30th Day in Rockaway: In conclusion

The month is done - I've successfully lived in a new borough and written a daily blog post chronicling my personal adventures and the local resources available to outdoorsy New Yorkers. 

Here are a few of the takeaways from this 30-day series:

1. Trying to complete a new adventure daily is a big commitment

I wasn't particularly concerned going in about my adventures. "I'll run, bike, do yoga and surf," I thought without fully taking into account the planning and time commitment needed to do a distinct adventure almost every day (and write about it!) I balanced it all out by going big on weekends (surf lessons, 19 mile bike rides) and a little easier during the week (boardwalk run, farm visit etc.) and of course prioritizing the adventures over most other activities in my life. While this type of challenge isn't sustainable - it was a ton of fun to do for 30 days (see below!)

2. Being accountable for living adventurously is motivating

I'm always excited to go explore something new but in NYC it's so easy to get distracted by a friend going to an awesome event or the need to go home and just chill. Like most things - having a defined goal and deadlines (in this case daily) helped me to prioritize biking, running, yoga above other potential social or extra curricular type events. 

3. Rockaway is actually far away from Manhattan

It seemed easy to shrug off the distance on a sunny Saturday when I moved, book in hand. But when you have a million things to do, it's raining, and the train is delayed as it's bound to be - you have to consider that living here takes a commitment and you could be spending 3 hours a day commuting. 

4. Adventure is all around us

And of course as everyone who is reading this expects, I'll include the central theme of this blog, my life and of course OutdoorFest: you can live in a city and still connect with the outdoors. It's not going to be every day, you might have to spend some time waiting for subways, and there will be littered parks to disappoint you; but let's be honest if we wanted only pristine mountain landscapes we'd be living somewhere else. With an adventurous mindset and a community of outdoor enthusiasts we are lucky to be able to live it all - the big city life full of energy, culture, diversity and opportunity along with our passion for adventure, exploration and the great and wonderful outdoors. And ultimately, that's what it's all about. 

Live in the city, love the outdoors.

By Sarah Knapp as part of the series 30 Days in the Rockaways