Afternoon Inquisition

AI: Endless Summer

I’ve suffered two summers this year, a humid Sydney summer followed by the dry heat of a northern Californian summer.

I’ve never been so happy to see Fall. It’s the start of the holiday season, autumnal colors in nature, crisp, cool air, gingerbread lattes, and the satiation of my near-fetish for scarves, gloves, knee-high boots and overcoats.

What is your favorite season? Why?

The Afternoon Inquisition (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Skepchick community. Look for it to appear daily at 3pm ET.

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42 Comments

  1. Fall. Definitely Fall. Specifically October. To further specify, Hallowe’en. I married my wife on Hallowe’en. Aside from that, I like the leaves, the smells, the sounds, the wind, the cool weather, and everything else about Fall. Sometimes, I think the best thing about all the other seasons is that they make me appreciate Fall more.

  2. “Summertime and the bikin’ is easy.”

    Really. Long daylight hours and accommodating weather make my favorite mode of transportation fun and easy.

  3. Fall. The weather finally cools enought that I can run outside without risking death by heat stroke. The air is clean enough to breathe even with all the wood smoke. The smell of it, the feeling of peace it brings. Everything feels like is slows down a little. I’ve always loved it.

  4. I love fall. There is nothing like a nice walk on a sunny fall day. I hate Halloween, however. It seems like every year I go to Halloween parties that consist of the same people I see every other week of the year only I have to wear weird, uncomfortable clothes to do it.

  5. Winter. I simply can’t stand warm weather. My ideal day weather wise is when it’s cold, a small covering of snow or frost, the air is still and crisp, and there is just a slight breeze.

    Most people seem to think this is odd. If I was forced to move to North America, I’d choose the Yukon over Florida at the drop of a hat.

  6. I live in Wisconsin where we have 2 different seasons, Winter and construction, both are a pain to drive in.

  7. Winter. Rain, snow, sleet, ice, slush, bitter cold – Bring it! Since I live in SoCal, I usually travel to Europe in February just to experience Xtreme weather.

    Last year was Prague and a raging snow storm that was fairy-tale magical. Huge fat fluffy snowflakes swirling in the lights of a deserted street. I half expected the ice queen to show up and offer me Turkish delight.

  8. Winter. Hot chocolate, beef stew, chicken soup, cuddling, blankets, snowball fights, ice skating, building snow forts, feeling the warmth of your house when you come in from outside… What’s not to love?

  9. @Kimbo Jones: Winter for me also. Everyone makes more of an effort to be more convivial. There is more gemutlichkeit

    A few years ago the former mrs sugden and I wound up in Riga for three weeks in January. I had the time of my life. She stayed in the Hotel for three weeks, bitching about the, well everything, while bashing her laptop and I spent three weeks alone stomping around Latvia in my astrakhan overcoat. I had the time of my life.

  10. I almost said it’s the changing of seasons that’s the best thing, but then I remembered our summers here in central Sweden. Warm, but not hot and dry and the light! The sun hardly sets… The winters can get really beautiful too with lots of snow and a touch of arctic cold, but is usually way too wet and rainy.

  11. I love fall! The crisp air, the colors, the smells of spiced drinks and desserts, Thanksgiving, Halloween, cool weather. Ahh, I love this time of year.

  12. It is a toss up between fall and spring. Spring is so lovely as everything comes back to life after winter and landscape looks so picturesque. Fall is also lovely as the coolness creeps in getting rid of the awful summer heat.

    In fact living in Sydney where we don’t get much of a winter, I would say the only season I don’t like is summer. I hate the relentless never ending humidity.

  13. Spring. No doubt. In Atlanta, when we have a good spring, nothing beats it. Blue skies, warm temperatures after a cold, nasty winter and everything in bloom. Which isn’t great for people with allergies but since I’m lucky enough not to have them, I do great.

    A couple of years ago, I was able to take a month of work and it was March. The weather was perfect, my parents came and stayed with me for part of it. We ate out on the deck, sat in the sunshine, walked the dogs and generally had a wonderful time.

    I love spring.

  14. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m totally conflicted; summer for what I like to do outside, (our summers are the best, not to hot, fairly dry and wonderfully long days) but crisp fall and cold or snowy winter days are great and mean fires in the fire place, more company over for dinner, very cozy fleece sheets and sleeping in on Saturdays instead of getting to the golf course at the crack of dawn.

  15. For the exact reasons you mentioned, fall. Also because, like some other commenters, I got married in October two years ago.

    Now I live in L.A. where autumn doesn’t exist. One day I hope to experience real autumns again, with that wonderful crisp smell and feel in the air.

  16. I think my avatar answers that question: winter.

    Snow just makes me happy, and last year we had enough snow in Seattle that I was able to ski to work twice.

    Fall is a close second, always used to be my favorite.

  17. Fall. First, the biking is incredible. Georgia usually has a nice fall, not the monsoon season we’ve had this year, so I like the crisp dry air.

    I also find women in fall clothing incredibly sexy. Boots with skirts, jeans with sweaters. Plaids. Extra layers. Tights. Jackets of every description in every state of closure, an infinite variety of exposure and even revelation.

    Add football, a new school year, and the World Series? No contest. Fall is awesome.

  18. I live in Houston. Our seasons consist of Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Not Summer, which is a two-week period either in January or February.

    I will kill a sizable number of people for a job in a different climate.

  19. Definitely autumn, both for itself and because it means that summer is finally over and winter is on the way. Least favourite is Spring.

  20. Fall, although I love all the seasons. From a week or so into October right up to Thanksgiving is amazing.

    Anything I might like about winter, is that much more magical if it happens in fall. Plus, I get this weird feeling like it’s gonna snow if it’s dark enough and cold enough. I love that feeling.

    I live in New England, so the leaves changing doesn’t hurt a bit, although with a few more cherry trees (or deciduous trees with red leaves) Spring could probably knock Fall down a notch.

    Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Thanksgiving is more or less like Christmas, but with better food, less shopping nonsense, and no religious Tomfoolery. Plus, focus in my head is on family, whereas Christmas and New Years have somehow defined themselves to me as being about significant others, and therefore, often depressing.

    Why does turkey steal the show at Thanksgiving? Cornbread, squash, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes with the skins still on will drive me into a coma on their own. Cranberry relish smeared on cornbread doesn’t help in the slightest.

  21. Autumn and winter, definitely. I just love cold weather. My theory is the when it’s cold, you can put more clothes on, and rug up to become warmer (and cosy!), whereas when it’s hot, it doesn’t matter how many items of clothing you remove, you’re still just damn hot and uncomfortable.

    I was so glad this year to get a postgrad scholarship and move from Australia to the UK just in time to miss the horrible hot Australian summer. The Brits can’t understand why I prefer the weather here. I try and explain to them that while you’d think everyone loves constantly going out in the sun and enjoying it in Australia, mostly it’s a case of hiding indoors in air-conditioned respite. At least in the UK when the sun comes out I can actually appreciate and enjoy it, rather than shaking my fist at the sky, cursing.

  22. @magic_dude: I remember them well.

    I prefer fall and spring. Winter’s not so bad, especially here near DC. I actually enjoyed the winter in WI, as we were in the Northwoods. Summer here is the pits, though.

  23. Early 80’s rural, inland, Norwegian winter. When the snow that fell before Christmas stayed until March and roads weren’t sanded but snow got packed to a hard layer of white ice perfect for travel by Kicksled.
    With the current climatic conditions in my area of Norway I’ll have to go with summer instead, but only the good summers…

  24. I love autumn because it’s usually so beautiful here. Rich colors, delicious apples, usually still warm enough to go without a coat for a little while… Plus, we have birthdays and anniversaries and fun holidays in the fall, too.

  25. Also spring is depressing because it means summer is literally around the corner. In fact, usually we skip right over spring and hit summer.

    Fall is more like spring for us.

  26. I would say fall except that my first and second Half Marathons (which I ran this year as recently as yesterday) make me want it die a slow horrible death.

  27. Spring and autumn, because they’re the best seasons here (Salt Lake City). The weather right now is awesome.

    Incidentally, my friend moved from Alaska to Palmer Station in Antarctica last February or March. So she had an endless winter. She was very happy recently to see the sun staying up so much.

  28. In general I prefer summer, for outside stuff. Walking around with friends, taking a dip in the pool, sitting in the backyard reading… those are my favorite days. My perfect summer day is high 70s/low 80s, slightly breezy and sunny.

    But then I love fall for the colors and sleep. I sleep better in the cold, and after a summer of inadequate air conditioning (67 degrees is too warm for me. Give me 40s in my bedroom!) makes fall so much nicer. Plus by then I’m sick of the sun, so an overcast or rainy fall day is amazing.

    So I can’t pick.

  29. @Gabrielbrawley: the first I did in 1:47:30 which was good, but I could have done better (especially if I hadn’t been stupid the day before, remember kids, no 6mi high intensity interval runs the day before your race). The second (which was yesterday in Detroit) I did in a pretty decent 1:46:19. I’m actually pretty happy with that time, although I would have preferred 1:45. I’m planning on doing the full Detroit Marathon next year with my sister when she’s back stateside.

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