Don't you just LOVE New York in the fall?

Every day that I step out onto my sidewalk, I simply cannot help but think of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your address.”

 

If you happen to be an avid lover of the works of Nora Ephron, you will recognize these words from the quintessential New York rom-com, You’ve Got Mail. It is an exclamation written in an email by Joe Fox to Kathleen Kelly in the early days of online dating.

Strange as it may sound, this simple line might very well be one of the reasons I ended up in this crazy town. Growing up in Helotes, Texas, I could only imagine what Joe was yammering on about in this autumnal rant of his. Of course, my teachers taught me all about the color-changing leaves of fall, but the lessons were a bit more theoretical than practical. I had never seen a season like the one Tom Hanks was singing praises about.

The very sound of his words seemed to ignite something in me: “Don't you just love New York in the fall?” I wanted to say that exact same phrase with that exact same level of emphasis and authority, and I quietly committed myself to one day being able to do so.

Today, I live in Brooklyn – Ditmas Park, to be specific – and though it is not exactly a stone’s throw from the Upper West Side-topia pictured in You’ve Got Mail, I still believe I know precisely what Joe was talking about.

Because, friends, I just LOVE New York in the fall!

And it’s not the pumpkin-spiced-latte kind of love or the elbow-patched-sweater kind. No, this is the real deal – the sort of feeling that changes the way you exist in the world, the kind that makes you want to open a bookstore or smell a bouquet of freshly-sharpened pencils for no particular reason at all.

Like so many theatrical depictions of New York City, I hoped and prayed that Joe’s emphatic declarations about seasonal beauty weren’t overstated. Now that I’m finally, finally here, I’m happy to report they weren’t.

I just love New York in the fall! Don’t you just LOVE New York in the fall?

By the way, if you enjoyed these pictures, I’ve got a treat for you. Head on over to From Rain to Shine right now to see some of these photos turned into a dreamy fall color story. While you’re there, be sure to tell the incomparably talented Jess that I said hey!