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Although the first day of fall was on September 23 this year, I didn’t notice it was fall until last night. Why? Well, it didn’t smell like fall.
Here in Portland, there’s a particular smell I associate with the onset of fall — the smell of people’s first fireplace fires of the year. And somehow, last night everybody in my neighborhood got the memo and lit up. You can tell it’s the first fireplace fire in a long time, because there’s a weird wet twinge to the smoky odor (presumably there’s special stuff in the chimney that’s been accumulating all year). This smell means to me: time to figure out how many vacation days I have left.
I spent most of my childhood in Florida, where there was no distinctive smell to mark the coming of fall. The only thing I’d notice was that it got dark a little earlier, and I’d feel weird about it being 95 degrees on Halloween night. Truly unfortunate.
I do remember a fall smell from my year living in Philadelphia as a young child. There, I knew it was fall (okay, almost winter) when I’d smell the rotting Ginkgo leaves — a distinctive stink that was great fun to complain about, for a good three weeks each year.
So here I am, enjoying the onset of fall. Pretty soon it’ll be time for the smells of winter (for me, this involves paperwhite narcissus flowers). But for now, boy does that chimney smoke smell nice. But what about you — what smells mean it’s fall for you?
(Photo courtesy of Flickr user Al-Ansari.)
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I think of Schenley Park in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh Pa. My freshman year of college at Pitt and I was commuting via bicycle every day to classes. The smell of the early/mid October fallen leaves in that park comes back to me every year.
posted by Larry P on 10-4-2007 at 6:39 pm
Since I live in Bama it’s hard to tell but somedays it cools down slightly. But when we finally turn the heat in our house on it smells so… warming.
posted by Rachel* on 10-4-2007 at 7:41 pm
October in Missouri has a spicy smell on sunny days. It isn’t cinnamony, but it makes me think of woody flavors. Sweet Annie lends its pungency to the mix, too. There is smoke from time to time, but the air itself has a scent that is definitely unique to autumn.
posted by Kitty Crouch on 10-4-2007 at 7:56 pm
Fall in Michigan during my childhood meant the smell of baked apples in the oven and home-made vegetable soup on the back of the stove made from the end of the garden vegetables. Today in the Arizona desert there is no “smell” just a sense when you walk out in the morning that there’s a change in the color of the sky and a “feeling” in the air that something has changed. It’s cooler- 90s vs 100s and those wonderful 60s overnight.
posted by Linda on 10-4-2007 at 7:56 pm
I live in Florida, but I know there is a distinctive smell when fall begins. I noticed it earlier this week actually. It’s not as much a smell as a mixture of smell and feeling. You go outside, about seven fifty in the morning and realize there’s a faint chill hanging in the air. There’s also the smell of….I can’t describe it, but it’s there, the lack of humidity pressing down on every pore might also account for the obvious difference.
Personally I love it.
posted by Aubry on 10-4-2007 at 8:13 pm
It has always been the clean feeling of low humidity, a nearly imperceptible chill in the air, and most importantly: the scent of carnival food/rides/beer at my hometown’s Oktoberfest (La Crosse, WI).
Oh! And the smell of singed pumpkin flesh from the occasional jack o’ lanterns.
posted by Liz on 10-4-2007 at 8:45 pm
Oh fall.
It’s still in the high 80s in Cincinnati. But I love the smell of wet leaves, when it finally comes. Right now we have the everpresent scent of smog.
posted by Lea on 10-4-2007 at 8:58 pm
Smells? Probably the most distinct smells that I recall are of the damp leaves on the ground after a fall rain. These days though, I don’t smell much this time of year; stupid allergies.
posted by Dave on 10-4-2007 at 9:31 pm
The smell of the leaves that fall off our trees in the front yard. I don’t know what kind they are, but it’s not fall until I smell that smell. And I have to walk in them because they’re crunchy.
posted by Janel on 10-4-2007 at 10:44 pm
Oh dang, I live in TX. We go from summer to late-summer to hey-we-might-get-a-couple-snow-flurries-this-year to shoot-we-didn’t-get-those-flurries to summer again. But I grew up in NY, and I have plenty of autumn memories – so I go out and buy dozens of “Spiced Pumpkin” Yankee candles to remind me of fall…(while the kids are out back swimming and getting a sunburn)
posted by Karen on 10-4-2007 at 11:43 pm
The smell of freshly lit fireplaces at dusk a few days ago meant fall for me. In general there’s a crispness to the air, and the salty sea smell coming from the strait fades a little. Now all I have to look forward to is the scent of pine trees to tell me it’s wintertime.
posted by heather on 10-5-2007 at 12:11 am
We live in Ohio. My nephew was stationed in Iraq a few falls ago. As a service project with my then Brownie Girl Scout troop, we decided to send pictures to my nephew and his comrades. The pictures were leaf rubbings from all of the leaves we had collected from our local park. I had a garbage bag full of leaves and a dozen pictures so I sent the leaves and pix to him in a box. He said that opening the box, the smell of fall in Ohio was wonderful.
posted by KJ on 10-5-2007 at 7:09 am
I grew up in rural Ohio. Fall smells like crisp leaves, dancing bonfires and the smoke that stays in your hair for days, damp hay bales, dried cornstalks in every doorway, sweet and greasy pumpkin donuts, salty roasted pumpkin seeds, tart apple cider, rich hot chocolate, acidic yet creamy tomato soup, nutmeg in so many pies, and mulling spices left simmering on the stove as a sensory treat for guests to smell when company came.
posted by Lindsay on 10-5-2007 at 7:32 am
fall to me always smells like burning leaves. not like ive ever burnt leaves, and i dont know whos responsible for it, but the scent will just waft by from time to time during a drive or a walk and it definitely makes you say, ’smells like fall’
(kinda like the smell of chlorine reminds me of summer)
posted by samantha on 10-5-2007 at 8:06 am
I do remember the smoke from burning leaves when I was growing up, but it never was particularly pleasant and we don’t do that anymore.
The distinctive aromas I now associate with fall are marsh mud, wet labrador retriever, and the tendrils of smoke emanating from the breech of my trusty fowling piece.
posted by Tom on 10-5-2007 at 8:19 am
I’ve lived in a couple of houses that used wood stoves exclusively for heat (here in Oregon and Washington), so I definitely know what you mean about the wood smoke smell — but now that I’ve gone 20th century, the first time I turn the furnace on there’s this funny “hot dust” smell that lets me know falls here.
It makes me a little sad because I’m cheap and don’t want to pay for the gas, but on the other hand … so cozy.
posted by Mary on 10-5-2007 at 8:46 am
Where I live there’s a crispness that is in the Autumn air, it’s also a cold smell. I know what you mean by the smoke, but I don’t think of Autumn as much when I smell fireplace smoke.
posted by Emily on 10-5-2007 at 8:51 am
I live in Seattle, which smells a lot like Portland, but the smell that means fall to me is the leaves. They make the air smell spicey and sweet and fresh all at once and it makes me want to drink a hot cup of spiced cider while watching a soccer game in the rain. I loooove fall.
posted by SaiSai on 10-5-2007 at 9:23 am
I was pleased to read this little blog. I too used to live in Portland (Maine, that is), and still reminisce over the sweet smells of Fall. In particular, the smell of rotting leaves, chimney smoke, and brewing coffee emanating from the little italian-owned shops always brings a peaceful nostalgia. I’ve lived all over the country and no other place offers such wonderful seasons as New England.
posted by Isaac B. on 10-5-2007 at 9:57 am
The dusty smell of falling leaves makes me think of childhood falls.
Now, though, living near a college campus with a major football obsession, fall smells like brats grilling and beer.
posted by Mel on 10-5-2007 at 10:38 am
I live in Saskatchewan and the fall smell that means the most to me is that spicy sweet smell of leaf rot on a warm day. It is the most heavenly smell and I just can’t get enough of it!
posted by Lorna on 10-5-2007 at 11:04 am
The smell comes from the fruit. They pack well in a mud ball and leave quite a sting when hit by one. The pits hurts, but not as much as the smell of vomit on your clothes.
posted by john creech on 10-5-2007 at 12:40 pm
autumn definitely smells like crisp chilly air & burning leaves (again, not like myself or anyone I know burn leaves, but every once in awhile you catch it)
although i’m in western PA – part of the country with the Red October heat wave. we were at the homecoming football game this weekend in shorts & tanks, sweating profusely & getting sunburn – last year at the same time we were freezing in sweaters & scarves — somewhere in the middle, please!! i like warmer weather better, but only when it’s appropriate – i know it’ll be snowy & slushy in NO time, so I like the fall to transition me there if i have to deal with ice & cold!
although i’m pleased to say that i saw a long leaf in the road the other day, & knew my tire was going to hit it – my windows were open (since it was so hot!) & i could hear it crunch when i drove over it – my fave fall sound!
posted by sd on 10-8-2007 at 8:22 am