A Very Low-Key Fall Checklist

What’s on your fall checklist? The weather’s getting crisper, we’ve stocked the fridge with apples, and I’m excited to queue up my comfort movie. Here are seven more laid-back things to do…

1. Go shopping in an actual store. Over the weekend, I popped into Sézane in Manhattan to check out their fall pieces, and it was such a treat. The store is beautiful with velvet dressing room curtains and friendly shop girls. I tried a bunch of everyday pieces, like a patent leather bag (which comes in four colors), an oversized trench (the pretty lining!), and leopard shoes (would look cute with jeans). Afterward, I grabbed a coffee and walked home in the sunshine — the whole morning was so much fun.

2. Go apple picking. My friend Alison just took her two kids to Fishkill Farms and gave it rave reviews. “We do this every year,” she told us. “The farm has everything you want: apples, pears, flowers, and a tractor that takes you around the farm. By the end of our day, the kids were covered in dirt and so happy.” Bonus: the next morning, you can make apple pancakes.

3. Find the best egg sandwich/banana bread/croissant/cookie/you-name-it. Last week, I was texting with a friend who’s going through a hard time. We were brainstorming fun activities we could do to get her mind off things and decided to search for the best chocolate chip cookies in Brooklyn. Do you have any places you swear by? (So far, L’Appartement 4F is in the lead.)

4. Watch Bad Sisters season two. The Irish black comedy is back on November 13th. I adored all the women in this brilliant series and can’t wait to see what my pretend bff Sharon Horgan does with the next season.

5. Host a craft night. I’m hopelessly uncrafty, but after making Valentine’s Day cards with friends last year, I realized I like making things with my hands, even if the result is terrible. So, as the days grow shorter and we spend more time inside, I’m looking for easy projects to do with friends or the boys. How great would these grape garlands look on a dinner table?

6. Take a walk with a funny podcast. There’s something deeply satisfying about fall walks — breathing in the brisk air and feeling crunchy leaves under your feet. If you’re in a chatty mood, do a five-minute phone call with a friend. Or, if you’re in the mood to laugh out loud, listen to the Celebrity Book Club episode on French chef Jacques Pépin — it’s brilliant.

7. Lie supine on the sofa with a gripping book. What are you reading? Two of my favorite authors — Elizabeth Strout and Sally Rooney — are publishing novels this fall. In Strout’s Tell Me Everything (out today!), her two beloved heroines, Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge, come together and get involved in a murder case. Intermezzo, by Rooney, follows two brothers who are grieving their father’s death while also grappling with their own tumultuous (of course) romantic relationships. Also, Rumaan Alam’s next book, Entitlement, which apparently has Succession vibes, comes out next week — did you ever read his terrifying 2020 novel Leave the World Behind? I get chills just thinking about it.

What’s on your low-key fall checklist this year? I’d love to know.

P.S. A fall pleasure and our favorite bunny rabbit shows.

Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like. Thank you so much.