September is the perfect time to start thinking about peeping. No, not that kind of peeping. We’re talking leaf peeping: crisp air, the ambient aromas of toasty campfires, and forests turning from green to red, orange, and gold. Let’s face it, though — most of us urban dwellers wouldn’t know the seasons were changing if it weren’t for the heralded return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. There’s your excuse to head out of town, then: Mother Nature’s scintillating shades are best appreciated well outside of city limits.

You can take an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building, climb the Statue of Liberty, or peer over a martini from any number of rooftop bars in the city. But nothing will give you a view of Manhattan like the High Line.