Between the second fortnight of October and the first of November is the most splendid moment of the phenomenon known as foliage, foliage in Spanish. The most common place to observe it is Central Park. One option is to reproduce the autumn walk of the protagonists of the mythical film When Harry found Sally from 1989.
To do this you have to walk between the elm trees of the main avenue, The Mall, which flows into the Bethesda fountain next to the lake and cross the old Bow Bridge. Before October 16, you can still enjoy a lakeside cocktail at the historic Boathouse restaurant, which will close its doors that day due to business problems.
More intense is the picture offered by the shore of the ro Hudson, a landscape that obsessed 19th-century American Romantic painters, whose works can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum. A day-long trip is to take the Metro-North from Grand Central Station to the quaint town of Beacon. After a two-hour journey along the river, a visit to the Dia Beacon contemporary art museum or the Storm King giant sculpture park is a must.
The shortest option is barco tours two to four hours from the NY Waterway ferry company. Between October 13 and November 15, the ships will depart each morning from the 39th Street pier to sail upriver with the skyline to the right and the color palette to the left of the march.
City walks are especially spectacular at this time of year in the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village and East Village, on Roosevelt Island, which can be accessed by free cable car. Not forgetting to take the subway to Brooklyn to wander the mansion-lined streets of Clinton Hill or stroll through wild Prospect Park and the surrounding brownstones.
Halloween in the graveyard
If you’re visiting the city during Halloween, keep your eyes peeled for New Yorkers going to work in costume. It is the funniest custom along with the decorations of the houses and the massive parade of masks that runs through the streets of the Village on the night of October 31.
But there are two places where you can combine the spectacle of the leaves with the most authentic celebration of the Day of the Dead. It is the cemeteries of Green-wood (Brooklyn) y Woodlawn (Bronx), where the most illustrious characters in the history of the United States rest and various activities are planned between their graves.
The first, which can be reached by subway or ferry from Manhattan, organizes on Sunday, October 30, a guided tour with historian Jeff Richman full of stories of murders and paranormal phenomena carried out by local residents. Among them is the actor Frank Morgan, known for playing the Wizard of Oz himself, George Washington’s favorite dentist or one of the pioneers of spiritualism.
Another option is to explore the graveyard under cover of night. After the gates of its Gothic-Victorian entrance close, between 5 and 7 p.m., on Fridays, Saturdays and Monday, October 31, visitors can tour the graves of characters like the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat or the composer of the music for West Side Story, Leonard Bernsteinand end up inside the catacombs, normally closed to the public.
It is also a good time to venture to the Bronx to visit the cemetery of Woodlawn, one of the most unknown wonders of the city. Located at the last stop of metro line 4 of the same name, it has more than 6,000 centenary trees of 490 different species. As well as numerous mausoleums that are architectural jewels.
From October 28 to 30, starting at 7:30 p.m., the tombs will be illuminated with special effects to give the place more drama. It is worth the trip to go during the day to visit the graves of the Queen of Salsa, map in hand Celia Cruz; jazz geniuses like Miles Davis o Duke Ellington; the author of Moby Dick, Herman Melvilleor the famous press editor Joseph Pulitzer.
the marathon is back
The two big events to brave the cold and get outside are the popular New York Marathon, which will take place on November 6thand the most celebrated national holiday, Thanksgiving, which falls this year on Thursday, November 24.
You don’t have to be a fan running to enjoy the most massive race in the world. This year it returns to full capacity after two years of restrictions with more than 50,000 runners that will cross the five districts of the city.
On the fringes of the route is where the adrenaline of the moment is spread with the help of music bands, street vendors, banners, costumes and, ultimately, the thousands of New Yorkers who take to the streets to cheer on the crowds. runners.
The liveliest spots at the start of the tour in Brooklyn are the Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg and adjoining Greenpoint Avenue, in the neighborhood of the same name. Once the runners cross the Queensboro Bridge, the march heads for First Avenue, where it is possible to choose a terrace to watch them pass comfortably.
After going up to the Bronx, going down Harlem It is one of the hardest moments for the runners, but more fun for the spectators, where true music festivals are organized throughout the day. To see the sweat and the glory, you have to go to the finish line in Central Park.
the holiday of Thanksgiving it is a national matter. The whole country is on holiday, so it’s high season for tourism in the Big Apple. The most popular tradition is the horseback riding organized by stores Macy’s, which has been held since 1924. To see the traditional huge inflatable balloons and the celebrities on the floats, you have to get up early, since everything starts at 9 in the morning and ends at noon. The event is broadcast each year on national television.
It is the only time of the year where many of the restaurants close. But there is the curious New York custom, for those who do not spend the night with the family, of going to dinner in Chinatown, where everything continues as if nothing happened. It’s time to visit the Golden Unicorn, the famous Canton restaurant opened in 1989 where you eat in a large room as if it were a banquet. Other must-sees include the century-old Great NY Noodletown and Nom Wah Tea Parlor, as well as the Mei Lai Wah Bakery for dessert.
Exhibitions and festivals and events
Another highlight of the fall is the opening of the season’s exhibitions. Among the overwhelming autumn agenda, two photography exhibitions stand out, two major retrospectives that are exhibited for the first time and the exhibition of a great New York painter dedicated to the city.
In Lower Manhattan you can see the photographs taken by the famous photojournalist Robert Cape during the first year of the Spanish Civil War. An essential exhibition at The International Center of Photography (ICP). Black and white portraits of the New Yorker hang in the David Zwirner gallery in Chelsea Diane Arbuswho inspired the next generation of local photographers like Cindy Sherman, Nan Golding and Robert Mapplethorpe.
The spectacular rotunda of the Guggenheim is preparing to host for the first time the work of eight decades of Alex Katz, 95-year-old forerunner of pop art, as of October 21. The Brooklyn Museum also opens a retrospective dedicated to the futuristic French fashion designer who died last January, Thierry Mueglerstarting November 18.
Finally, the Whitney Museum opens on October 16 an exhibition of the sketches, drawings and paintings of New York urban scenes made by the best portraitist of loneliness in the city, Eduard Hopper.
Festivals and restaurants
A classic is the New York Film Festival, already underway until next October 16. Various theaters throughout the city screen more than 40 titles including White Noise from director Noah Baumbach, the acclaimed Venice No Bears from Iranian director Jafar Panahi and the drama Armageddon Time starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway. To attend, all you have to do is buy tickets through the festival’s website.
If you prefer laughter, from November 7 to 13 the New York Comedy Festival with more than 100 performances by the best comedians in the city. This event is the breeding ground for some of the hosts of the famous late night shows, such as Stephen Colbert, or actors from programs such as the legendary Saturday Night Life.
For fans of architecture, from October 21 to 23, the Open House NY, where it is possible to visit for free more than 300 emblematic buildings normally closed to the public. Tickets can be obtained through a draw on its website that begins on October 13 at noon and is open 24 hours. If you are lucky, you can visit from the crypt of the neo-Gothic cathedral of San Juan el Divino, the futuristic building of the Brooklyn Army Terminal, to some floating gardens on the East River.
Among the multitude of restaurants in the city, do not miss the reopening of the classic dinner Eisenberg’s on Broadway Avenue next to the Flatiron Building. Inaugurated in 1929 and closed due to the pandemic, its new owners have maintained the original decoration and menu. The only novelties are the name, now S&P, and its new star dish, the bacon sandwich with peanut butter.
Recently opened is also the restaurant Emilia by Nai, by the Galician chef Rubn Rodriguez, on Second Avenue. The menu is a modern reinterpretation of the recipes prepared by the cook’s grandmother in Galicia. A welcome avant-garde anomaly among classic Manhattan Spanish restaurants.
For a drink, a hamburger and to see the most sophisticated youth in Manhattan, you have to go to the Fanelli Caf. The place is one of the oldest bars in the city, located on the strategic corner of Mercer Street and Prince Street, which has become fashionable after the pandemic for its reasonable prices and its terrace in the best location.