While this year’s climate vagaries of heavy rains mixed with droughts, fires and hurricanes have significantly changed weather patterns, the fall still offers a bounty of colors with deeply saturated hues that mix with bright greens.
Heading north along the winding Taconic Parkway will take you to some of the most vibrant fall foliage in New York and Massachusetts. As you head east along route 23 through Hillsdale, S. Egremont and Great Barrington, past numerous antique shops and farm settings, you’ll see the colors gradually intensify as you enter the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. The hills here become a carpet of colors, perfectly framing the historic towns along route 7 including West Stockbridge, Stockbridge, Lenox, Lee and Becket.
Courtesy Bershires.org
Consider an overnight at the historic Red Lion Inn where the backyard is filled with bright red leaves, brilliantly set against the white hotel buildings. The outdoor porch has heated lamps for dining so you can comfortably absorb the fresh air and the rich colors.
Courtesy Red Lion Inn
Add a cultural foray with visits to the Norman Rockwell Museum, The Mount and Naumkeag to drift back into the lazy days of the Gilded Age.
If you’re a fan of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you’ll recognize the Catskills Mountains of Upstate New York. The Catskills have more than their fair share of scenic byways so you can plan a full day of driving, stopping and photo-indulging against a colorful, winding backdrop.
Upper Delaware Scenic Byway © Eric Rowe
The acclaimed Upper Delaware Scenic Byway is a 70-mile stretch of Route 97 offering impossibly beautiful riverside vistas, rolling hills and rock-cut landscapes.
Courtesy sceniccatskills.com
The Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway invites you to explore frozen-in-time towns like Bethel (think Woodstock Music Festival), Woodstock and New Paltz. Encircling the Shawangunk Mountains, The Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway is your go-to if you’re a rock climber.
Courtesy Audrey’s Farmhouse B and B
After a day of hiking, climbing or simply exploring, settle in at Audrey’s Farmhouse B and B, dating from 1740, at the foot of the ‘Gunks.
Courtesy Emerson Resort & Spa
If you prefer fly-fishing, check-in at the luxurious Emerson Resort & Spa. The staff will arrange an excursion or perhaps a massage to soothe away any driving-related kinks. Plan for a cocktail and dinner at the Woodnotes Grille by the Esopus creek.
Two hours from New York City, Pawling is horse country with miles of open spaces, winding drives and magnificent colors. It’s relatively unknown to leaf peepers so you may find yourself with roads to yourself. Follow Route 22 to Pawling, where you’ll see the quaint train station and downtown area. Nearby Barton Orchards is the place for a selection of crisp apples, cider doughnuts and frosty cider from their onsite Tap Room. Before you leave, pick up some pumpkins, gourds and dried corn to decorate for Halloween and Thanksgiving. You can refresh at McKinney & Doyle for a substantive meal or stop at their Corner Bakery for a sweet treat.
Courtesy Barton Orchards
Hot air ballooning will give you a spectacular overview of the valley and the mountains. If you prefer a water-based vista, head to Candlewood Lake just 20 minutes away, rent a pontoon, or simply sit by the shore and marvel at the gorgeous trees. For some top-notch entertainment, check out the music schedule at Daryl’s House.
Courtesy Daryl’s House
This fall, Sonny Landreth from New Orleans, Jay and the Americans, James Montgomery Band and others are set to wow audiences eager for live music. And the venue is as intimate as they come. At the end of the day, tuck into a room at the Station Inn Pawling, an intimate B and B downtown.
The stunning Hudson Valley is especially appealing during the fall. The area lies on either side of the 300-mile-long Hudson River, with Interstate 87 east of the river and Highway 9 to the west. You’ll pass through many small towns, with gorgeous foliage surrounding you and many dining choices and antique shops.
Courtesy travelhudsonvalley.com
Make a point of stopping in cute-as-a-button Hudson with lots of gallery hopping and antiquing possibilities like The Antiques Warehouse with more than 3000 items on offer. Rest up for the night at the exquisite Maker with its glass-enclosed restaurant or the more Bohemian Rivertown Lodge set in a former 1920’s movie theater.
Courtesy The Maker
Visit the 230-year old Tuthilltown Distillery (a.k.a. Hudson Whiskey) for a tasting before visiting Art Omi to admire the contemporary sculptures and architecture at the outdoor park.
Courtesy Art Omi
If you love art, plan a second day to tour Frederic Church’s eclectic villa Olana and the gorgeous grounds that inspired many of the painter’s scenes of the Hudson Valley.
Affectionately nicknamed “America’s Most Perfect Village,” Cooperstown sits on beautiful Otsego Lake framed by trees transformed into a mosaic of colors. Baseball lovers will enjoy a reserved time slot at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and everyone can wander charming Main Street where ice cream shops and baseball souvenirs abound.
Courtesy The Farmers’ Museum
Celebrate autumn with a stroll around the lake before heading to the Fenimore Art Museum, a repository of American folk art. The Farmers’ Museum is a favorite for families with its demonstrations and exhibits of rural life in the 19th century. Be sure to refresh with a donut or moon pie from Schneider’s Bakery, satisfying hungry visitors since 1887.
Courtesy Otesaga Hotel
For a stately dinner and stay, the Otesaga Hotel is the grande dame of the town, overlooking the lake with an elegance that befits its Historic Hotels of America affiliation. If you’re traveling with kids and your visit overlaps a weekend, ask the concierge to arrange a babysitter so you can visit Cooperstown’s Brewery Ommegang for a brew or hard cider made from local apples.
Don’t feel like driving? Classic Harbor Line’s Fall Foliage Cruises & Sails on elegant 1920s-style yachts will take you from the Big Apple up the Hudson River.
Courtesy Classic Harbor Cruises
You’ll be surrounded by beautiful scenery on both the New York and New Jersey sides as you sail aside the Palisades Parkway. The cruise refreshes with Champagne, beer, wine or soft drinks. Choose a brunch or luncheon cruise to add even more foliage-filled celebration with a chef-designed meal.
Courtesy The Circle Line
A second cruise along the Hudson River travels to Bear Mountain State Park on The Circle Line. The 560-mile cruise has an Oktoberfest theme with German food specials, Oktoberfest beers and even a German polka band to get you moving. The cruise leaves from Pier 83 in Midtown and is available through October 31.
© Meryl Pearlstein
As the tree colors moves south, a cruise around New York Harbor and the city’s East and Hudson rivers will show off the foliage as well as the dramatic skyline. Bateaux New York Premier Dinner cruises leave early evening in time for viewing of the changing leaves and segueing into an elegant dinner cruise with music, fine dining and a luxurious sailing.
© Meryl Pearlstein
Leave your jeans and shorts at home – this is an evening that encourages dressing up on the European-inspired yachts.
There’s no shortage of unusual choices filled with New York City style
Courtesy Angelina
Angelina
Paris export Angelina has created a truly fanciful dessert for Mother’s Day. The all-red Confidence pastry has a macaron biscuit base, topped with stewed strawberries, currant, white chocolate cream and fresh raspberries. Mom can choose an individual one or order a larger one to share among four to six people or an even larger one for six to eight people. Given the colors of this confection, this might be the most memorable Mother’s Day Instagram shot you’ll see that day. Dine at the patisserie or order in advance to devour at home.
Courtesy Sweet Generation
Sweet Generation
Sweet Generation is a non-profit artisanal bakery that trains youths aged 16-24 to work in the food industry. Through a program called RISE, students from marginalized or in-need communities receive hands-on job experience and entrepreneurial training. Started in Amy Chasen’s kitchen in Astoria, Queens and now expanded in Bushwick thanks to a multi-million-dollar grant from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Sweet Generation creates handcrafted cakes, cupcakes, pastries, breads and other confections with sales supporting RISE. For Mother’s Day, the bakery’s gift basket is a sweet collection of their most popular desserts including flower-decorated cupcakes, cookies, brownies and blondies. The gift pack is beautifully packaged in a Sweet Generation tote bag with a Mother’s Day card.
Courtesy Paris Baguette
Paris Baguette
Bakery-café Paris Baguette introduces two limited-edition cakes for Mother’s Day. The cream-filled cakes feature the sweet flavors of blueberry and vanilla and are topped with colorful berries. Beyond admiring their artistry and knockout decorations, you have to love the names of these as well: Mom’s Very Berry Blueberry Chiffon, a blueberry fantasy from inside to out, and the Berry Special Mom Cake, a vanilla cake with sliced strawberries.
Courtesy Vesta Chocolate
Vesta Chocolate
Designed from the heart in tribute to the owners’ mothers on Mother’s Day, Vesta Chocolate’s Mother’s Day Jewel Bonbon Collection is a gift to all moms from New York City chocolatier and pastry master husband-wife duo Roger Rodriguez and Julia Choi-Rodriguez. The holiday bonbon collection reflects flavors and family traditions from two countries, the Dominican Republic and South Korea. The ginger tea, vanilla, and “morir soñando” orange creamsicle bonbons are favorites of Roger’s Mami. Julia’s Umma is the inspiration for the tangy and sweet yuzu, Earl Grey and red bean bonbons.
Courtesy Schmackary’s
Schmackary’s
Cookie-loving moms will feel the passion that’s infused in Schmackary’s oversized cookies. For Mother’s Day, the popular Manhattan bakery, known for its crazy and constantly changing variety of inventive cookies, is also adding a choice of “schmall” … so you can try more than one. Mix the flavors up for a bespoke six-pack with Baker’s Choice, Gourmet Chocolate Chunk, Fan Favorites or Frosted Fantasy, for example. Make the gift even more special with a gift tin. If you purchase these in-store, you’ll get 15% off cookies and drinks.
Courtesy BoujFleaMarket
BoujFleaMarket
BoujFleaMarket wants moms to feel great on their special day. The Harlem e-boutique’s Mother’s Day gift pack is a cheery collection of lavender-scented body scrub and bath bombs, put together by mother-and-daughter co-owners Anastasia Linkpon and Adrian Mack. A shining example of entrepreneurship at any age, New York City native Anastasia is 7 ½ years old, making her one of the youngest recipients of the HOPE One Million New Black Business (1MBB) initiative in conjunction with Shopify.
Courtesy CAMP: Form Reimagined
CAMP: Form Reimagined
Sentimental by definition, moms collect things. Help your mother keep track of her treasures with a CAMP: Form Reimagined Trinket & Tchotchke Box that’s as individual as she is. Brooklyn-based CAMP upcycles vintage canisters, sugar bowls and spice jars to create “campy” stash boxes to hold precious keepsakes. With each purchase, CAMP makes a donation to a charity for metastatic cancer research.
Courtesy Tipsy Scoop
Tipsy Scoop
New York City’s Tipsy Scoop does it again with another boozy holiday hit. The ice cream parlor’s Mother’s Day Pack features a variety of mom-tested, liquor-infused favorites: Dark Chocolate Whiskey Salted Caramel, Cake Batter Vodka Martini, Strawberry White Sangria Sorbet and Raspberry Limoncello Sorbet. Give your mom an aperitif, too – sign her up for Tipsy Scoop’s live Mother’s Day cocktail making class on May 9. Order a cocktail kit for yourself, too, and tune in to learn how to make two boozy ice cream cocktails. The kit includes boozy sorbet and ice cream, lemonade, candies, fruit and other goodies.
Courtesy Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Cooking Class with Chef Marcus Samuelsson
You can preface your boozy dessert afternoon with a soul food class by New York Chef Marcus Samuelsson on May 7. Celebrating the launch of his new cookbook, “The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food,” Samuelsson’s master class is all about the beauty of Black cooking. Register your mother and she’ll receive a package with the ingredients needed to make tomato and peach salad, tamarind-glazed salmon and spiced wine cake.
Courtesy Eternal Roses
Eternal Roses
If you’ve ever been frustrated when the gorgeous roses you bought fade into oblivion after just a few days, Eternal Roses solves that problem with their line of “eternal” Mother’s Day flowers. Designed to last for several years, the preserved roses are artfully set in a variety of centerpieces that will beautify any table or nightstand. Pick mom’s favorite colors for a customized arrangement with staying power.
Courtesy Classic Harbor Line
Classic Harbor Line
Classic Harbor Line’s Around Manhattan Brunch Cruise keeps Mother’s Day spirited and scenic with a three-hour island circumnavigation on an elegant teak-decked yacht. The city’s skyline, bridges and landmarks provide the set for the almost three-hour sail which includes a three-course prix fixe brunch with a smoked salmon platter, house-made quiche and continuous mimosas.
Courtesy Deborah Miller Catering & Events
Deborah Miller Catering & Events
If after all this, you think Mom would just rather wake up to an incredible feast at home (that you don’t need to prepare), NYC’s Deborah Miller Catering & Events will make it special with an array of adorable small dishes like mini waffle sandwiches, honey-drizzled yogurt shots and strawberry shortcake dessert jars. Or, how about a bacon dessert jar? The possibilities are endless.
For years, I’ve joined the mobs of cars heading up to Vermont to catch a glimpse of the yellows, reds, greens and browns of the fall trees. Beautiful to look at, right? But the traffic is killer. This year, I did it right. Taking advantage of Manhattan’s waterside location, I boarded Classic Harbor Line for a four-hour Fall Foliage Cruise up the Hudson River. Departing from Chelsea Piers, Pier 62, the restored vessels travel north until the George Washington Bridge where you can view the Palisades on the left and Morningside Heights on the right, all bedecked in fall’s finest. Food is included, depending on which cruise you choose, plus beverages like spiked hot chocolate to keep you warm. Bundle up — the breeze off the water can be quite intense — even through the fleece blankets that you’re given to help. If you really want to stay warm, just stay indoors and peer through the oversized windows or through the skylights of the ship’s heated and enclosed observatory.
If you miss the foliage departures, there are three holiday cruises coming up later this month that you won’t want to miss, perfect for a party on the water.
My recommendations:
The Fall Foliage Brunch Cruise on board the Manhattan, weekends only, is a party with a four-course brunch buffet including complimentary bloody Mary, mimosa, beer, wine or champagne.
For something less formal, book a sail on the 80-foot Adirondack, a gorgeous 1890’s-inspired pilot schooner. Bring your own picnic and the boat supplies the drinks (alcoholic, of course, and with warm-up boozy hot cocoa.)
Starting November 23, get festive with a Cocoa and Carols Holiday Cruise. The vintage yachts are kitted out in holiday dress while showcasing New York City harbor all lit up. Listen and sing along to classic carols backed by a live band. It’s definitely a fun time, and you’ll receive one complimentary drink (including the aforementioned spiked hot chocolate) along with homemade cookies and treats.
If you love jazz, the Holiday Jazz Cruise is your ticket to a 1920’s-style soiree. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning November 26, afternoon and evening departures are all about romance on a luxury 1920’s style yacht resplendent with festive décor. A live jazz trio entertains playing holiday tunes and you’ll enjoy cookies and spiked cocoa, beer, wine or champagne.
You may not afford a yacht in NYC but Classic Harbor Line can let you spend this spring and summer cruising around the islands of NYC on gorgeous, wooden Gatsby-era motor and sailing yachts, built in Albany, New York with 100% all made-in-America materials. Classic Harbor Line — designer, builder and operator of classically inspired yachts — offers year-round tours, sails and cruises in New York Harbor. You can make a full day of it, too, starting your evening experience with a day visit to the High Line, a bite at Chelsea Market, or some time at the new Whitney Museum. http://www.sail-nyc.com/
One of my favorites of their cruises is the annual Architecture Tour, a natural in a city with a skyline like New York City’s. This year’s tour will include sneak previews of Staten Island’s
Freshkills Park, the world’s largest sustainable park project and the city’s most exciting land reclamation project. Vegetation, wildlife and pristine wandering waterways now fill this once-active landfill area.
http://www.nycgovparks.org/park-features/freshkills-park
A foodie lover cruise, Chef
Morimoto’s Sushi and Sake Cruise happens on Monday nights. Eat and drink with a fantastic menu from the master chef, all with a beautiful backdrop of the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, and New Jersey (yes, New Jersey is growing up!).
http://www.morimotonyc.comFor families, the “Around Manhattan” brunch cruises run every Saturday and Sunday morning on the luxury yacht Manhattan. Food options happily include gluten-free choices, complimentary brunch cocktails, and selections for even the youngest guests.
Full-day cruises to
Bear Mountain are a great way to escape the city and get physical as well. The program combines a stunning cruise up the Hudson River with hiking and exploring (or relaxing) in beautiful Bear Mountain Park and a cruise back to the city on a luxury yacht. Breakfast is included on the outbound trip, with a picnic lunch on the return.
Do you hate the commotion in the city this time of the year? Instead of feeling like Santa Claus, are you scowling like Scrooge? We completely understand it. A simple taxi ride takes four times as long as it should, assuming you can even find a taxi. Busses are full up at 7am. And you have to endure police stringing “do not enter” tape across streets near Rockefeller Center in the most simplistic and makeshift type of traffic management technique ever concocted. Help! we need a way to enjoy our city at this most magical time of the year.
Enter Classic Harbor Line. I really love what they’re offering to get you off the city’s crowded streets and out of the crazy NYC commercial scene. Grab your spouse, your significant other, your BFF and all of your family for a tour of the city decked out in its holiday splendor…. from the water. On a cruise leaving from Chelsea Piers (Pier 62, West 22nd Street and Hudson River), you’ll get to see the city lights on a one and a half hour sail, seated indoors in complete comfort, with live carolers or jazz musicians as your hosts.
Pretty cool? Actually, quite warm. You’ll be back to singing “it’s a holly jolly Christmas” in a flash as you snuggle up in a heated back-deck salon on a 1920s-style sailing vessel. Aboard the Luxury Yacht Manhattan, you’ll soak in the scenery as you stay toasty with cocoa and cookie treats. (Adults have a choice of beer, wine, spiked hot cocoa or champagne as well).
Battery Park, South Street Seaport, and the Financial District are your twinkling downtown sights, along with gorgeous views of Governor’s Island, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Depending on the weather and the course taken, you’ll also see some areas of Brooklyn and Queens, and, of course, the Manhattan skyline.
Jazz concerts take place Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Caroling (with guest participation encouraged) is scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Now through January 2. Adult tickets are priced at $56; children’s tickets are $36. Cruises start as early as 4pm, with the latest sailing at 8pm. Check https://www.zerve.com/SailNYC/Cocoa for available dates and sail times. www.sail-nyc.com
