Apple Picking in Granite Springs, NY

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that there was another Filipino in my office - and one who graduated from the same University as I did! Eileen and I never met in college because she is two years my junior, so it was definitely fortuitous that we met at work in New York City, of all places.

A few months ago, Eileen and I brought our husbands to a small get-together, and Vic (Eileen's husband) and Javi hit it off instantly. Even if they had only met, it was as if they grew up together in the same neighborhood in Manila.

So the four of us have been going out to a few places - Momofuku in Manhattan, a tour of their neighborhood in Scarsdale and White Plains, and the latest one - Stuart's Fruit Farm in Granite Springs, NY!

Here's a map of Javi's and my route to Scarsdale, where we met Eileen and Vic, and then our route to Granite Springs:

The scenery on the way was quite beautiful! This was definitely another great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, as well as spend time with great friends.

When we finally got to the Farm, we were greeted by bushels of apples:

We all joked about how we would just buy these (above) so we wouldn't have to exert any effort in actually picking the apples!

But the four of us were there for a purpose! To PICK apples! So off we went, up a pretty steep hill, to get to the trees.

However, true to the nature of being Filipino, Eileen and I stopped to take pictures first!

Ok seriously, we knew had to get to work! So here is Vic, trying to pick his first apple:

Did it pass Eileen's inspection??? ;)

Here's Javi, picking one, too:

I took a shot of a kid trying his luck at his own juicy red:

And Javi took one of another kid trying to get her own apple:

How many apples are in this picture? Can you tell me?

After a few hours, we were finally able to fill our 1/2 bushel bags, and headed back down that hill. Here's a picture of the two long-lost friends before our descent:

Back at the shop, Javi bought dressing, while Vic bought cider for his mom and brother:

While Eileen was also buying her microwaveable popcorn on a cob, I took a few more shots of the farm:

I will end this string of photos with what I believe is the most picturesque of all of them:

If only, Eileen and Vic, and Javi and I can live in a town like this while working in Manhattan. With a beautiful setting like this, and great neighbors like Eileen and Vic, who wouldn't enjoy getting up in the morning everyday?