On today's episode of WNYC's popup advice show, David Furst, host of Weekend Edition on WNYC, leads am advice call-in conversation about automotive ownership, maintenance and repair, with Legendary 'Car Talk' host Ray Magliozzi. Then, Ross Levi, Empire State Development Vice President and Executive Director of New York State's Division of Tourism, shares tips for autumn road trips, weekend trips and day trips available to our area. Listeners call in with their questions and suggestions for the best drivable destinations.
Note: You are listening to the podcast version of a live radio show. The call-in number only works between 1 and 2 PM Eastern, while the show is live.
If you'd like to submit advice questions to be featured on the show, or topic suggestions for future shows, please use the form on our showpage at wnyc.org/advice
[music]
David Furst: Welcome to Please Advise, a pop-up advice show from WNYC. I'm David Furst. I'll be your host for the next two weeks here on Please Advise. Coming up tomorrow, we're going to be taking advice from On the Media's Micah Loewinger on how to handle the constant barrage of political news as we approach the midterms.
Then on Wednesday, we're going to get into how to appreciate music with Hrishikesh Hirway from the podcast and Netflix series Song Exploder. Today we are doing something a little different. We're going to split the hour. In the second half, we're going to be getting into the best fall road trips, advice on where to go and what to see. But before that, it's pledge week at WNYC, and what better way to remind us all about how great public radio can be than by throwing it back to the advice show that ruled the airwaves long before Please Advise.
Tom Magliozzi: Hello and welcome to Car Talk from National Public Radio with us, Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, and we're broadcasting this week from the Signage Department here at Car Talk Plaza
Ray Magliozzi: Thanks to some guy named Bill Dom.
Tom Magliozzi: I had a bad signage headache a couple of months ago.
Ray Magliozzi: You know what you should take for that?
Tom Magliozzi: No.
Ray Magliozzi: Guillotine.
[laughter]
David Furst: [chuckles] That is just a quick example of how things used to get started on an episode of Car Talk. Ray Magliozzi, who hosted the Peabody Award-winning show with his brother Tom for 35 years, is going to be with us today in just a moment. It began locally at WBUR in Boston in 1977. In 1987 it moved to national broadcast on NPR, where it became a massive success, one of the all-time staples of public radio.
The team stopped producing new episodes in 2012. Tom passed away two years later, but best-of episodes continue to be available. Now, Ray is back on NPR Plus doling out more mechanical advice and taking listeners' calls on Car Talk Plus. Today Ray is here with us to answer all of our car questions. Ray, welcome to Please Advise on WNYC.
Ray Magliozzi: Oh hi, David. It's great to be with you. [laughs]
David Furst: It is great to have-- As NPR Plus says, "Clack is back". You guys were famously known as Click and Clack, and it is just so wonderful to have you back on the air with us here on WNYC. Listeners, we would love to have you join this conversation. Our phone lines are open. Here's that number, 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC.
Call in with any question you have. What strange noises is your car making? What odors is it emitting? We want to hear your questions on, you name it: oil changes, extended warranties, whether to buy new or used. Maybe you just want to say hello to Ray. Maybe you have your own car advice. Call us or text us. 212-433-9692. Ray, can we start with some advice from you on how to give advice? Because, 35-plus years of answering questions and trying to figure out other people's problems. What have you learned about giving advice?
Ray Magliozzi: [laughs] Sometimes it's better to mind your own business.
David Furst: Oh, this conversation ends right here.
Ray Magliozzi: [laughs] I've got to tell you, I'm in kind of uncharted territory here. Most people might not know this, but the show, even though it seemed to be live, was actually recorded a few days in advance. A show that aired on a Saturday would have been recorded on the Wednesday before. We had-- Not we, but people who worked with us had a chance to screen the calls.
I always thought that they were screening out questions that we couldn't answer, but in fact, what they were doing was screening in people. They were screening in nut jobs and weirdos. That's what I think made the show so much fun. That we never knew who we were going to get, but we knew they were going to be like off-the-wall people. We did have a lot of off-the-wall people.
I just realized recently that those were the people that were allowed to get onto the show, and we had no control over anything. We didn't know the questions in advance, and we certainly didn't know anything about the backgrounds of the people who were calling. Today to take questions from your listeners is, like I said, uncharted territory for me because we don't know; we might get normal people. What do I do with someone normal?
David Furst: [laughs] We'll take any kind of call if you have a car. Maybe you just want to say hello to Ray. You can disguise it as a car question.
Ray Magliozzi: Here you go.
David Furst: 212-433-9692. You can call or text 212-433-9692. What about the best advice, Ray, that you ever maybe received?
Ray Magliozzi: Oh, that's a tough question. The best advice I ever received was from my wife. She said, "Don't do that show with your brother."
[laughter]
David Furst: Oh, and you didn't listen. I see, I see.
Ray Magliozzi: I'm going to tell you, David, that about 1988 or '89, the show had just gone on nationally a little year or so earlier. We were doing something called station harvesting, I think I'd call it. We were trying to get stations to sign up for the show, and I remember we went to Dallas. We visited the good people at KERA in Dallas, and we had a wonderful time.
They took us to an Italian restaurant, which I thought was a little ill-advised. Taking a couple of Boston boys to an Italian restaurant in Dallas, but it was pretty good. Anyway, we came onto WNYC, and they wanted us; whoever invited us found out that we were Bluegrass aficionados, and they wanted us to perform a Bluegrass song on the air. This person did. I don't remember his name. I'm sure he got terminated that afternoon.
David Furst: [laughs]
Ray Magliozzi: We showed up. I just brought my guitar, and Tommy played the bass. The guy with the lowest IQ in the group had to play the bass.
David Furst: Wow. There it is. It's a bass guitar joke.
Ray Magliozzi: It's a bass guitar joke. He played a stand-up bass, and so he didn't bring that. I bring my guitar, and we decide to play a song called My Brother's Will. It was representative of what Bluegrass songs were for us, at least at that time, and I'll sing you the first verse so you can get the flavor of My Brother's Will. You ready?
David Furst: Yes.
Ray Magliozzi: My brother and I were out hunting; a stray bullet made him its mark. I carried him back to the cabin. His life nothing more than a spark.
It gets worse from then. It's about the saddest song you could ever imagine. The poor fellow who was interviewing us, and this was live; there was no tape involved. He sat there. The look of horror on his face was something I can't describe even to this day. We finished the song, and WNYC ended up carrying our show for a number of years.
David Furst: Absolutely.
Ray Magliozzi: And here I am back all these years later.
David Furst: Literally, I can't tell you how happy I am to have you with us. Maybe the look of horror will be on your face next because here comes some calls. We've got some questions.
Ray Magliozzi: Okay. I'll do my level best.
David Furst: [chuckles] Okay. Let's hear from Jessica from Brooklyn. Welcome to Please Advise. Do you have a question?
Jessica: Yes. Thank you so much, and a huge fan of both of you, so it's a great joy to be on the radio.
Ray Magliozzi: Hi, Jessica.
Jessica: Hi, Ray. I have a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, and the other day I went to go leave for a big trip. I turned the car on, all the lights came on. I went to go around the block because I had cars behind me, and the car got stuck in drive. Then, the key wouldn't come out of the ignition, which I've never had happen before, and I've had many of old cars.
Ray Magliozzi: What did you do?
Jessica: [chuckles] I had it towed to a shop, but they can't figure out what's wrong with it. They took apart the gear shift, and they said everything looks fine.
Ray Magliozzi: Yet, were they able to start the car and put it through the gears and actually drive it? No, but maybe they did.
Jessica: No, they got it to neutral, and then they put it on a flatbed.
Ray Magliozzi: Okay, and so it's at the shop now?
Jessica: Yes. It won't go past neutral, and the key is still stuck inside.
David Furst: Oh, my goodness. Have you ever seen anything like that, Ray?
Ray Magliozzi: Well, never. Never seen anything like that. It's possible, no, it isn't, it isn't possible. You have an anti-theft system in this car. You may not even know about it, but it could lock the thing out. It could shut the thing down, but I don't think that you're in that territory. I don't know what the heck is going on with it, quite honestly. If these guys who have the car in front of them can't figure it out, do you think I have any chance of figuring it out right now? Not likely, but my best advice would be it's time to move on, Jessica. How many miles do you have on this Crosstrek?
Jessica: Oh, it's not many. It's only like 130.
Ray Magliozzi: Oh, that's many. That's many. 130,000 miles.
Jessica: On a Subaru?
[laughter]
Ray Magliozzi: Yes, where the hell are you driving this thing?
Jessica: [laughs]
Ray Magliozzi: You live in New York, for God's sake. People don't drive in New York. Isn't the most of your driving to park it on the other side of the street so you don't get towed?
David Furst: Let me get this clear, Ray. Your advice is take the subway?
Ray Magliozzi: I would take the subway and look for another car perhaps. I'd have to say the problem may be inside the transmission. If they cannot get it to shift-- The fact is that it stopped moving for you, that's troubling. When you started it up it started to drive, and the fact that it stopped moving suggests to me that the problem is in the transmission.
I don't know what it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's something serious. I think your next step might be to get it out of the hands of these-- I see they don't know what the hell they're doing, just like I don't know what hell's going on, and get it to the Subaru dealer if they remember who you are. And they're going to tell you it's going to be $4,800 to fix it, and then you'll have a tough decision to make.
David Furst: Okay.
Ray Magliozzi: Jessica, you still there? You still breathing?
David Furst: [laughs]
Jessica: All right. Barely. Very barely. [laughs]
Ray Magliozzi: If you're lucky, it's something simple, but I don't think so. I hate to start off with just bad advice, bad news to the first caller, but that's the way it is.
David Furst: That's the way it is. Thank you so much for the call, and good luck with that car situation. That sounds like a very difficult one. If you want to join this conversation, we have a lot of calls coming through right now. 212-433-9692. Let's hear from Heidi from Forest Hills. Welcome.
Heidi: Hello, hello.
Ray Magliozzi: Hello, Heidi.
Heidi: I thought I'd find it easy to talk to you, Ray. Hello.
Ray Magliozzi: That is your judgment. [laughs]
Heidi: I am such a fan and have been. No, no, just wonderful. Anyway, here's my problem, and nothing against Subarus, but this is a Subaru thing. I love my car. I have a WRX 2020, and it's manual transmission. The problem is that sometimes if I stall it, and it's very embarrassing when I do that, it won't start again. It won't start.
Ray Magliozzi: What happens, when you turn the key? Nothing?
Heidi: No. It's like one of those buttons, and so a mechanic one time told me, hold the key, the actual key, up to the button because maybe it lost track of itself or lost connection. The last time that happened, it didn't work. It's like I have to curse a lot. I have to open the door and close the door. I have to yell at it, and then eventually something takes place, and it will start again.
Ray Magliozzi: When you start the car, the key could be in your pocket. The key's in your pocket?
Heidi: The key is around me. It's there, it's right there.
Ray Magliozzi: It could be in the cup holder, and you press the button.
Heidi: In my purse.
Ray Magliozzi: In your purse.
Heidi: And it starts.
Ray Magliozzi: It starts.
Heidi: It starts, and then let's say I'm parking-
Ray Magliozzi: And you stall it.
Heidi: -and I'm going in reverse or something, and I miss, and I stall it. Yes. It will not start again.
Ray Magliozzi: It won't crank or anything. When you press the button, it doesn't go wah, wah, wah. It does nothing. Just dead-zo.
Heidi: No, nothing. Nothing.
Ray Magliozzi: You've tried holding the key near where the button is?
Heidi: Yes.
Ray Magliozzi: That hasn't worked. The battery in your key fob could be weak.
Heidi: Oh.
David Furst: Oh.
Ray Magliozzi: You could have a weak battery.
Ray Magliozzi: Oh, yes.
David Furst: Oh, that's a really good-- [crosstalk]
Heidi: It's not that old. It's not that old a battery. A mechanic changed it for me not long ago, but that's okay, I'm going to have to try that.
Ray Magliozzi: The battery in the key fob is replaced?
Heidi: Yes.
Ray Magliozzi: Really?
Heidi: Within the last year.
Ray Magliozzi: What was the reason it was replaced within the last year, same thing?
Heidi: I think it told me it was weak. It's something. I got the message somehow. I have no memory of why I did that, but it must have told me. I will do it again.
Ray Magliozzi: You didn't have this exact problem?
Heidi: No, it wasn't that.
Ray Magliozzi: Do you have a second key for this car? You must.
Heidi: Yes, I do.
Ray Magliozzi: Did you try the second key?
Heidi: I've never used it, no.
Ray Magliozzi: Try that second key and call me back in the morning.
[laughter]
David Furst: There is the doctor's advice. This is a Subaru talk, obviously, here-
Ray Magliozzi: I guess so.
David Furst: [chuckles] -on WNYC. Thank you so much for the call, Heidi. Let's hear from Joyce calling from Newton. Welcome.
Joyce: Oh, hi there.
Ray Magliozzi: Hi, Joyce.
Joyce: Hi there. Listen, let me tell you, I am 90 years old, and you and your brother, my God, you made my day. I just loved your show, and I recognize your voice. You w ere so great, and you gave good advice. I just loved you, and it's so good to hear your voice again. I don't know how to get NPR two; I'll have to try and see. I do have a question. I have a Toyota Prius Prime. I get-- [crosstalk]
Ray Magliozzi: Oh, thank God you don't have a Subaru. The previous two callers had Subarus.
Joyce: Oh, thats aweful.
Ray Magliozzi: I exhausted all my knowledge of Subarus on them.
Joyce: No. This is a universal problem. My car is kept in a garage, and the mice keep getting in it. My son and I keep setting traps. The other day I'm out shopping, and I look down; there's a teeny baby mouse dead by the gas pedal. I don't know if I stepped on him. Then, there was another cute little, so cute, little teeny one running around. I caught him and just put him out. I just had my Toyota in, and they looked, and yes, the mice got at something in my car again. Do you have any answer? No one can give me an answer on how to stop this. They say it's a common problem.
Ray Magliozzi: It's a common problem if mice can get into your garage, which obviously they can.
Joyce: My son has tried to block it, but obviously they are.
Ray Magliozzi: There must be gaps someplace. Once they get in the garage, all bets are off because they can get into every little crevice in your car. I have, with some success, used peppermint oil.
Joyce: Where do you put it?
Ray Magliozzi: Every place.
[laughter]
Joyce: The back of your ear. [laughs]
Ray Magliozzi: That's good for a start, Joyce, but you can spray it around the perimeter of the car. Even though they could get into the garage, they may be discouraged from going farther than that, and that is climbing up your tires.
Joyce: You know what gets me? My friends who have their cars outside, like my son, they don't seem to get this problem. I'm in the garage; is it because they liked the nice, warm garage is that the trick?
Ray Magliozzi: Exactly. Exactly right. In fact, you should leave the car outside from now on.
[laughter]
Joyce: That's what I'm thinking. My sister did that, and then she got a cat on the engine keeping warm one day, and that was-- [crosstalk]
Ray Magliozzi: That'll happen, too. I once drove our cat from home to the garage with the cat under the hood. We couldn't find the cat until I opened the hood, and there he was, because he had found a warm place in the winter, and he decided to hang out under the hood. You have to keep the mice away by either changing the location of the car or trying the peppermint oil.
David Furst: We'll have to try the peppermint oil. I really want to hear if that works. That would be interesting, I think. Oh, my goodness. Let's try to get another call in here. Let's hear from Matt. Do you have a car question?
Matt: I do. I do. Thanks for taking my call.
Ray Magliozzi: Hey, Matt.
Matt: I've listened to you guys for a while. Hello? Can you hear me?
Ray Magliozzi: Absolutely. Can you hear me? Are you there?
Matt: Yes, [chuckles] I hear you. We have a 2020 Highlander, and it was in an accident in April. Brought it in the body shop, fixed it, and they also did a lot of mechanical up front. The right strut that was damaged in the accident, and they replaced both struts. We got the car back-- [crosstalk]
Ray Magliozzi: Why not, right?
[laughter]
Matt: That was their advice; they said keep them the same size, and okay. I don't know, was that not the right move right off the bat maybe? Anyway.
Ray Magliozzi: It might have been a little zealous on their part, but what's done is done, so they replaced both struts.
Matt: Done is done, they replaced both-- [crosstalk]
Ray Magliozzi: Did you initiate this accident, Matt, or did somebody hit you?
Matt: No. My wife was driving, and somebody pulled out in front of her, and it was a smack. Not me.
Ray Magliozzi: Okay.
Matt: The car was badly damaged, I thought it would be totaled up. Anyway, they fixed everything up, replaced it, and took a long time. We got the car back in probably like late May. Then by late June, when you pull in a slow turn, pulling down my street and making a left into the driveway or through a parking lot and then a left or a right into the parking spot. Even like a sharp left onto a side street at a slow speed, I feel a knock from up front, like a something coming from the front end. I had it at my other mechanic, actually, he only called me back like an hour or so ago. He said it sounds like the struts, and I'm like, "Those struts are brand new."
David Furst: Oh, boy. You're trying to solve what that knock is? What about that, Ray? What do you think?
Ray Magliozzi: Is the knock in sync with the rotation of the wheels? In other words, if you could guess at how fast the front wheels are turning, would it be like, click, knock, knock, knock, knock, or is it random?
Matt: It's more random. Yes, it's random.
Ray Magliozzi: Oh, it's probably a strut then.
David Furst: Oh, no. Oh, well.
[laughter]
Ray Magliozzi: I was thinking at first maybe you had a damaged axle, but that would be very regular. With every rotation of the wheel, a half rotation, you'd get the knock, knock noise. There's something that they didn't notice. You may have a bad bushing on a control arm. It's probably not the struts, but it could be. Maybe the strut, the spring didn't get seated correctly in the strut.
I think you ought to go back to these guys since they probably sold you a strut that you didn't need. Say, "Look, I went along, when you told me two struts, even though only one was damaged, and I'm good with that, but now you're going to find the noise." They'll listen to it, and they'll figure out what it is.
David Furst: Okay, well, that sounds like good advice.
Ray Magliozzi: We used to strap my brother to the hood when we had problems like this. We had a whole Velcro suit that he used to wear and the whole bit.
David Furst: [laughs]
Ray Magliozzi: We'd drive him around the block. Repair shops now, do have a listening device, something you can actually attach to the fender of the car or under the hood, and it will magnify the sound-
David Furst: Oh.
Ray Magliozzi: -for the person who's driving the car.
David Furst: Very interesting.
Ray Magliozzi: There's nothing like experience. Someone who's heard the noise before will say, "Oh, I know exactly what this is." You could have a bad wheel bearing, for example.
David Furst: Okay.
Ray Magliozzi: Which might have been the result of the accident. If it is the result of the accident, then maybe they'll take care of it. It could be a wheel bearing. It could be a constant velocity joint. It could be a lot of stuff that went unseen when the estiamate happened.
David Furst: It is so great to have you here with us, Ray, answering all these questions. We have a ton of questions still coming in, but I'm sorry, we're going to have to wrap it up there. Ray Magliozzi, thank you so much for joining us.
Ray Magliozzi: My pleasure.
David Furst: You can hear more Car Talk or Car Talk Plus on NPR Plus. They have all the classic episodes there. Ray is once again taking listener questions on Car Talk Plus. Ray Magliozzi, thank you for joining us.
Ray Magliozzi: David, it was fun. Take care.
[music]
David Furst: It's Please Advise here on WNYC. I am David Furst. Now we're taking a left turn into the land of crisp weather, apple cider mills and autumn leaves. We are talking about where to go and what to do on a fall road trip. Ross Levi is the executive director of tourism for New York State and an expert on places to go in New York.
He's here to help plan our next fall road trip, whether we're going to be going out leaf watching, heading out for the Halloween whole vibe or the hiking or the shopping. Listeners, we want to hear your questions and also get your advice. What are your favorite places to visit in the fall? Ross is our New York State expert, but we want to hear about anywhere that you can go on a road trip in the region, New Jersey, Connecticut and beyond.
What farm do you like to go to to get into the Halloween spirit? What drive do you recommend for the best view of the changing leaves? What corn maze should we get dangerously lost in? Or maybe you need advice, you want to hear about planning a road trip or going car camping or traveling with your kids? Give us a call. The number is, let's see. I know I have the number. I have the pledge drive number. The number to call right now is 212-433-WNYC, that's 212-433-9692. Ross Levi, welcome to Please Advise.
Ross Levi: Great to be back with you, Dave.
David Furst: It's great to have you back again. Let's talk about iloveny.com. This is the official tourism website for New York State, right? iloveny.com. It has tons of links and ideas, and really based on the sheer amount of stuff that you guys post at this time of year, autumn seems to be your absolute peak season. Is that right?
Ross Levi: Summer is obviously very popular for travel, but fall is a really big travel season in New York State. One of the reasons why I believe that is because we have the longest foliage season of any state in the nation. People sometimes think of other places, but New York really has spectacular foliage that starts as early as September and runs all the way into November. It's a really perfect place, and so many different ways to enjoy that foliage as well in a really short drive or short train ride away.
David Furst: Let's talk about the leaves because the iloveny.com website has a great fall foliage tracker to help people plan for where to go and when. Are we passing the peak upstate yet? How are things looking right now?
Ross Levi: It depends where you are. In the areas that go first, which are the higher elevations, the Adirondacks and parts of the Catskills, you are getting past peak. You have some bare trees up there. But then there are lots of other places that are near peak to peak. The Capital Region, the far western part of the state, even the mid to upper Hudson Valley. Then, the areas closest to the city, Long Island, the city itself, Hudson Valley, they're actually just starting to get into the foliage, so you definitely haven't missed the boat in terms of southern New York.
David Furst: Okay. If you want to give advice on a fall road trip or get advice about where you should go, give us a call, 212-433-9692. You can call us or text us. That's 212-433-WNYC, and where should we go? Where should we drive to see the leaves? What would you advise? Or maybe give us some-- I'm always fascinated by the rail trips. Can you give us a couple of ways to peep the leaves by rail?
Ross Levi: Oh, sure. There's some really wonderful scenic railways throughout the state. If you're in the far western part of the state, for example, the Arcade & Attica Scenic Railroad is out in the greater Niagara region, but closer to New York City, a really interesting way to ride the rails is the Catskill Rail Explorers, which is not too far from the city at all.
That's a pedal-powered activity where you are seated either in a couple or a group of four, and you're pedaling, it's electronic assist, so it's actually not incredibly strenuous. You're on these beautiful rails overlooking waters and the beautiful foliage. That's a great way to get on the rails and have a little activity too. Use up some calories and give yourself permission to go get your cider and cider donuts afterwards.
David Furst: Oh, and since you brought up the cider donuts, where do you go for the best cider donuts in New York?
Ross Levi: Oh, well, see, now that's a big debate. I won't get near where the best ones are. I live outside Albany, and we have some great orchards there for self-pick apples and cider and cider donuts. There's Golden Harvest. There's, in Altamont, Indian Ladder Farms. I could keep going down the list. We have lots. If you don't want to go that far up there are great options in the Hudson Valley and in Long Island as well.
David Furst: We had reporter Jimmy Vielkind with us on Weekend Edition recently. He covers state government and politics in New York, and he just got into this lengthy dissertation on cider donuts in New York. He had high praise for the donuts at Fishkill Farms in East Fishkill, New York. Are you familiar with that location?
Ross Levi: That one I'm not. I have been to fall parties, though, where folks will get donuts from three or four of the local orchards and we'll have a blind taste test. I think that's really the only unbiased way to pick your favorite cider donut.
David Furst: Okay, there you go. There you go, get a whole bunch and then set up your own blind taste test. We're going to take a call right now if you want join this conversation. If you want ask advice about a fall road trip in the region or maybe tell us about one of your favorites. 212-433-9692. Let's welcome Becky from Bloomfield. Welcome to Please Advise.
Becky: Hi. I'm from the Finger Lakes region of New York State, and you're right, this is a beautiful time to visit up there. I live in Bloomfield, New Jersey now, but I always make it a plan to get up there. Routes 5 and 20 through the Finger Lakes have rolling hillsides, farmland, beautiful foliage along the route, and plenty of antique shops.
David Furst: Great advice. Thank you for that one, Becky. I wanted to ask about getting into the Halloween spirit. It's not too early to start thinking about it at this point. Can you give us some ideas, Ross, about places to visit? Should we be making the trip to Sleepy Hollow, maybe to get into the Halloween spirit? Or is it completely overrun with visitors by this point in October? This site, of course, is partly known for the legend of the Headless Horseman.
Ross Levi: Right, and you're talking to a Halloween guy in my world; nowhere near is it too late or too early?
David Furst: Never too early.
Ross Levi: It might be too late. No, not at all. Sleepy Hollow is a great place to go. They have a lot of traffic on weekends, but not unmanageable. There's great Halloween activities there. You can actually tour Washington Irving's Sunnyside estate, his home. They have programming there. You can also attend something called the Jack O'Lantern Blaze, which is thousands of Jack O'Lanterns that have been carved by artists, placed into scenes and sculptures with dramatic lighting and actually its own original soundtrack. It takes about 45 minutes to walk through. It's on a historic site right there in Tarrytown.
That's a really great way to get in the Halloween mood. You mentioned iloveny.com, we actually have a number of great blogs to talk about where to go see haunted and spooky attractions across New York State year-round. We actually have a Haunted History Trail which takes you to places all across New York State. Some of those are fun attractions. Others are places that are purportedly haunted, hotels and inns and restaurants. Lots of great ways to get into the Halloween spirit.
David Furst: We're going to get to another call in just a moment here, but first, I have a quick question. We're heading into the last weekend, right, for pumpkin picking before Halloween. If we want that full hayride farm experience or if we want to get out into the field and maybe cut the pumpkins off the vine, where should we head?
Ross Levi: Again, I'd refer you to our website. There are so many places that it's hard to pick. Again, working from the city, the good news is you're not far. Whether you head out to Long Island, Hudson Valley, Catskills, you're going to find literally scores of places. The good news is also that a lot of those places that have the pumpkin patches and the choose-your-own pumpkins also are great apple orchards in many cases. You could do all of it, have your whole fall experience all at one time.
David Furst: Okay. We're going to take another call right now. To join this conversation, just call us. 212-433-9692. Welcome to Ann. Thank you for joining us here. Ann from Freeport.
Ann: Hi. I'm just really calling to shout out Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm up in Yorktown Heights. Up in, I think it's Westchester County. They have the best apple cider donuts. You're transported into epicurean delight, plus go apple picking. It is a great spot. Great spot. Picnic all day. Bring the kids.
David Furst: I love it. Can you tell us the name once more?
Ann: It's Wilkens Fir & Fruit Farm. It's in Yorktown Heights.
David Furst: Okay. Be transported. I love that advice. If you want to call up and give us your own shout-out or if you want to get some advice on where to go on a fall getaway, give us a call. 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. This is Please Advise here on WNYC. We're here with Ross Levi, executive director of tourism for New York State. Back in just a moment.
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David Furst: This is Please Advise here on WNYC. I'm David Furst. Thanks for joining us this afternoon. We are talking about places to go, fall getaways in the region. Our guest right now is Ross Levi, executive director of tourism for New York State. We're taking your calls and texts. The number is 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Let's hear from Happy on the Upper East Side. Welcome to WNYC.
Happy: Hi there. Thank you.
David Furst: Do you have a question?
Happy: [00:33:01] I had to call back to get around next. There's 46 peaks over 4,000 feet, providing some of the most spectacular views of foliage in the country. My favorite is up the Trap Dike on Colden. To get an early start, you get the mist on the water; you get reflected mountains off the water. It's absolutely fabulous.
David Furst: Fabulous, and what about that, Ross? Head to the Adirondacks right now.
Ross Levi: Yes. The Adirondacks are the largest protected lands in the lower 48 states. You could take Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, and the Grand Tetons. I could name a bunch of national parks because they'd all fit within those 6 million acres of the Adirondacks. It is an outdoor lover's paradise. It is all season long.
We're talking about fall getaways, but New York also has more ski areas than any state in the nation. The largest vertical drop for skiers in the east of the Rockies is at Whiteface in the Adirondacks. Whether it's spring, summer, fall, or winter, the Adirondacks is one of those regions of New York State that never disappoints.
David Furst: Now, I know we mentioned this, but could you give a quick shout-out, Ross, for a place for apple picking? A great location for apple picking.
Ross Levi: Like I said, I know the ones that are near me up near the Capital Region, and I know about the Indian Ladder Farms up there. There's another called the Goold Orchards, but those are in the Capital Region. Those just happen to be a couple near me. Going to iloveny.com is going to give you the places to find either nearest you or the ones that have the amenities that are most interesting to you.
David Furst: Really great resource, so many ideas are up there right now. I'll back that up. Let's hear from Barbara from Rhinebeck. Do you have a recommendation?
Barbara: I do. I think Fishkill Farms in Dutchess County is a great place to go. 260 acres, third-generation Morgenthau family farm. They have fabulous donuts and apple picking, pumpkin picking, very family-friendly place, and you can say hi to my son Tim, who works there.
David Furst: [laughs] There you go. Say hi to Tim. We also had the recommendation earlier that it's a great place for cider donuts. Thank you for that. Ross, what about for people who have family or friends coming to visit at this time of year, and maybe this is their only time, the one time that they're ever going to be in New York in the fall? What's one place that they have to see?
Ross Levi: One of the things we haven't talked about is the idea of weaving history into your foliage experience. We have such amazing history in New York State. We actually have a Path Through History program which highlights hundreds of attractions across New York State and from the New York City area. Just like the wealthy that for over many years during the Gilded Age, just went outside the city, you can now go see their homes.
Whether those are the Gold Coast mansions of Long Island where The Great Gatsby took place, or just north of the city in the Hudson Valley. The first presidential library in the United States was, of course, FDR's, which is there in Hyde Park. That's just the start. One of the things I did want to mention is particularly for people visiting from other parts of the nation to get a sense of their own history, you can't do better than exploring the historic sites in New York State, and what a time of year to do that.
David Furst: Great advice. We're getting a text right here, Ross. Someone wants to shout out Queens County Farm. Don't forget, you don't need to leave the city to get to the farm. Good donuts, corn maze, pumpkins, and they do the corn maze at night in the dark. I got to say, I get lost in them in the daytime; that sounds like someone would be looking for me in the morning.
Ross Levi: I think it's a good point that as great as it is to get out of the city, it's also a great time of year to explore the city itself, particularly out in the outer boroughs. But even doing the High Line, going to Central Park, but going to any of the beautiful botanical gardens, not just the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, but for example, out in Brooklyn. To go up to The Cloisters and see medieval art from an amazing view where you're overlooking the Hudson and the foliage there. That's great advice, too. Tourism can begin at home.
David Furst: That is wonderful advice. Let's finish right there. If you want to find out more information, just check out iloveny.com. Ross Levi, executive director of tourism for New York State, thank you so much for joining us.
Ross Levi: Thanks for having me.
David Furst: Coming up tomorrow, our guest will be Micah Loewinger from WNYC's On the Media. He's offering advice on how to handle all of the noise around the upcoming midterms. How should we process breaking news during election season? How do we evaluate sources and spin? We'll be taking your calls. That's tomorrow on Please Advise here on WNYC.
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