What's usually a busy travel weekend is looking very different this year as many head out of the city to celebrate the end of summer.

"I live in a 600-square-foot with a cat and I need that extra space," a traveler said.

New Yorkers, tired of being cooped up, clear out of the city for the holiday weekend.

"This is my first time leaving the state since like February"

However, travel this weekend looks a little different from last year.

"We're heading out to the north fork with our masks, and our hand sanitizer and our fun," a city resident said.

At Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, some holiday travelers opted for the Long Island Rail Road to head to points east, hoping to close out a summer altered by COVID-19.

"I'm sort of nervous because like the summer's been feeling like a really long weekend," a traveler said.

"I think it's really important for the kids to get in the water and to have some fun, all the summer camps were cancelled, nobody got to really be out so we want to see some nature, we want to be at the beach, we want to be at the water, some sun," said a mother.

But getting there safetly seemed to be most important to people at Penn Station who found the volume of travelers lower than usual.

"It's always in the back of my mind especially with this many people around here but I don't know I was just on the train and it was pretty socially distanced, there wasnt like mad people." a student said.

"I'm kind of concerned, but it seems like most people are wearing their masks and have commons sense so I think it should be ok," another student explained.

Triple A estimates that rail travel is down 85 percent this year, with most people using their cars to get away, perhaps the safest way to social distance.  Their data showing sharp drops in all modes of travel this year, which some are happy about.

"The timeframe worked out for me because there's not a lot of passengers but the concern of course with the mask and moving slow," a rider said.

A small price to pay for some like Jim Ford heading to fire island this year for some much deserved fun after a harrowing spring and summer.

"I've lost people I've worked with. Friends have lost their parents or almost lost their parents and so it's the real deal, so me and my circle don't play around," Ford said.