Fall in the Big Apple: Walking Tours in New York City

The days are cooler, the nights almost cold, the kids are back in school and football season is in full swing. The leaves are starting to turn and there is no better time to visit "New York! New York!"

So grab your hubby/ fiancé, or a gal pal or two, or even go by yourself. You're gonna have a good time in "the City that Never Sleeps."

NYC is a walking city. You can walk just about anywhere in this city and it's a great way to learn about New York. But, you might have to take a train or bus to get to a great place to walk. Take the A Train to 190th St. and enjoy a stroll in Fort Tryon Park, where you'll see the New York's Met's medieval European collection, the Cloisters and wonderful views of the Palisades across the Hudson River.

Walk up 5th Avenue and enjoy window shopping at Cartier's, Tiffany's and Sak's but keep on going, heading into Central Park where you can check out the Conservatory Garden at 105th St.. Also in the park, you'll find the reservoir, the Bethesda Fountain at the end of the Literary Walk, the model boat park and the Central Park Zoo. There are also walking tours you can embark on in the various neighborhoods. Ask your hotel concierge to give you information on where to get maps and guides for these tours.

And, consider a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge which will take about 45 minutes. You'll share the bridge's promenade with cyclists, in-line skaters and other pedestrians while you walk from Manhattan's Civic Center to the center of Brooklyn Heights. The views are stupendous - the Manhattan Bridge and Midtown's spires loom to the north, mainly modern skyscrapers crowd lower Manhattan and the tall ships dock often at their feet, at the South Street Seaport. Governors Island sits all alone at the center of the harbor, which dramatically sweeps out toward Lady Liberty, and way off in the distance, is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge with its very tall towers.

If it's your first visit to the city, be sure to take the Staten Island Ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. The next is a personal decision but you may wish to see the memorial area near Ground Zero.

The new season on Broadway is just starting so you might want to take in a show or two. Try these websites to see if you can score some discount tickets - broadwaybox.com, playbill.com and theatremania.com. You might also check with your hotel concierge who will have great connections for all things New York.

The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park South is a wonderful place to stay. A luxurious retreat with terrific views of Central Park, the former St. Moritz Hotel is easily one of the top hotels in the big apple. Named by Travel & Leisure magazine as one of the "World's Best Hotels in 2006," this hotel has the ambiance of an elegant private residence on Central Park. You can enjoy excellent French cuisine at the Atelier restaurant and the La Prairie Salon is a luxurious way to relax. There is also a 24/7 technology butler, a fitness center, limousine service, twice daily housekeeping service, and a hotel gemologist. (Visit ritzcarlton.com for more details.)

The Inn at Irving Place is a romantic little inn near historical Gramercy Park. It occupies two grand 1830s town houses and has very few rooms, but each with gleaming cherry wood hardwood floors, ornamental fireplaces, four-poster beds with luxury linens and wood shutters. Its cozy tea salon (complete with a working fireplace), antiques-filled living room, and original curving banister evoke a more genteel era. (See their website at innatirving.com for more information.)

Then there is the Roger Williams Hotel, a masterpiece of industrial chic, the cavernous Rafael Viñoly-designed lobby - clad with sleek maple walls accented with fluted zinc pillars. Surprisingly, the rooms have a clean "California" beach feel to them, with blond-birch furnishings, brightly colored quilts and pillows and chartreuse enamel bathroom accents. The Roger has almost 200 rooms and is located on Madison Avenue just blocks from the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station. It's also close to SoHo, and the Garment district. (Visit their website at hotelrogerwilliams.com for details.)

I especially enjoy Sunday brunch and New York City has a splendid choice of brunches. Many of the nicest places don't take reservations so bring along the New York Times to read while you wait. Head for the Blue Ribbon Bakery at 35 Downing Street, if you're craving challah French toast or poached eggs, and the famed Barney Greengrass for bagels and nova on Amsterdam Avenue.

Have a great time on your trip to New York.