NYC/DC Arabic Club Annual Memorial Day Weekend Trip!

aSalam 3'liykum! Ahlan ya aSdaqa'i! Kifa halkum? Bekhireen? Alhamdu'lela!

The summer is here! It's time to get out of the city and enjoy the Great Outdoors! My family is fortunate enough to have 28 acres of property in the lovely village of Ellenville in Upstate NY - just over the mountain from the beautiful college town of New Paltz, where I began my 'collegiant experience' in '87, and was promptly thrown out in '88 - it's a l o n g story. . .

Come up n'enjoy some great Swimming, Hiking, Hang-Gliding, Bicycling, Horseback Riding, Skydiving - WHATEVER! My mother has a SMALL home just outside the village of New Paltz. We can use the facilities et al (some people can sleep inside on the floor, but space is tight) but most of us will be camping outside, unless we have bad weather. There is also a 'cheap motel' which you can stay at in the village.

The area is gorgeous, you will truly enjoy it. I'd like to leave together, traveling in a car caravan, to drive up Friday night (it's less than a 2 hour drive from Midtown, Madhattan). So, of course, we need some people with cars!

We'll spend Saturday at Lake Minnewaska State Park, and have a BBQ Grill Out there. The lake is simply amazing. Bring your hiking shoes and bathing suits, as we'll hike to the other lake, where you can swim anywhere you want. The hike to the lake is breathtaking.

Saturday night we'll have a campfire on our property, and pump up the music. Be AS LOUD AS YOU WANT folks! This is upstate, and I don't have neighbors.

Sunday we'll go to Sam's Point Preserve, and hike a Beautiful Loop, with Spectacular Views, and perhaps check out the beautiful village of New Paltz (a miniature Woodstock) that night, before returning and having another bonfire!

We'll check-out the local Ellenville Memorial Day Parade, before heading to the lake for the early part of the afternoon, before we leaving to join the world's largest traffic jam on our way back to the drugery of the 9 - 5.

Now - you may be asking, "I've never camped before". "I'm afraid of the outdoors". "What if it rains?" "I don't have a tent", and countless other things. HAVE NO FEAR. Contact me with questions, as I'm sure you'll have'em.

If you are less adventurous, or just want to sleep in privacy, there is a very reasonable cheap motel in the village of Ellenville, which I've had friends stay at before. Here is the contact info:
Village Motel, 70 N Main St, Ellenville NY (845) 647-6020

We went up for Memorial Day '05 & '07, and had an Incredible Time. They were, By Far, the best Memorial Days I've ever had! Don't miss out on this aSdaqa'i! Yellah!