Cruise with me, baby

I know at times I can be Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, but I also have to confess that every so often, there is something special about escaping New York City to spend the day with Mother Nature.

At 42^nd Street and the Hudson River, you’ll find the dock for Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.  The company’s fleet offer cruises around Manhattan that vary in duration, and they even have a speedboat called “The Beast” which I suspect is for people much braver than me.

Inspired by the Circle Line's own blog  I took a cruise with the company on Sunday, but mine was a special seasonal adventure.  It took me on a direct journey up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain State Park, which is home to 50 hiking trails, stunning fall foliage, and a fantastic Oktoberfest celebration.

We set off at 9am on Sunday in crystal clear conditions, and as we put-putted up the Hudson River our tour guide pointed out the significant sites along the Manhattan shoreline (including the Cloisters, The Little Red Lighthouse, and the Tappan Zee Bridge – and trust me, these are all future ABCs of NYC adventures).  I have to confess, my attention was repeatedly drawn to the shores of New Jersey on the other side of the river, where there is less infrastructure, and where the fall foliage had definitely taken hold.  Such beautiful colours and gorgeous houses built right into the hillsides.

Arriving at Bear Mountain I was really happy to spot this beautiful yellow tree from the boat; a wonderful omen of the autumnal colours to come.  It had rained all the day before, so I was a bit nervous that the terrain would be slippery but we had no trouble at all.  We hiked up a couple of gentle hills and in less than 15 minutes we walked into the parking lot of the Bear Mountain Inn.  It was exactly the sort of Mountain Man architecture you'd expect to see in a State Park - so much wood, so rugged and unspoilt.  I just loved it!

Bear Mountain got its name because in profile, it apparently looks like a big bear laying down.  The Park hosts about 3 million visitors per year and in fine weather, the place is perfect for hiking (the first section of the Appalachian Trail is up there), but you can also have picnics, row boats, and swim.  There is also a zoo on the site, which actually started as a bear den, but now it hosts a rehabilitation center for a range of injured wildlife.  Come wintertime though, and the ski fields and ice skating rinks are wonderful drawcards for cold weather fans.

On our sunny Sunday visit, the Bear Mountain Inn was doing a fairly quiet trade compared with the raging Oktoberfest happening outside.  So of course, we wandered over to join in the fun.  How relaxing it was to enjoy a bratwurst, with sauerkraut and mustard washed down with an icy cold beer while staring out at a calm lake and the leaves on the trees starting to change into their rust and gold colours.  The trees probably have another week or so to be at their peak of fall brilliance, but they are already looking really beautiful.

So many families had come to the free Oktoberfest celebration and were also enjoying a lake-side picnic in the sunshine.  It was easy to fall into relaxed conversation with the people next to you.  Nobody was in a particular rush to be anywhere, or to do anything in particular.  Manhattan really did feel like half a world away, but I didn't miss the skyscrapers once.

As the afternoon wore on, a polka band entertained the hardcore party people, as lines for the waffles and beer coiled like the giant German pretzels that were also on sale.  I was almost dragged into an impromptu conga line at one stage, but I stood my ground and declined to lose my place in the beer queue.  Watching people do the chicken dance never gets old though, does it?

We all had to be back at the boat for a 3.20pm departure and I am pretty sure we didn’t leave any passengers behind.  Compared with the exuberance of the morning, our boat ride back to Manhattan was much more subdued affair, and I don’t mind admitting that I snoozed for part of the journey.  But fortunately I woke up in time to capture some photographs of the beautiful Manhattan skyline in the fading daylight.  I don’t think I’ll ever tire of those views.

Winter is definitely on its way and we won’t have many more sunny Sundays this year, so I was really glad I could take advantage of this one.  I got to visit a beautiful part of New York State, and peep at the leaves in this beautiful part of the world. 

If you’re coming to New York I would definitely recommend a cruise with Circle Line Sightseeing, but particularly the seasonal Oktoberfest adventure to Bear Mountain.  It’s such a stress-free way to get out of the City for a day and do something a little different with your time here.