Citysearch.com just put its Top 10 Things To Do in NYC in Fall list up, but it's far too artsy and expensive for a pop culture-obsessed college kid like me. So here's mine, coming from a true lazy-assed New Yorker:
1. Take a walk through Central Park
The Dana Discovery Center (as well as other centers within the park) offers a host of events and activities every fall, including the "Manhattan Adirondacks" Tour, Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail, and the famous Halloween Ball to which B-list celebrities often show up. Not willing to shell out the $1000? Take a walk up to Belvedere Castle just as the sun begins to set and make your way to the lower edge of the park -- my favorite street in New York -- and admire the juxtaposition of nature and commercialism. Those pretty, pretty lights! (And if you have some change to spare, take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage. But don't say I didn't warn you about the smell.)
2. Window shop at Macy's Herald Square
There's something very romantic about doing this, particularly once the Christmas decorations go up. This should be at a time when your breath begins to show when you speak, and finding refuge in a warm and bright shelter such as Macy's is heaven.
3. Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
From the comfort of your own home. There's nothing like watching celebrities bundled up and lip-synching to their own songs on JELLO floats while smelling the sweet smells of pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes and turkey roasting.
4. Village Halloween Parade
http://www.halloween-nyc.com/
NYC has parades of various sizes marching through lower Manhattan every couple of days (or so it seems), but this one's a wonderful opportunity to see the crazies at the height of their lunacy. And it may even spark an idea or two for next year's Halloween costume.
5. Walk along Madison Avenue
Okay, so I'm a bit of an Upper East Side girl seeing as I spent a good six years of my life there. Come fall, the city (or is it just the store owners?) places "fairy lights" in the trees and often other sorts of decorations as well. This summer, for example, a friend and I spotted foam oranges. Save this for when it gets cold, and take shelter in one of the many fabulous shops and cafes along the way.
6. Have a Gilmore Girls Season One marathon
That's fall for you, wrapped up in a nice neat six-CD boxed set. New England at its finest.
7. Go apple picking in Upstate New York.
Colorful fall foliage is the quintessence of New York State, isn't it? This is a comprehensive site of where to go and when to go. Make a trip out of it and pick some apples or pumpkins while you're at it. This site offers a hearty listing of fall activities.
8. Take part in NaNoWriMo
http://www.nanowrimo.org
Another little event for nerds like me ... see whether you can write a coherent 40,000 word story/novel/novella in a month. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it so long as I'm sitting here writing this crap ...
9. Have dinner in an open-air restaurant/cafe in the Village
Do it while you still can. It's not summer anymore, so you don't have to worry about the tourists or long lines. It's quaint and beautiful at night, especially if you're with that special someone ... Or you can have dinner at Tavern on The Green if your daddy or significant other's loaded. Order the red velvet cake. I dunno ... it looked good on The Newlyweds ...
10. Visit The Met
http://www.metmuseum.org/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) is spectacular year round, but something about late fall makes museum-going that much more enticing. The more interesting exhibits are usually unveiled in late Spring, but take advantage of the short lines now ... and avoid those poor not-art but Hunter College High School students who rush to get their drawings done in time for Winter Break. The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is also good -- not as grand, but equally stimulating, especially since it's located in a very commercial area.
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