In anticipation of my upcoming trip to NYC (ahem, tomorrow!), I couldn't wait a second longer to post this outstanding NY-centric Fall guide!  It's got everything, from the top orchards for apple picking to the city's best bars to watch the football game! 

Per the list, below, I've highlighted some of my favorite tidbits...but please find the full lineup *here.*  Enjoy!

WHERE TO WATCH FOOTBALL

There are 248 Sports Bars in NYC:

• 54: # of flat screens at The Grayson, the East Village’s new football-watching spot

• 23: # of stops on the 1 train from Times Square to Bronx Alehouse, the no. 1 sports bar in NYC overall (on 238th Street, in the Bronx)

THE RESURGENCE OF CIDER

When American settlers came to the New World, they found barley hard to grow, so they turned to apples for cider. By the 18th century, New England was producing over 300,000 gallons of cider a year. A lot of the apple trees planted by “Johnny Appleseed” didn’t survive prohibition however, and Americans later started planting and eating apples as snacks.  Hard cider didn’t regain popularity, until... NOW!

Union Square Greenmarket

“Sweet cider still out-sells hard cider but hard cider is on the rise.” -Samascott Orchards, Kinderhook, NY

• 6 vendors sell sweet cider

• 2 vendors sell hard cider

Wassail

NYC's 1st cider bar (12 ciders on tap, 100+ by the bottle)

*Wassail (def): The traditional practice, dating back to Medieval England, of singing to the trees to foster a bountiful harvest.

WEEKEND IDEAS FOR A FRIGHT

Forget Sleepy Hollow! These are three spooky spots right in NYC:

• Explore the Ellis Island Hospital Complex on a 90-minute guided tour

• Learn about the reported hauntings of the castle on Bannerman Island, through October

• Tour the decommissioned subway spot below City Hall Park with the Transit Museum

FAVORITE PIE FLAVORS

*As picked by the Foursquare community:

• Apple: 54%, Blueberry: 20%, Pecan: 19%, Pumpkin: 2%, Sweet Potato: <1%, Other: 4%

• Best Apple Pie: Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Gowanus

• Best Blueberry Pie: The Dutch, SoHo

• Best Pecan Pie: Pies ‘n’ Thighs, Williamsburg

• Best Pumpkin Pie: City Bakery, Union Square

APPLE PICKING

Best apple picking locations by state:

• Fishkill Farms- NY

• Linvilla Orchards- PA

• Lull Farm- NH

• Honey Pot Orchards- MA

• Silverman’s Apple Farm- CT

• Demarest Farms- NJ

*Did you know that New York is the second-largest apple producing state in the country, next to Washington State?  Peak season for picking: September 1 - October 25

HIKING TRAILS

BEGINNER

Peebles Island State Park, Waterford, NY

• Perimeter Trail, 1.8 miles

  • FOURSQUARE TIP: “Do the hiking trail around the island. The walk along the water is beautiful.”

  • POPULAR NEXT STOP: The Snowman, Troy

INTERMEDIATE

Inwood Hill Park

• Blue Trail, approx. 2 miles, Inwood, NY

  • FOURSQUARE TIP: “Witness the changing colors of the leaves while trailing through the last remaining, naturally occurring, native hardwood forest on the Manhattan Island.”

  • POPULAR NEXT STOP: Indian Road Café, Inwood

ADVANCED

Bear Mountain State Park

• Appalachian Trail, 6 miles, Bear Mountain, NY

  • FOURSQUARE TIP: “Beautiful when the leaves change color during the fall. Great Oktoberfest event but don't go during the last two weeks. Mad packed.”

  • POPULAR NEXT STOP: Woodbury Commons, Central Valley

OVERNIGHT

Mohonk Preserve

• High Peters Kill Hike, 7.5 miles, New Paltz, NY

  • FOURSQUARE TIP: “The most beautiful, if not most intense, hiking in Ulster County.”

  • POPULAR NEXT STOP: Mohonk Mountain House New Paltz

TRENDING DISHES

Sakuro Martini

• Bar Goto, Lower East Side

‘Nduja Pizza

• Bruno Pizza, East Village

Pesto Meatball Sandwich

• By CHLOE, Greenwich Village

Orange Wine

• The Four Horsemen, Williamsburg

Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich

• Fuku, East Village

Jams Chicken

• Jams, Midtown East

Wasabi Guacamole and Japanese Pancakes

• Okiway, Bushwick

NEXT-GEN JEWISH RESTAURANTS

B & H Dairy, East Village (Now reopened)

• WHAT TO ORDER: Vegetarian matzo-ball soup

Black Seed Bagels, NoLita

• WHAT TO ORDER: Bagel sandwich with tobiko spread

Russ & Daughters Cafe, Lower East Side

• WHAT TO ORDER: Super Heebster: bagel toast, whitefish & baked salmon salad, wasabi-infused fish roe, horseradish dill cream cheese

Sadelle’s, SoHo

• WHAT TO ORDER: Everything 2.0 bagel with Nova lox

*An outpost of H&H Midtown Bagels is scheduled to open on the UWS this winter

TASTE TRENDS

“Comfort Food” is a trending taste in the Fall.  And, speaking of this season...

• In the Fall, people search more for pumpkins than they search for ice cream in summer - but beer beats both tastes all year long! Here are some of our favorite haunts:

  • Malt & Mold, Gramercy Park

  • The Pony Bar, Upper East Side

  • Alphabet City Beer Co., Alphabet City

  • And a new place we love...Threes Brewing, Gowanus

CRAVING COMPETITIONS

• Corn vs Corn Dogs vs Sweet Corn

  • Of the three tastes, corn is the most popular with a rise from mid-September to early November; corn dogs spike in late October; sweet corn is small and steady.

• Funnel Cake vs Caramel Apples

  • Funnel cake fervor starts to rise in early July and peters off; caramel apples take off in Fall.

• Chicken Noodle Soup vs Fried Chicken

  • Chicken noodle soup may be food for the soul—and especially desirable in Fall—but of all soul food, fried chicken is by far the most popular year-round.

...

Until we eat again,

Lindsay, The Lunch Belle