My Apple //c is set up on a tv tray next to my desk with the external drives sitting on the file cabinet next to it. This is convenient if I am at my desk.
If I am not at my desk, it is handy to use an emulator to try stuff out on. AppleWin is the one I use, and you can find it here: http://developer.berlios.de/projects/applewin/
Now if you are using an Apple II and an emulator, or maybe you have found some apple stuff online you want to try, there is a system called ADTPro that lets you move disk images from the pc to the Apple or back. http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/
I have setup my laptop pc with a docking station and connected it to my Apple //c using ADTPro. This lets me move disk images from my pc or laptop to the Apple //c and vice versa. The really cool thing about ADTPro is you do not need to have any software on the Apple II to start with. ADTPro lets you download the software using only the built in software of the Apple II.
And if you are running Mac OS X, Virtual II is great for 8-bit, Sweet16 for IIGS.