Adventurer staycations

If you have an afternoon
No island getaway would be complete without a jaunt on a Jet Ski, and though Manhattan is hardly a Caribbean gem, let us not forget that it is indeed an isle. Tearing up the Hudson on the back of a Kawasaki is a rare activity in these busy waters (thank difficult-to-get permits and high insurance rates), but it’s possible if you book a private guided Jet Skiing tour with Jetty Jumpers (917-734-9919, jettyjumpers.com; $275 per Jet Ski plus $75 for an additional passenger). The four-hour trip begins at a Coney Island marina and speeds under the Verrazano and Brooklyn bridges, coasts alongside the Belt Parkway, zips past the South Street Seaport and pulls up close to the Statue of Liberty before making a stop at Jersey City’s Sandbar for fuel in the form of burgers and ice pops. For an extra $50, a videographer and photographer will document the whole thing, although the experience promises to be plenty memorable on its own—enough even to justify the hefty price tag.

If you’re looking for an afternoon of cheap thrills instead, head to Alley Pond Park Adventure Course (Union Tpke at Winchester Blvd, Bayside, Queens; Sun 10am, 1:30pm; May–November; call 718-217-4685 for reservations; free), a series of obstacles designed for team building and scaring the crap out of you. Live out your Indiana Jones fantasy by scaling a bouldering wall, whizzing down the zip line, balancing on a high wire and getting catapulted from the “Human Swing Shot,” a device that lifts you 45 feet in the air before sending you into free fall.

If you have a day
While dodging cabs is its own brand of thrill, sometimes you need a jolt from something less urban. Use the time it’d take you to get to the outer boroughs to hop a bus with the Adventure Society (212-620-5348, adventuresociety.com), which delivers New Yorkers to greener pastures for adrenaline-packed day trips, all of which include equipment, guides and round-trip transportation—and, perhaps best of all, get you back in your own bed (or out drinking in your neighborhood) by the end of the day. On September 13, go tandem hang gliding and wine tasting in the Hudson Valley—though not at the same time, that would just be crazy—chased with an optional game of bocce (7am–7:30pm, $238). Other farther-flung excursions include a three-hour hike along the Delaware Water Gap and a six-mile kayak trip down the Delaware River (Aug 30 7:45am–7:30pm, $132) and ATV-ing and beer tasting near the Delaware Water Gap (Sept 19 7:45am–5pm, $175).

Chelsea Piers

If you have a weekend
Follow in the footsteps of a long string of adventurers and go west, young (wo)man—to the west side of Manhattan, that is. That’s where you’ll find enough thrilling pursuits to give your adrenal gland a weekend to remember. Set up shop at the historic Hotel Chelsea (222 W 23rd St between Seventh and Eighth Aves; 212-243-3700, hotelchelsea.com; $99–$299 per night), a heart-pounding experience itself (the ghost of Sid Vicious is said to haunt the elevator), and then pick your death-defying poison: Get pumped up with a free hour-long private trial boxing lesson at Boxing4Geeks (122 W 27th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves, second floor; 646-372-6891, boxing4geeks.com; gym pass $15), or learn the ropes—literally—of aerial silks at Trapeze School New York (518 W 30th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves; 212-242-8769, newyork.trapezeschool.com; $35 plus onetime registration fee of $22). The one-hour lesson will teach you how to climb, dangle and move into poses along hanging pieces of fabric, à la Cirque du Soleil. If you’re not into the circus aesthetic, flex your muscles on the 30-foot-high indoor rock-climbing wall at The Field House at Chelsea Piers (Chelsea Piers, West Side Hwy at 23rd St; 212-336-6000, chelseapiers.com; Tue–Thu 7:30–8:30pm, $22), or if your idea of a gun show has less to do with bulging arms and more to do with artillery, fire a few rounds at the West Side Rifle and Pistol Range (20 W 20th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves; 212-929-7287, westsidepistolrange.com). You’ll need to make a reservation at least five days in advance to allow for a background check; once you’re cleared, pay $65 for a quick lesson and 50 rounds of ammo. Leave tranquil kayaks to nervous Nellies and learn how to rock the boat instead with a free novice session from New York Outrigger (Pier 66, W 26th St at West Side Hwy; newyorkoutrigger.org; Sat 10:30, 11:15am, noon; reservations required); outrigger canoes originated in French Polynesia and are far more challenging to maneuver. If you’re having trouble reimagining the murky Hudson as the clear blue waters of the South Pacific, embrace your urban surroundings and hit the pavement with Skateboarding School (W 29th St at West Side Hwy; 646-221-4652, skateboardingschool.com; group lesson $30 per person) to learn tail skits, acid drops and other badass moves. See? You can taunt the Grim Reaper without even leaving home.

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New York City staycations
You need a summer break but don't have the days off? Save time by staying home!