Duval G. Culpepper

Stipulated: the perfect travel time for a three-day weekend getaway is four hours. More, and you waste your vacation. Less, and you’re still near home. Hence our series, The Four-Hour Rule, dedicated to revealing the best destinations that are far away, yet still close to home. This month, we head due east to Ann Arbor, Michigan, a college football Mecca that welcomes blue-and-yellow bedecked fans and bon vivants alike. Whether you’re headed out during a home or away weekend, we’ve concocted an

Mountains, music venues and modern art can all be found in Beacon, along with a cross section of “distinctive” residents. Wherever you end up hanging out, just tell them Duval sent you… well, nearly wherever. Up until about 10 years ago, Beacon, New York, a small city just an hour north of Manhattan, was verboten. A city overrun by drugs, prostitution and crooked cops. Your classic booming manufacturing town (once known as “The Hat Making Capital of the World” in the 1800s), broken by the econo

Not for Duval Culpepper the bright lights of Broadway or the hipster retreat of Greenwich village! He is on a mission to explore the grittier nightlife of Williamsburg. He starts by striking out… but can he end by striking it lucky? My best friend I’ve known since kindergarten is having his 28th birthday at a bowling alley in Williamsburg called The Gutter. I’m not really a bowling person (or an anything person for that matter) so I’m skeptical about going. The other reason I’m reluctant to att

While most people will try to escape to the beaches of the Jersey Shore or out to the Hamptons for Labor Day Weekend, an underrated and a lot less crowded option is the Catskills, just 90 miles north of Manhattan. In the 1950s, the area was the go-to destination for city dwellers to escape the confines of urban living and find refuge in the area's many resorts. In fact, that quaint lake from Dirty Dancing was in the Catskills.

If you're about to take a cross-country drive your first question is probably, "What kind of vehicle am I going to use to complete my journey?" Well, most practical people would either use their shiny new leased Honda or get a rental car, but ... where's the fun in that? For me, I bought a used 1995 BMW 525i and was able to get across country *three* times without a single hiccup. Here's how I managed...

Part of the beauty of living in New York City is its close proximity to the historic Hudson Valley. A simple rental car or train ride north takes you to a region ripe with farmland, quirky towns and outdoor adventures. However, when you're a city dweller--a young, hip, city dweller--it's easy to stand out when you make the voyage out to the country. Here's 10 ways to do the city of Kingston without looking like a blatant New Yorker.