(NYC) From where to sip cider to the best bars to catch the football game: Fall for Fall with Foursquare's "Ultimate NY Fall Guide"
Photo found on: offmetro.com.
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
Lull Farm- NH
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
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
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
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