In the current climate of mental stress, people have taken to spending more time outdoors, both for exercise and relaxation. Now, you can participate in a guided, relaxing ‘Forest Walk’ in Illinois’s Morton Arboretum. The concept, which was brought to the United States of America by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, is based on the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which roughly translates to ‘forest bathing’ or ‘taking in the atmosphere of the forest’.
The idea was initially developed by the Japanese ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the early 1980s as a way to encourage people to get out into nature and improve their health through stress reduction. Guests are guided by certified forest therapists who ‘invite’ participants to commune with nature and notice new details in their surroundings as they walk through the forest. The goal is to wander slowly, with purpose in each step, and be mindful of one’s surroundings. At the end of the walk, participants engage in a 10- to 20-minute seated reflection before foraging plants — like wild bee balm, which makes for a strong-tasting brew — for a calming tea ceremony.
The California-based ANFT, founded in 2012, has trained over 1,100 guides in their forest bathing-based therapy. In addition, forest bathing and forest therapy outings have been held in settings that include New Jersey’s Pinelands and Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and the Wissahickon Valley Park.
Spooks galore
This Halloween, you have a chance to go to Hell. Not 2020; I mean Hell, Michigan. The mayor, John Colone, is putting up his manor on Airbnb on October 14 in this small town outside of Pinckney, Michigan. Guests will be greeted by a pumpkin-lined path to the mayor’s manor, which is dressed up in red velvet curtains, skulls and gold accents.
Airbnb, on the other hand, is not so quick to allow guests to book a room for Halloween night in the light of Covid-19. It announced a ban on one-night reservations over the Halloween weekend for home listings in the US and Canada. Previously booked reservations that meet that criteria will be cancelled, and the guests reimbursed. If you are still in the mood to enjoy something spooky for Halloween without risking exposure to the coronavirus, you can take part in a virtual horror tour. Ghost Flix, a live video ghost tour through the haunting streets of more than 20 cities across the US, features real-life guides walking through eerie streets as they narrate the horrors of the neighbourhood. The company, Southernmost Ghost, has partnered with Google Home and Amazon Alexa to give people the opportunity to listen to over 100 scary stories read out by voice actors. You can also buy the Halloween equivalent of the Christmastime ‘Elf on a Shelf’ — a sinister-looking doll modelled on the countess, Elizabeth Báthory, commonly referred to as the female Dracula. You can prop her up on a shelf to add a creepy element to your Halloween.
Spicy affair
Fall kicked off on September 23 with the changing leaves and chilly temperatures offering a much-needed respite from the past eight months. People have started decorating their front porches with hand-picked pumpkins and squash. Pumpkin spice lattes are selling out as well. Pumpkin spice is a blend of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice, created in 1934 by the spice brand, McCormick & Company, who introduced the blend as an alternative for consumers who were buying all four spices to make pumpkin pie. According to Forbes, Starbucks sold an estimated 200 million PSLs in the first 10 years since it was invented.
However, around this time each year we get bombarded by all things pumpkin spice, not just lattes. The Honey Baked Ham Company is testing Pumpkin Spice Glazed Turkey Breast in select cities across the US. Kraft is also testing out a pumpkin spice mac-and-cheese. People in the US can use #PumpkinSpiceKMC #Sweepstakes as well as tag @KraftMacNCheese on Twitter for a chance to win one of 1,000 limited-edition Pumpkin Spice Kraft Mac & Cheese products.
Pumpkin spice does not involve actual pumpkins. But fall does involve a spike in the purchase of pumpkins themselves. Illinois is the top pumpkin producer in the US and produces twice as many pumpkins as the other four top-producing states.
City lessons
A scavenger hunt is taking place this month in New York City. At a time when the future is so unpredictable and people are stuck indoors, this is exactly the kind of respite they are looking for. NYC’s month-long prominent architecture-and-design festival, Archtober, is marked by the 36-hour, five-borough outdoor scavenger hunt put on by Open House New York and Archtober. Now in its 10th year, the festival invites participants to test how well they truly know NYC. Think brain puzzle meets marathon. People can play by themselves or in teams of up to six. More than 60 clues will be emailed to the team captain on the first day. Teams will capture proof of arrival at each mystery site with a mascot or ‘object’ pictured in all the photos to be submitted for points. The competition ends in prizes. The hunt will take place during this year’s Open House New York weekend. To get from one spot to the next, teams can walk, run, take public transport or use bikes and cars. Teams who do not use cars get a “green energy bonus”. This year, Archtober will host several events online, thereby allowing people from around the globe to take part and learn about New York’s architecture.
Footnote
Movie theatres may still be shut, but there is an alternative. Not a drive-in, but a pop-up floating cinema in Key Biscayne, Florida. The float-in will travel the coast from Haulover south to Key Biscayne (near the Miami Marine Stadium) and then into the Bill Baggs State Park. On-land viewing tickets will be available for the park screenings, allowing people to drive up rather than boat in. First will be a showing of Jaws followed by Moana, Finding Nemo and other water-centric films.
