Friday, November 01, 2013

Putting Our Halloween Knowledge To Good Use

Last year we had a 7 year old in the house, and no clue as to the best Trick-or-Treat strategy for Arlington. This year we are empty nesters, but we are also armed with quite a bit of inside information. Luckily, last night we were able to put it to good use. We offered to help take around our friends kids who had never done Halloween in this area and they took us up on the offer. David and I were back in business as trick-or-treating guides!

We started in the same South Arlington neighborhood at around 6:30pm. Again, it was perfect! It was buzzing with kids, adults and lots houses handing out candy.

After about 45 minutes of working that neighborhood we headed over to North Jackson St. and Pershing to check out an Arlington neighborhood with a reputation for awesomeness. The street did not disappoint. A few blocks into N. Jackson St. and we found that the road was closed off to traffic and the place absolutely swarming with trick-or-treaters. Many of the houses had amazing facades put up and the mood was beyond festive. The only frustration was that with all the crowds, there were actually some lengthy lines to stand in to get to some of the front doors. Yeah, that won't fly on Halloween. Still, it was a wonderful neighborhood to check out.

What a peculiar holiday Halloween is. You wouldn't think that teaching kids to run from house to house asking for candy would be a good thing. And yet, I have to admit it is. Maybe it works because it's one of those great equalizers: for a couple of hours kids just get to be in kid heaven, and parents get to just stand by and watch without a care in the world. It's a few hours of communal bliss. Rich or poor, black or white, zombie or ninja, it doesn't matter.

Here are some photos from the evening:
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