Written by Sean McVeigh
Who would have thought there would be traffic jams on a Saturday during Columbus Day weekend? Weren’t we the only ones who thought it was a good idea to go apple picking even though it’s 70 degrees and a sunny October weekend?
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about my fall charms. I am an unabashed fall fan. And last weekend, it was time to really get into the season. My wife and I and two other couples decided to get out of the Dodge and enjoy the fall vibes. What better way to do that than to go apple picking?
Doc’s Cider became a common sight at my local hangouts, and when we noticed on the can that it was made right here in the Empire State, we had no choice but to try it. did.
This hard cider is brewed in beautiful Warwick, New York. I don’t know why, but to all six of us on this expedition, Warwick seemed much closer than it actually was. If you’re driving from the Rockaways to the northern part of the state, I think it’s pretty fair to estimate that it will take you between 1.5 and 2 hours. A guess that is sadly always underestimated. After nearly 3 hours in the car, we arrived at the orchard.
The plan was simple. Park your car, pick some apples, then explore the rest of the place and go for a drink. The first part of the plan went off without a hitch and the car was parked. The rest of the plan didn’t work out exactly as we had planned.
The place was crowded. Who could have guessed it? And we passed two or three other stops along the way that were just as busy. In a bit of a panic, we jumped at the first line we saw. (No line says “relaxing weekend getaway to the northern states” more than the line.) This line happened to be the line for a cider tasting flight. What a happy coincidence. We made our way down the road and got a nice little sample of what Doc’s has to offer. But they always know how to leave you wanting more. As fate would have it, as soon as you come out of the tasting, a little shop appears where you can buy everything you just tried. And so we did.
Although they say “apple picking,” there was no actual apple picking. I think “sipping an apple” is more accurate. We took those doctors to find a sunny spot in the grass and spent the rest of the day like that. At one point, someone mustered up the nerve to go and inquire about actually going apple picking, but the decision was made and they returned with some apple cider donuts.
Every adventure we dreamed of was planned while drinking Rockaway and Doc. We ended up driving 3 hours to visit Warwick and drink Doctor’s.
I’m writing to you right now, staring at a bowl of apples the size of softballs. On our way out, we bought a few pre-selected bags so we could at least pretend we’d done what we set out to do. Interestingly, apples taste just as good when you pick them yourself.
