Sunday Ideas: Storm King, Apple Picking, Queens Farm

With craptastic weather hitting us today and a clear forecast for tomorrow, why not plan some fun activities for tomorrow when the weather is nice. The weather is cool, there's still some Fall foliage upstate, and there's even fall fun in Queens.

• Storm King Art Center: Head up to Mountainville, NY to visit the 500-acre outdoor sculpture park and museum. There are huge sculptures by artists like Isamu Noguchi, Mark di Suvero, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra and many, many more. On exhibition until the end of the year are works from Louise Bourgeois (mostly indoor). As a bonus, there might still be some pretty foliage on the trees (it's on the border of peak/past peak). While getting there with a car is easiest, there is also a bus from Port Authority.
  
• Apple picking: If you like apples, why not try to go directly to an orchard? The NY Apple Association has a nice county by county list of growers who sell directly to the public. While there are no orchards in NYC, there are plenty that are around the city and as close as Long Island and Westchester. The website also has links to orchard websites, where available, and phone numbers. Readers, where have you been to pick apples?
  
• Queens Farm: That's right. Right here in NYC, there's a 47-acre operating farm. It's the only working historical farm in the city and is owned by the Department of Parks. Tomorrow is the last day to get lost in "The Amazing Maize Maze," the farm's 3-acre corn maze. While at Queens Farm, you can also pick your own pumpkin. Don't expect The Great Pumpkin though, pumpkins are cantaloupe size and smaller. Both the corn maze and pumpkin patch are closed today due to rain.

Photo of Richard Serra's Schunnemunk Fork from our visit to Storm King Art Center last Saturday