Fall Festivals and Suburbia

It’s December 6, 2017, and there are Christmas lights everywhere you look. I guess that means it’s finally Fall? It’s hard to tell, you know, since it was 60 degrees 2 days ago. All I know is, I have been ready for weeks, and I may have gotten excited and ordered 2 – ok, 4 – coats on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, so I am officially ready to be decked out!

Unfortunately, this year, as I am every year, I got carried away early and wanted to celebrate my favorite season of the year a little bit too early. There’s really nothing better than boots, tights, and a comfortable sweater-dress, AMIRITE?

Six weeks ago, in mid-October, I was already gearing up for the season and decided to take a quick jaunt to the suburbs to deck myself out for Fall Festivals. Unfortunately… it was still 70 degrees. I didn’t let it stop me! I put on my sundress and got down and dirty with some pumpkins and hay bales.

The real reason for this trip to the burbs was to see my parents, and so that my emoji bf, for the first time in our almost 2.5 years of dating, could see where my parents live. It was a quick trip for him, because we left after work Friday, and he had to be back to work on Sunday, but we tried to make the most of our 36 hours in the suburbs.

Friday night started with our arrival into 30^th Street Station. If you’ve never been, you should really see it for yourself. Cathedral ceilings in the main atrium, cavernous hallways, it really looks like something straight out of the movies. In fact, it has been in a lot of movies: 1981 film Blow Out, the 1983 film Trading Places, the 1985 film Witness, the 2000 film Unbreakable, the 2010 video game Heavy Rain, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 7, and the 2015 film The Visit. (Thanks Wikipedia).

Anyway, after leaving the station, we went to my parents’ house for a home cooked meal. I cook at home pretty often, but nothing beats a meal cooked by mom! Plus, I can revert to my childhood ways and assume that if I bring my dishes to the sink, they will magically be put in the dishwasher! (Thanks Mommy!)

We went to bed relatively early, because we had a big day of Fall Festivals the next day. Unfortunately, by the time we got ready and hit the Wawa (DUH), the Fall festival was over!!

It was only from 11 am – 2 pm. What kind of rinky-dink festival is that!? I was horrified. I guess that’s what the suburbs are. Or what children’s festivals are. Luckily for us, even though the festival was over, most of the props were still out and available for photo opps, which is really all that matters, obvi. #DoItForTheInsta.

We took some photos, walked around a bit, then headed home for a midday siesta, and for the emoji boyfriend to do some work. The markets never close!! Ok, they do, but it seems like they don’t. Sigh.

That night, we hit up the local delicious Chinese food place, where we stuffed ourselves and in true suburban style, did not walk at all, except to the parking lot where we got in the car to drive home. What a perfect night.

The next day we went home separately because I require beauty sleep, which does not go well with emoji-bf’s plans to take 7 am Amtrak, thankyouverymuch. I took a 3 pm Septa and rode home with the plebs.

Moral of the story? Autumn is more fun in the suburbs, but in this day and age (cough cough GLOBAL WARMING cough cough), you should probably wait until December, and not October, to experience fallen leaves and boots.