In a city where the streets are lined with palm trees that look really good during the summer, one starts to wonder what autumn is really like in Los Angeles. In other countries, there’s the orange landscapes and sometimes gorgeous maple trees, but in Los Angeles, it gets hard to think of a place where one can enjoy the beauty of autumn colours, much less realise that autumn has actually arrived. But don’t worry, even if the weather is still warm and the beaches are still crowded, here are a few signs that’ll assure you that autumn has finally arrived in Los Angeles:
Pumpkin-spiced everything
Well, it first started with the very famous pumpkin-spiced latte from Starbucks in around 2012, and as the years go by, this humble and reportedly Starbucks’ most famous seasonal drink has seen different restaurants offering their own rendition of the drink. Some are said to be more tasty than others. Now, in 2016, head down to the supermarkets in October and you’ll be greeted with pumpkin-spiced everything. From oreos, to pop tarts and wait for it, Listerine. Yes, even Listerine is in on this! Pumpkin-spiced mouthwash! It’s needless to say that there isn’t going to be another autumn that goes by without enjoying a pumpkin-spice of some sort for awhile!
Halloween hype
Can we ever welcome October without acknowledging the fact that Halloween is at the end of the month? The answer is no. Be prepared for the hunting of costumes that are accompanied by the month long (or maybe longer) gender debate that goes a little like “Why is the girl’s version of the costume so revealing and sexualised?!” Oh, and let’s not forget the haunted stories circulating everywhere and the haunted houses in the theme parks! Yay to scaring ourselves! But for real, what is the deal with the sexualising of female Halloween costumes?
Oversized sweaters
This may be more common during mid-autumn when the temperatures have plummeted. But nonetheless, if you’re in school, almost every kid is wearing a sweater and you can even play a game to see who’s wearing the same one as another. If you’re anywhere else but school, you’ll be greeted with sweater-wearing mannequins and sweater-wearing everyone else everywhere you go. Bonus points if you see them carrying a Starbucks’ pumpkin-spiced latte in one hand and texting on their phones with the other!
No one’s complaining about bugs
Insects, as well as lizards and snakes, are cold-blooded. Once they know that winter is coming (oops, Game of Thrones, anyone?) they’ll scurry away to warmer areas, which is good news for the rest of us because, who likes bugs anyway, right? Although most of them, especially ants, go into a deep sleep, sort of like hibernation for mammals, until the warmer temperatures arrive. The friendlier bugs, like the butterflies, will be the first to say goodbye as they’ll be flying off to areas with warmer climates and will only return in the spring.
Autumn sports
Baseball. Just baseball. Well, sometimes someone brings up basketball, but mostly it’s really just baseball. It’s as if all of a sudden, everyone’s a fan and an expert on this sport!
Movie marathons
Because, come #sweaterweather, everyone’s in each other’s houses watching movie marathons while drinking anything between hot chocolate and yes, you guessed it, pumpkin-spiced latte. But is there actually anything NOT to love about movie marathons? Like, you’re inviting me to your house to watch Harry Potter for 10 hours straight followed by a game of Taboo and Monopoly? Yes please! Oh, and of course, let’s not forget the horror movie marathons on Halloween night!
Hashtag Instagram
Okay, but let’s face it, your Instagram feed IS going to be filled with pictures of autumn leaves, or of someone taking their #ootd with autumn leaves in the background, or of someone drinking pumpkin-spiced latte. And even if you’re not on Instagram, you’ll see people everywhere taking out their phones and trying to get a good picture with something that is related to autumn. No kidding, you can be running an errand that will only take you 10 minutes max and you’ll bump into at least 3 teenagers taking that perfect Instagram shot.
Rain, rain, endless rain
With summer leaving, there’s only one thing that will be here and staying for a while and that’s rain. Rain IS the best weather ever and … there’s nothing to complain about this one, really. Just don’t forget your umbrella!
Autumn food is available EVERYWHERE
With the temperatures getting noticeably cooler, our stomachs will be craving warm goodies. Be prepared to feast on stews, hot puddings, pies, and, well, everything warm. Oh, let’s not forget the warm alcohol and cocktails either!
Everyone suddenly wants to stay in
Because there’s rain, and it’s cold outside, everyone’s ever so ready to cancel plans or make plans indoors. Like we mentioned, there’s the movie marathons and game nights. But other than that, some people just want to spend their time indoors watching Netflix. But hey, let’s cut them some slack because summer did a pretty good job bringing us out of the house, didn’t it?
Make it fall in LA
Mother Nature might be taking a little too long with the colour-changing of the leaves and the cooling of the temperatures, but there are just some LA things that only become more obvious in autumn. So, have you got your pumpkin-spiced latte yet?!
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