Foliage Peaking Upstate, Boats Can Take You There

The weather's looking lovely, just lovely this weekend, so let's just forget all about that big scary financial drama being acted out by those Wall Street divas and get the hell out of town. Fall foliage is reaching its peak in the Adirondacks and northern New England this weekend, and the Catskills and Berkshires are also just about to peak, according to the state's offical leaf peepers.

If you want to soak up the colors without driving, Circle Line Sightseeing is running day trips up the Hudson to Bear Mountain State Park, which is at 45 percent color change this weekend. At the park, the Perkins Memorial Tower offers spectacular views. The two hour cruise departs from Pier 83 at 8:30 a.m. and returns at 5:30 p.m., continuing through November 1st. (Tickets cost $45.) And starting next weekend, New York Water Taxi will be running fall foliage cruses up and down the Hudson; tickets cost $35 and include hot cider and donuts.

If you're still hell-bent on driving, here's a guide to a scenic route through the Catskills, and a number of suggested driving tours through Duchess County. Just remember: The townies tend to get testy when you drive 20 miles per hour and break suddenly for every precious orange leaf. And if you don't want to travel that far, you might want to check out Clay Pit Ponds State Park nature preserve on Staten Island; foliage change is just 15-20 percent this weekend but will obviously be more impressive toward the end of the month.

Photo courtesy santacrewsgirl.