So it definitely feels like I’m back in New Hampshire, which is good considering I’ll be there next weekend! It’s been in the mid to lower 40s here in D.C. this week and it’s been gray and rainy. So basically it’s been great! I know, once again you’re probably reading this thinking “this girl is crazy”, but fall is my favorite season. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing better than a slightly gray, cold, fall day where the air is fresh and the leaves are falling. And since I’m missing it in New Hampshire I’m going to enjoy it here as best I can! I sat outside in the park the other day and had my hot cup of tomato soup from Corner Bakery for lunch while I watched people rush by and the leaves fall to the ground and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The brilliant colors of NH can’t really be seen in the city, but the crisp fresh air, and the smell of rain make it abundantly clear that it is in fact fall!

In celebration of this wonderful fact, my lovely roommates and I carved several pumpkins Thursday night while eating homemade enchiladas.

We made an awesome mess in our apartment as we cooked enchiladas and threw pumpkin guts into bowls. Carving pumpkins is definitely one of my favorite things about Halloween and I was pretty positive that I wasn’t going to get to partake in this awesome pass time this year. That was until my roommate Christiana informed that my assistance was needed to carve pumpkins for a volunteer even she had back home. So as the night progressed with the rain pouring down outside us, we carved black cats, spiders, bats, and scary faces. The apartment ended up smelling pretty strongly of pumpkin (gross I know) but they looked great and it was an awesome time! (The enchiladas were also pretty wonderful)

Carving pumpkins definitely got me in the mood for Halloween, which is right around the corner. YES!! Halloween has to be my favorite holiday, I mean honestly, what’s not to love about a night where you get to dress up as whatever you want and eat all the free candy you can get your hands on?? And let us not forget the endless marathons of zombie and horror movies without which Halloween simply would not be the same! They’re the best! Back home my wonderful parents have left me in charge of decorating our house because of my bizarre love of ghost stories, zombies, jack-o-lanterns, and all things Halloween. Sadly, this year I will not be home to create a terrifying scene on my quaint little street, so hopefully my brother will step up and do it for me… hopefully ;) My current mission for this month is to find some kind of wonderfully amazing Halloween festivity in this city so I can get my fix for the year.

I was able to further enjoy this fine fall weather this past Friday when my supervisor and I went to the new farmer’s market on Capitol Hill. It was a wonderful 5 hours standing under a tent in the perpetual fall drizzle handing out samples of Operation Frontline’s Ratatouille recipe. It was FREEZING!!! It was raining and I drank more hot coffee and hot apple cider in an attempt at staying warm than any human being ever should. We took turns running to and from the grill where they were doing cooking demos trying to get some of the heat and stood bundled up in hats and scarves fighting back the urge to shiver. As miserable as this might sound, it really wasn’t all that bad. I love going to these farmer’s market events and even though the weather at this one wasn’t ideal, I still enjoyed it. The people around us were incredibly friendly and one guy even stopped by and sang us a song while playing his banjo! This made up for all the hours spent in the cold that day… almost :)

Now I know I’ve discussed rain in D.C. before, but this week/weekend was ridiculous! It rained nonstop for four days, including all day Saturday! I spent pretty much the whole day feeling cold and damp but it was worth braving the elements to go to Ben’s Chili Bowl on U St. with two of the coolest guys ever! Two of my friends from Regent’s College were in the city this weekend and seeing them was amazing! (One of them, Devin Kittrell, was a TWC participant this past summer and was a TWC Blogger too! Check out his posts!). We started at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a place everyone should visit while in this city, then wandered up to Adams Morgan to enjoy some Hookah and then back down to Dupont Circle where we caught of a glimpse of the old Real World house (it still baffles me that in January I will be able to watch Real World take over this city…)

Top Two Places to Visit This Week:

1. Ben's Chili Bowl: This place is a historic institution here in the city and anyone who meet who is from here, or ever been here will tell you that you ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY have to go to Ben’s Chili Bowl. Not only is the food great (I’m a vegetarian and I can vouch for the veggie burgers) but the atmosphere is incredible! To actually get to the counter and order your food you have to squeeze through a crowd of people and find your way to the end of the line, which is more like a mob than anything else. Once in line you have to pay close attention to the people in front of you. Orders are taken so quickly that when you give yours, you may not even be at the counter yet, you may be standing on the back wall yelling over several people in front of you. Once you get your food, you have to move fast to find a table, otherwise you’ll be stuck standing awkwardly between the two seating areas. One thing to make sure you pay special attention to while there is the insanely wonderful mix of hip hop they have playing. The music comes out of an old jukebox and covers every type of hip hop you could possibly imagine, giving the place a very lively, friendly, and welcoming vibe.

2. Georgetown: This part of the city reminds of combination of Boston, Salem, and Newburyport Massachusetts. It’s a much older part of the city as is evident by the architecture in the area. The area has a lot of shopping and several interesting bars including Rhino Bar, home to the area's Red Sox Fans (Woo!) and The Guards, an imitation British pub. The area also has some of the most beautiful areas to go running. One route that I recommend and personally want to try is along the canals. It takes you down by the waterfront and through some of the most historical parts of the area. Georgetown also is also home to, yup you guessed it, Georgetown University. Its definitely worth wandering over to the campus to explore. The architecture is absolutely georgeous and walking there really does give you the “academic” feeling. When I last popped up there, I felt a sudden urge to study (it didn’t last long). If nothing else, heading up to Georgetown gives you chance to walk up “The Exorcist” steps.

(If you have never seen this movie you MUST do so before Halloween is over!)

Top 5 Songs of the Week:

1. Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah: "Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away"

2. Nada Surf: "I Like What You Say"

3. Jesus and Mary Chain: "Just Like Honey"

4. Stellastarr: "My Coco"

5. The Films: "Good Day"