Hmm maybe then, some friends in a suburb were saying their neighborhood had aged out of it. The place I went last night was hopping and had a lot of traffic. Maybe the internet has made people optimize their targets?

Trick or treating is alive and well in places where you can walk safely, and houses aren’t too far apart from each other. The problem is too many places in the US don’t fit that description.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes that extra money buys ethical labor practices, sustainable material sourcing, quality workmanship and item longevity. Not always, there are plenty of scammy “luxury” goods, but there are plenty of brands that are considered luxury simply because they aren’t fast fashion and are buy-it-for-life quality.

An antique Victorian or Queen Anne house. I love the towers, the gingerbread charm, the corbels and fascias and all the little crinkly bits. The rich old wood interiors with tin ceilings and plaster medallions, hand carved staircases and crown mouldings.

However I am never going to be able to afford the absurd cost of retrofitting one to be energy efficient, and I know the quirks of odd room sizes, antiquated floor plans and non-standard sized things like weird door heights and window widths would drive me absolutely insane. So I’ll admire them from afar