offManhattan

If you want to embrace the most colorful and eerie of all the four seasons, Sleepy Hollow—home to Washington Irving’s horror novel about Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horsemen—is a good place to go. 30 minutes after departing from Grand Central Station, your trip begins at the Tarrytown Station. From Depot Plaza, a six-block meander down Main Street leads to the dividing line between North and South Broadway, one of the main vessels of its charming, historic downtown.

The sudden chill in the air may signify summer is really over, but that doesn’t mean you need to cross Northeastern beaches and coastlines off the vacation list until next year. And if your sights are set on witnessing nature’s great fiery conversion beyond Central Park, there are few places more wondrous and worth the trek in fall than woodsy Cape Elizabeth, a quiet coastal hamlet just five miles southeast of Portland, Maine.

My friend Koryn and I were in a borough of Bucks County and the owner of the make-your-own-scent shop Bath Junkie (15 E Bride St., 215.862.2100) had just announced to us, “There’s a lady with a monkey.” We shared a confused glance, but later decided that though we were really in New Hope, Pennsylvania to do some premature leaf peeping, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little simian searching on the side. Like most teensy towns, New Hope (population 2,300) is characterized by friendly locals with a handful of amusingly nutty ones (monkey lady included) thrown in for good measure.

When we consider what we know of Providence, many think of Ivy League and design schools, WaterFire, and a quaint New England city a stone’s throw from Boston. But a recent weekend in Rhode Island’s capital revealed more than tidy streets and a trio of rivers, inspiring a double take on a fiercely creative town we too often pass by.

The world renowned Dia: Beacon museum is reason enough to follow the train tracks north for a city escape. But the town of Beacon is also an enclave for art lovers looking for a cultural getaway. This weekend, artists around town will once again open their workplace for Beacon Open Studios, a town-wide artwalk, and the old printing factory will participate in the free Smithsonian Museum Day. Beacon’s signature event, the 32nd annual Spirit of Beacon Day, takes over the city on Sunday with a full parade including marching band, floats, and costumes inspired by the quad-centennial honoring Henry Hudson.

“The richness and history of the city itself is alive on Main Street. The community, its residents and the city’s growing success all comprise the spirit and essence of Beacon,” said Ann Meagher, president and CEO of Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce.

When we last visited Beacon for the bi-annual Fall Cavalcade, we wound up exploring old red bricked buildings, the historic railroad at East End, and secret garden cafes, and in the process found nine must-see Main Street stops for artists and foodies alike.

This past summer, the city of brotherly love made a big effort to broaden its healthy association with cheese steaks, sports, and the founding fathers. In the Northern Liberties neighborhood, where the old Schmidt’s Brewery once stood, one will now find a European piazza and a potpourri of new boutiques and restaurants—and that’s really just the start of it.

Portland, ME is a smallish city with an even smaller town feel, but within its compact size it packs a lot of punch. Whether you’re a sailor or a landlubber, an obsessive foodie or a strategic hunter of antiques and handmade treasures, Portland will keep you busy (and maybe even a little overwhelmed) however long you choose to visit. And despite all you may want to cram into a weekend, the best way to enjoy Portland is to take it slow: savoring the food, lingering over the beautiful wares, and sauntering rather than racing; this isn’t Manhattan.

Back in New York, a week after bubbling brooks, grass-fed cows, and cozy dinners with strangers around a long wooden table, there was a distinct difference in the way we worked, ate, and shopped for food. It wasn’t just how we read the labels to make sure chemical ingredients weren’t the first three listed, it was the pace at which we feasted, the tension that no longer lingered around the shoulders, the brattle of city sounds that we could better embrace because of where we had been off Route 100A at Good Commons in Vermont.