8 NYC experiences scarier than a haunted house
Spooky season allows New Yorkers to truly embrace their weird side, but Halloween in the city also brings out the scariness of everyday life. From trying to maneuver the downtown subway stations for the Village Halloween Parade to attempting a weekend trip upstate, the eeriest time of the year only confirms that we don’t need October 31 to give ourselves a good fright. What New York City moment gives you a scare without fail?
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1. A clean, empty seat on a full subway car that everyone is still avoiding
Do you hold off on snatching your reprieve from the rush hour standstill if you notice commuters avoiding a perfect-seeming chair? Something happened there a few stops ago, and you clearly don’t need a seat that badly, right? It’s best to find a spare corner against the door and hope that another seat that isn’t under a cloud of shame becomes available soon.
2. A week-long sunny forecast followed by a weekend of torrential downpours
The New York rule of thumb is that when a specific weekend requires you to act the most social you’ve been all year, bad weather will definitely come along to complicate the plans. In October, after a perfect week of sunny, gorgeous weather, an autumn storm will inevitably foil your Halloween bar crawl and send you scrambling for a waterproof costume. Don’t forget to account for costume mobility when you have to jump across a deep street puddle past midnight. Luckily, it looks like the weather will give us a reprieve this weekend.
3. Navigating public transit on Halloween weekend
Taking the subway or the bus is usually a tad creepy just on a normal day. But throw in an endless spectrum of costumes, alcohol-fueled shenanigans, and a goal to attend the Village Halloween Parade and half of the night’s experience revolves around trying to get home in one piece. Is it even a proper New York City Halloween if you don’t end up on a subway platform chatting with a stranger dressed as a Marvel character?
4. Braving the line at the farmers’ market produce stand
We all know those people who somehow achieve their entire weekly shop at the farmers’ market. These regulars roll up to Union Square, 79th Street, or Brooklyn Borough Hall at the crack of dawn with their wheelie carts and know exactly which stall to hit up for the perfect autumn squash. Meanwhile, you stumble up past noon in hopes of snagging the last pain au chocolat and you briefly consider buying a mini pumpkin to improve your apartment’s fall aesthetic.
5. Handling the pressure of scheduling a group trip upstate
When the calendar switches to October, the Hudson Valley’s pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and wineries come calling. Be careful when talking up leaf-peeping and fall brews, because the most enthusiastic friend on the group chat will always land the responsibility of planning a weekend excursion to a small autumnal town straight out of Gilmore Girls, that is sure to be crawling with others seeking out the same experience.
6. “Second summer” sneakily setting in
You can finally wear a sweater again without sweltering, the air carries a crisp chill, and the leaves are slowly but surely changing. Then a heat wave comes out of nowhere, which kills the spooky season vibes. Switch to a layered look and ward off the inevitable threat of global warming with the bliss of a brief flashback to summer. After all, it’s better than a reminder that it’ll be dark before 6pm soon.
7. Trader Joe’s on a Sunday morning
All grocery stores are universally packed on Sundays, but a New York Trader Joe’s is in a different league. Arrive five minutes too late, and you’re caught in a stampede in every other aisle. May you always find that golden morning hour when you can dig for your favorite frozen item in peace and get in line without a frantic search for where the queue actually ends.
8. Determining if your seasonal illness is a cold, the flu, or something more
When you notice more sniffling than usual on the subway and you hear nothing at work but your colleague’s sneezes across the room, you know cold and flu season has arrived. Along with it comes the eternal question of “just how sick am I?” Stock up on Vitamin C and an emergency supply of masks just in case your congestion escalates after a weekend of masquerading as someone else. Is it even a true New York City fall if your body doesn’t crash and burn after an adventurous Hallo-weekend?