Rylie Yeager ’25

I know I sound like every other teenage girl living in New York, but autumn is my favorite season and every year as we transition to winter the only thing that gets me through the cold and snow is looking forward to experiencing autumn again. I adore the blue skies, changing leaves, and cooler weather and I love the activities associated with the season. While Halloween and the end of October are rapidly approaching, there is still much fun to be had in the first few weeks of November before winter rolls around.

On Saturday, October 30th, there will be a Dog Day Halloween Costume Party and Parade held in Washington Square Park from 12 to 2 PM that is free to watch. My roommates attended something similar last week in Tompkins Square Park and loved getting to see dozens of dogs dressed in tiny costumes and running around the park.

Another place, mentioned to my class by my University 101 professor, is the Beetle House on 308 East 6th Street. This restaurant and bar features decorations inspired by Tim Burton’s whimsical movies and serves food and drinks (for only upperclassmen of course), offering a fun Halloween experience.

On Saturday, November 6th, the Queens Botanical Garden is offering a free Pumpkin Smash event from 10 AM to 1:30 PM where you can bring your carved pumpkins to “Smash, squash, or catapult to keep our city green spaces thriving.” The event will also feature games and worm bins and the Seasonal Botanical Garden experience will of course be open, for which tickets are $4 for students with IDs.

One of my personal favorites for fall is going to Central Park or Battery Park with some friends and bringing blankets. I have a bunch of cheap art supplies, so my friends and I like to bring those to paint and eat snacks together in the cool weather. The great thing about this is it’s free and can be done anytime, so there’s no need to worry about trying to attend a date where you and your friends may have classes!