Over these past 6 months, society has learned to adapt to the challenges posed by COVID-19. The warmer weather made it markedly easier for society to cope with the pandemic. Tables and chairs were moved outside, and hangouts took the form of distanced gatherings on a back patio, or a stroll around the neighborhood. As fall and winter loom before us, I wonder what distanced social gatherings and public spaces will look like.
Heat Lamps for Restaurants?
I personally love the new outdoor setup of the restaurants and cafes in my town. On the bottom half of our town’s main street, the road itself has been closed down to accommodate for more outdoor seating space. Now, strolling through main street, I have to remind myself that I am in a town in Connecticut, and not on some cobblestone street in a European city. I wonder how restaurants will cope with the colder weather. Will some of them choose to move seating fully indoors, and just restrict the number of diners, as is happening now? This will surely be more of a risk to diners, as coronavirus spreads much more easily indoors than outdoors. Or will restaurants maintain their outdoor setup’s and instead install heat lamps to fight the cold? I personally hope for the latter. There is something cheery about seeing people dining in the open air, bundled in warm clothes.
What Will Hangouts Look Like?
Colder weather will serve as an impediment to entertaining outdoors, but it need not terminate it altogether. The end of barbecue season does not mean the end of backyard entertaining. Hangouts can take place around a fire, with hot cocoa in hand. Ask guests to bring blankets and dress warmly to stave off the cold. It is not necessarily the end of picnic season, either. Though colder weather usually marks the end of peach and corn season, it also marks the beginning of apple and Squash season. Experiment with edibles made from seasonal, fresh produce. A hangout in itself could be grabbing friends along to visit an outdoor, fall market. Another hangout idea is an apple picking date. Grab some friends for the ride, and head to a apple orchard or farm.
