Fall-ing in Love With NYC All Over Again

Fall is one of my favorite times in New York City, and last weekend was a perfect example of why.

Photograph courtesy of Julia Fehrenbach

On Saturday, our lovely friend Shanel organized a super fun field trip upstate where we went apple picking and wine and cider tasting. We booked a bus (thanks BusRates.com) with a group of our friends and hit the road bright and early Saturday am. Our first stop was at Applewood Orchards, where they make their own cider.

Photos courtesy Julia Fehrenbach

 The Naked Flock pumpkin flavored cider was beyond good! Highly recommended if you can find it.

After a little liquid refreshment, it was time to hit the orchards. We boarded a haytruck and headed out to the fields. They had both apples and pumpkins available for the picking.

 Post-picking, we headed to Warwick Valley Winery for some wine tasting and live music courtesy of Uncle Shoehorn, a blues/rock band. They were actually out of apples there but we were fine with just hanging out and enjoying the fresh fair, fall foliage and nature. It sort of reminded me of my small town upbringing.

Photo courtesy of Julia Fehrenbach

 (Sidenote: I definitely recommend creating Instagram hashtags for group outings. We made Saturday's #shanapple and it was so fun to look at everyone's pics afterwards. 89 and counting!)

On Sunday, the nature kick continued with a Central Park excursion. I hadn't been in awhile but a friend was visiting from LA, and it was her idea to go up. Best.idea.ever. The weather was unseasonably warm for November and we had such a lovely Sunday.

After hanging at the fountain and people-watching, we went for drinks at Loeb Boathouse Cafe, which is absolutely adorable, and enjoyed the sunset and waterfront views over a bottle of wine.

Photo courtesy of Julia Fehrenbach

Hope you guys are loving fall so far, too. Halloween is just two weeks away and if you're in NYC, come celebrate with us on Oct. 26 at the Wooly. You can buy tickets here. Fun times ahead!

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