Signs of fall abound around Arlington.
Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin spice lattes have been on offer at local stores and cafes for a little while now. Kids are back in school and fall sports are underway. The weather has turned cooler following long stretches of blast furnace heat. We’re now past Labor Day, considered the unofficial end of summer. Most summer vacations have ended and many commutes are getting longer. And, technically, it is now meteorological fall.
On the other hand, there are also signs that summer is hanging on.
The traditional Labor Day closure of many local pools has been pushed back by a week or two. Some folks are still on their Labor Day vacations. The NFL regular season has not started yet. Temperatures in the 80s are expected this week. Astronomical fall doesn’t start until Sept. 22. And, typically, ARLnow’s daily readership does not recover from its summer doldrums until the week after Labor Day (this is also true about rush hour traffic, which will get worse next week.)
Given these contrasting signals, we’re wondering whether our readers consider us now to be in the fall season — or if it comes later.