offManhattan

Peck away at blackberry. Listen to music (a little too loudly). Sleep. All things we see people doing on the morning commute. But the number one subway pastime? Reading: The Times, a magazine, a book, an e-reader. . .Wednesday, September 8, add literary magazine to that list. From 7:30-9:00am that morning, at subway stations throughout Brooklyn, One Story (the brilliant Brooklyn-based mag on a mission to return the short story to its rightful place of glory) and the Brooklyn Book Festival will brighten the morning commute by handing out issues of One Story, along with invitations to a reading during the festival on Sunday, September 12 (12pm). It that doesn’t beat staring off into space, we can’t help you (we’ll be busy reading).

The good news is there are still 37 official days of summer left for the beach retreating and rosé swilling. In the meantime, it doesn’t put a damper on that nice tan to pencil in a few of these six fall events near NYC for your September agenda.

What: 100th Annual Fisherman’s Feast

Where: Boston’s North End

When: August 12-14, 2010; Thursday 7pm-10pm, Friday 8pm-10pm, Saturday 1p.m.-11p.m.

Why: You haven’t been to mass in ages. Held in Boston’s historic North End, the Fisherman’s Feast is an old Sicilian tradition that’s as much about food as it is about the Madonna del Soccorso, or Our Lady of Help. The Madonna makes her way through the streets of Boston’s North End, carried by the descendants of the Sicilian immigrants who brought the tradition to Boston. She sits in a specially made chapel during the feast of pasta, pizza, sausage and calamari. Music ranging from traditional bands to Doo-Wop groups will set the mood for food sampling, and the festival ends with a rapturous surprise.

What: Hudson Valley Ribfest

Where: New Paltz, NY

When: August 21-22, 2010; Saturday 11a.m.–10p.m., Sunday 11a.m.-5p.m.

Why: To save trees by licking your fingers instead of using napkins. Now in its sixth year, Hudson Valley Ribfest lets teams duke it out over who is really the grill master. Summer isn’t summer without barbecue and what better way to enjoy it than sampling the best of the best? In between taste testing pizza, skirt steak, shrimp (Saturday) and chicken, ribs, and brisket (Sunday), enjoy live music and the chance to see the NASCAR Show Car up close.

What: The 49^th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival

Where: Old Pool Farm, Schwenksville, PA

When: August 20-22, 2010

Why: Stop by this family-style event for some foot-tapping, finger-snapping music, professional juggling, good company and great edibles (including festival faves like fried oreos and roasted almonds plus a full bbq tent) that will delight all age groups. Musical performances will continue throughout the three days, with artist doing signings afterwards. Youngsters that sing or play an instrument can even join the Great Groove Band for the weekend, with a final main-stage performance on Sunday.

What: The 3rd annual New Haven Food & Wine Festival

Where: Pilot Pen Tennis at Yale, New Haven

When: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 from 5:00–7:30pm

Why: Mingling with tennis champions like Caroline Wozniacki and Marcos Baghdati—plus a box seat to watch them in action—while devouring delicious gourmet food. Tennis fans and foodies alike will indulge in some of the most inventive cuisine of the Northeast and see for themselves why New Haven is garnering such a stellar culinary reputation. Hosted at one location on campus, this year’s event features 20 diverse and inventive restaurants serving up a shnibble of their most famed menu items. Guests will also have the opportunity to meet one of America’s most renowned chefs, Jacques Pepin.

What: The 6th Annual Provincetown Jazz Festival

Where: 212 Commercial St., Provincetown, MA

When: August 13th-14th

Why: To celebrate and strengthen the presence of jazz music and the New Orleans culture in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Both days feature a stellar lineup of venerated jazz musicians, including saxaphonist Greg Abate, vocalist Dane Vannatter, pianist Janice Friedman, and the Berklee Rising Stars, a talented compilation of students and professors from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Whether you plan to visit all the shows or just one, a stroll through the artsy, eclectic, and classically beautiful port town is a must. For information on whale watching, boating and fishing, golf, tennis, beaches and places to stay, visit the town’s web site at provincetown.com.

What: 28th Annual New Jersey Festival of Ballooning

Where: Solberg Airport, NJ

When: July 23-25; Friday 1pm-10pm, Saturday 6am-10pm, Sunday, 6am-8pm

Why: To achieve new heights in life. Ballooning exists in that special space between flying in an airplane and jumping out of one, and this weekend, the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America will commence rising. An hour from NYC, join 175,000 spectators—including Rick Springfield on Sunday—as 125 colorful puffed-up shapes take to the sky. While the trip is mostly worth it for the experience of hovering 2,000 feet above the clouds for up to a few hours, there will be plenty of other amusements on the ground, from yoga classes to Air Force skydiving shows to funnel cake, a family fun pavilion, and live music. Get out a pen, cross air ballooning off the bucket list, carry on.