Autumn In New York City: 5 Things You Must Do

Autumn in New York isn't just a horrible movie with Richard Gere and Winona Ryder, it's also the greatest time of year in the greatest city in the world. There's a chill in the air. New Yorkers take deeper breaths when they step outside their front doors. Hipsters pair jorts with a flannel shirt, for warmth. The restaurants have run out of rosé. FALL IS ALMOST HERE!

Here are 5 things you should not miss in the Big Apple in October and November if you love fun and merriment and sweaters.

1. Oktoberfest
Where: Everywhere there is beer.
When: Uh... October.
Why: You don't have to be from the Rhineland to enjoy drinking beer from a massive stein on a crowded picnic bench. Also: drinking outdoors is just like exercising. Commit to fitness Schwarzenegger-style this fall! Find the best beer halls here.

2. The Village Halloween Parade
Where: Everywhere below 14th Street, basically.
When: Uh... Halloween.
Why: Where else will you see the inevitable brave soul who dares to go out in public on October 31 dressed as Rachel Dolezal this year's most notorious pop culture laughingstock? Where else will you see said notorious pop culture laughingstock dancing to "Trap Queen" on a float in the middle of Sixth Avenue, probably next to a drag Hillary Clinton and actual Lady Gaga? Nowhere else.

3. Day Drinking During The NYC Marathon
Where: Everywhere there is pavement
When: November 1
Why: You'll probably need the hair of the dog after the Halloween parade anyway. The marathon literally takes over the entire city for the day, so your best bet is to hunker down at a bar, cheer on the runners, and be grateful you're not one of them. And day drinking is just like exercise, remember?

4. “Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008”
Where: Brooklyn Museum
When: Opens November 20
Why: We're not total booze hounds -- we like to drink and look at art. The Brooklyn Museum is one of the best in the city and this exhibit celebrates a cultural institution: Coney Island. There's no better place to highlight New York's tides of prosperity and the colorful characters that give it its legendary one-of-a-kind personality, and no better an array of artists. (Including Diane Arbus and Harvey Stein, above.) We'll be first in line. Hope to see you there!

5. Free Walking Tour
Where: Central Park
When: Anytime of day
Why: There is nothing like the fall colors in Central Park. Nothing. Call us big ol' softies, but we Lower East Siders always sneak a trip uptown to see the leaves change, and we recommend a pay-as-you-go tour for thrifty tourists to enjoy it. Nothing says "autumn in New York" more than this.

And, to make sure you've got the freedom to experience everything that Fall in the city has to offer, book your belongings into one of our 300+ NYC bag storage locations.