We often hear about people coming back up from Florida because they miss the changing of the seasons. Sometimes, you have to go away to appreciate what you've got.
Well, right now just a short walk will bring you face-to-face with some stunning trees – red, yellow and even two-tone orange and pink. Who needs a New England fall leaf tour?
Local churches are hosting pumpkin patches where you can pick out your own pumpkins. PTAs are selling fall mums as fundraisers. Restaurants are featuring Oktoberfests all over.
Now that the beach traffic season is over, it is even possible to hop into the car and be at the beach in a flash, enjoying the warm sun one day or the dramatic storms the next, whatever your fancy.
The Wantagh Parkway bike path is full of cyclists, skaters and skateboarders. The Norman Levy Park and Preserve near the Meadowbrook Parkway at Merrick Road has runners and walkers enjoying the 360-degree views of the beaches, the pine woods, the North Shore hills and the New York City skyline, after stopping off to visit the cute dwarf goats in their pen near the ranger station.
The chillier weather is what one New England professor used to call "academic weather." It's time to curl up at home by the fire with a good book – or Kindle. Local libraries have plenty of books and music CDs to offer, plus lots of interesting programs and trips.
The crisp, fall days are here... and it is exhilarating!