Please, I had to cancel my New England trip. However, I will be in NYC next week. Manhattan area...times square and I'll go to central park. Anyone have ANY idea where i can find trees there with colors other than GREEN???? Please????? There must be SOME pretty foliage at this point in NY..I'll be traveling by taxi and worst case scenario, if I absolutely HAVE to...I can take the subway somewhere or worst worst case, rent a car--which I prefer to NOT do unless I'm driving towards boston and that is out of the question. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Also, last time I went I was limited because I can't walk more than 20 blocks at a time without resting, so i didn't get to see Soho, Greenwich village and Little Italy. What is there to see in these and how far is it from times square?? If they drop me off there, I won't know north from south or east or west. lOL thank you all again.

Portia, next week Central Park should offer all the fall color you need. The coast from New York into New England is just getting toward peak.

If you have time, there will be even better color at the New York Botanical Garden. It's up in the Bronx, across from the Bronx Zoo. The taxi fare would likely be about $15 in each direction from Midtown Manhattan.

Oh Neal thank you so VERY much! You can't realize how happy this makes me. I'll be starting off at the end of Central Park closes to FAO Schwartz, then I'll see from there how much or long I can walk. I can't wait. Thank you, t hank you. I might take that taxi after all. what exactly IS the NY Botanicals please? I don't mean to sound ignorant. I'll check the web for it too. Thank you.

Portia--For best color next week go to the newly refurbished Grand Central Station. Take the Hudson line commuter train north--the higher the better. The train ride itself is beautiful. Try to get at least to Peekskill. Cabs always meet these trains. Take one, and for about $15 dollars (or work it out--an hour would be ideal, maybe $30) you can have your driver plan a lovely drive along back roads that look like New England. At the end of your time, simply go back to the train station, and take the train back to Grand Central. Trains run about every half hour, during peak hours; every hour otherwise. Go after 10am and return before 3 to avoid any crowds. The leaves are beautiful right now up here.

Portia: the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is located in Prospect Park, right near the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The subway stop would be Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum on the 2 or 3 line, but be sure to check carefully if you plan to take the subway because the stops near the museum have been closed in recent weekends; some say for construction, others say to discourage visitors from seeing the controversial Sensations exhibit at the museum. If you go by taxi they should definitely know how to get there, but to get back you can't just hail a cab in Brooklyn, so you will probably have to call a car service-someone who works at the gardens or museum can help you with that. I would highly recommend seeing the museum and the gardens. As I was running in the park last evening I noticed only one or two trees that had changed, but these things happen quickly, so by next weekend I would guess it would have peaked.

Another option may be the New York Botanical Garden, up by the Bronx Zoo. For that you'd take the D or 4 train to Bedford Pk. Boulevard stop. I think you can also take Metro North from Grand Central. Either way I think you may have a bit of a walk from the station, in a safe but fairly confusing area of the Bronx. It might be best to take a taxi, but it will be a pricy trip (I'd guess $20 each way). This botan. garden has the only remaining original forest in New York State.

As for Soho and the Village etc., Little Italy is tiny and there's very little to see, just one or two blocks. Nearby Chinatown is much larger, but there aren't really many must-see sights. Soho is mainly shopping, galleries, and pricy dining. If you are into architecture there are some interesting buildings. The Village is also full of beautiful architecture and is primarily residential, so again there's shopping and dining and buildings. Soho has some museums (Guggenheim, new museum) but other than that these are really places to just wander in and allow yourself to get somewhat lost. Just buy a guidebook with decent maps. And by the way, only diehard New Yorkers or those blessed with extraordinary senses of direction know which way's north in the Village. So relax and allow yourself to be surprised-there will be numerous cafes, etc. along the way in which to stop and rest.

Portia: Don't be afraid to take the subway around Manhattan e.g. to the Village, especially since you said you're leaving from Times Square -- it's safe in the daytime and a lot cheaper than cabs. You don't have to walk everywhere!

Portia,
You'll quickly know by the color(s) or lack thereof in Central Park. If you really need a foliage fix and NYC/Upstate is past peak, you might want to try Long Island. As of today, trees are just hinting at changing so by next week, we might be the "most colorful".

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, thank you all so VERY much! You've all been incredibly helpful and my sincerest thanks to all of you.

I'm considering visiting the NY Botanical garden and I just wonder how easy or difficult it would be to get a cab back to 47th and Broadway from there when I'm done????? Anyone have an idea? Thank you again SO much.

It would be remiss not to mention the Cloisters museum and Ft. Tryon Park. It's just past Washington Heights at the north tip of Manhattan. The subway is the easiest way to get there but it is also accessible by bus and cab. It offers a remarkable vantage point far above the Hudson looking across to the Palisades of NJ and an amazing collection of trees on winding trails. On a different note... the great thing about NYC is that you can rest every 15-20 blocks and there's always an interesting place to sit and watch people walk by or do personal reflection. I like to grab a bottle of water and just sit to take it all in, even if I don't need the rest!

Another interesting place to visit "uptown" is the Cloisters Museum, which is surrounded by some pretty grounds. You can take the subway up and back. They have some lovely tapestries. It is a very different kind of museum.