Anyone taking a leisurely back-road drive to enjoy Vermont's foliage is sure to spy some old apple trees: gnarled and stooped, tangled in the hedgerows or standing near an old farmhouse. Many of these forgotten trees still bear fruit, but few people pause to investigate their scabbed and misshapen apples in shades of gold and green, or red with chestnut streaks.

There's no better way to take in the spectacular beauty of Burlington, the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks than from Lake Champlain. And, short of owning your own sailboat, yacht or fishing vessel, taking a cruise aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen III is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get out on the lake.

From music to comedy and large-scale theater productions to offbeat original plays, the entertainment available in Burlington is vast and varied for a city of its size. Several downtown performing arts venues and organizations launch their seasons in September, making this the perfect time of year to catch a show. Read on for a sampling of the fall lineups for five of the city's major presenters.

Love art? Hop on over to Burlington's Pine Street in early September. The artists' studios, galleries and post-industrial business spaces lining the colorful corridor reinvent themselves as exhibition sites during the city's 26th annual South End Art Hop, a three-day flurry of art activity and appreciation. More than 600 participating artists showcase their creative talents in exhibits, outdoor sculpture, live demonstrations and fashion shows — and as many as 30,000 visitors from the Northeast and Canada come to enjoy the view. Workshops, artist markets and the hands-on Kids Hop make the fest so much more than a spectator sport.

Burlington City Arts curates exhibits in three areas of the airport: the Skyway, the area above the escalator and the walls facing security for Gates 1 through 8. Whether you've arrived early for a flight or are waiting to pick up passengers, do take the time to look around!

On September 11, 2001, Bruce McDonald was at Pentagon City, about to get laid off by the United States Postal Service. Things turned out differently when an airplane flew into the Pentagon building across the street.