid. We mostly admired the Heather Garden from afar, since it was in the sun.

An urban hike

We briefly checked out the outdoor sculptures of armored knights. There are three pairs, each a knight with a nude figure. The nude is androgynous. So is the knight, though when's the last time you saw a female knight? But the Icelandic artist is female, Steinunn Thorarinsdottir.

The Chrysler Pacifica hybrid we drove for the week served us well for both the beach and the day trip with friends. For the beach, we folded the rear seats flat - they sort of disappeared into the underbelly of the minivan. This created a huge space for two bicycles. We still had plenty of room for luggage, and if we'd wanted to bring two more people, we could have easily done so.

Could only see the rhododendrons for a minute

The second row captains chairs gave those passengers a big, comfy chair. But even the third row had plenty of room. One of my tallest friend's, who is 6'4", elected to sit in the third row (we picked him up last). But he was comfortable. And on a triple H day, the air conditioning cooled everyone off.

We didn't tell our friends that only the front seats were ventilated, but the panoramic sunroof, a premium, ensured that no one felt claustrophobic.

Chrysler taking the lead in minivans

With the rear seat folded down, bikes inside the Pacifica

Chrysler produced the first minivan and now it has the first hybrid minivan.

The Pacifica has an electric range of 33 miles. But even just using gas, it gets 32 miles per gallon. For a 7 seater, that's pretty cool.

The minivan was loaded with safety features, like front and rear park assist. The 360 surround view camera helps with parallel parking.

Family friendly of course

Powering up at the beach

The power lift gate was useful for loading our bikes and the power sliding doors would have been great with little kids. A bonus if you are in a tight parking lot; with the sliding doors, you don't have to worry about the rear seat passengers dinging the car next to you.

You can open and close the doors from the key fob, or from the driver's seat on the ceiling. Very family friendly. And the Blu-ray / DVD player - with headphones - and seat back video screens, keep kids entertained. This was part of the extra customer preferred package, which also included more advanced safety technology. Still, the base price was $44,995. With options and destination charge, the van is $48,580.

Note: Chrysler loaned me the Pacifica hybrid minivan. I was not otherwise compensated. Opinions expressed are my own.

Drive a Kia, Avoid the Rat Race

The Kia Optima hybrid made it from Brooklyn to Northampton on hardly any gas

Like lemmings, New Yorkers head en masse to the country to see leaves changing colors in fall. But unlike lemmings, we don't have suicidal tendencies. So I was thrilled to take a trip in a Kia Optima loaded with all the latest safety technology.

Kia loves rodents

Kia uses hamsters to advertise its Soul. I think they need to use a cute, cuddly animal for the Optima. The 2017 Optima hybrid EX that I drove was just so lovable.

Start with price - it's a great value

The pumpkin patch

The base model is $30,990. Most states and the federal government give a rebate for buying a hybrid car, so your net price is much lower. Also, the car is listed at 42 miles per gallon (39 in the city, 46 on the highway). I drove it in eco mode and got 50 mpg. So there is also tremendous savings on gas, no matter the price of a gallon.

Extras on the Kia

This Kia, in "silky silver," has a $5,000 technology package. Some of these were luxury amenities, like heated and cooled front seats, a panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats and rear window sunshades.

Bring on the safety

Then there were all the safety extras included in the package: smart cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, bind spot detection, forward collision and lane departure warnings and rear cross traffic alert. My favorite feature, perfect for the winding back roads of the Pioneer Valley: headlights that turn and bend as you curve. Once you've tried this feature, regular headlights seem so inadequate.

Hiking in the Pioneer Valley

Cool features for all

If you don't want to drop the extra 5K, the Kia still has some great amenities. The best here is the smart trunk. Walk around to the back of the car when the car is off and the doors are locked. The trunk automatically opens. But if you forget that you have the key in your bag and you didn't want the trunk to open, step back and the trunk closes.

We stopped at a pumpkin patch and a got both a huge pumpkin and a bushel of apples. I hadn't told my husband or daughter about the smart trunk autonomous feature and they were quite surprised when the trunk popped open.

The Kia also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 2 USB ports and a 12 volt plug.

Great luxury speakers in the Kia

The sounds of silence

Since this Kia Optima is a hybrid, the engine noise is non existent. But you can fill that silence with great tunes. There is Sirius XM radio, and Harmon Kardon speakers for high quality sound.

Low carbon footprint

With global warming, the mid October trip was warmer than in the past. We hiked in short sleeves and opened the sunroof to let in the wonderful (yet disturbing) warm air. We were glad to be driving an environmentally correct car.

We were in Northampton and Amherst, Massachusetts, where every restaurant is either vegetarian or has an extensive vegetarian selection. And people are biking, or pulling bikes off their hybrid cars (with the split back seat, we could have easily brought our bikes, but we just wanted to run and hike).

Reserved parking for fuel efficient cars

Kia perks

The benefits of the hybrid were not just limited to saving money and feeling good. At my local Whole Foods, I even got to park right by the entrance, which is reserved for fuel efficient cars.

The Kia hybrid fit right in with the environmental ethos of both Brooklyn and the Pioneer Valley, yet provided us with enough luxuries that we felt coddled as well.

Note: Kia loaned me the Optima hybrid for this review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Avoiding the Summer of Hell: Driving the Lexus NX 300h

The Lexus NX 300h, ready for its close up

This summer has been dubbed the Summer of Hell for commuters, with much needed track repairs at Penn Station causing delays for Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit riders.

Central Park, from the highest vantage point

The subways are even worse. I've been on more broken down subways due to derailments, sick passengers, track fires, police actions and non-specified reasons in July than in the previous decade combined.

So I was glad to have the Lexus NX 300h to tool around the city for a week. Twice, we drove to Central Park to explore the park, rather than riding our bikes there and being too third to enjoy the great expanse.

The cream leather seats, which look perfect against a New Yorker's back wardrobe

For example, we 'discovered' the 4 acre Arthur Ross Pinetum, an arboretum within Central Park that has a collection of specimen pine trees, along with a playground and adult fitness equipment. [Think pull ups bars, not Frederick's of Hollywood]. We brought bagels and cream cheese and had a picnic at one of the tables.

The driver info panel, with directions front and center

Usually, we riding the bike path over the Brooklyn Bridge [photo taken by my husband]

Though I was driving the Lexus around familiar terrain, I used the navigation system just to get a feel for it. The large touchscreen had clear directions and upcoming turns were also on the dashboard, so you can keep your eyes front and center.

We also climbed up Belvedere Castle to survey the park. This is the highest point in the park, and overlooks the reservoir and the Ramble.

Another day, we explored the east side of the park. At 750 acres, the park really does require several days to see.

A model boat, with rubber ducks on for a ride

On this side, we went to the model boat pond, formally known as the Conservatory Water.  This is the backdrop for countless movies, from One Fine Day to Stuart Little. We also walked around The Ramble, which seems like a forest. It is totally artificial, but the city literally disappears around you.

The Lexus NX 300h is perfect for a stylish New Yorker

Why not get a hybrid?

Though gas prices are still relatively low, saving the environment is important to me. It's one reason I often bike rather than drive. But since there are times you have to drive, and the subway is so unreliable, a hybrid makes sense. The Lexus NX 300h actually gets better gas mileage in the city, 33 mile per gallon. It gets 30 mpg on the highway.

Note: Lexus loaned me the NX 300h for a test drive. Opinions expressed are my own.