For centuries, September has been the historic start of the so-called “social season.”  It was when important people and great families would return from their languid summer respites in the countryside and again take up residence in the city.  September was also the month for final fittings of new gowns and shoes which had been ordered up so that everyone would be decked out in the latest fashion. Carriages were readied, silver was polished, and the anticipation of who would be at the opera and who would get engaged was probably foremost on people’s minds.

Today’s world is more relaxed of course, but some of the traditions continue. Opera seasons in Europe and in the U.S. still begin during this time, and back-to-school is another version of it. And while folks no longer worry about whether they’ll be presented at court, they do start making more plans for upcoming performances, new restaurants, and other fun things to pursue as cities all over the world get back to business.

In this spirit, we have updated each of our City-Extras pages (through the menu above) with social-season stuff that you should definitely consider doing.  Grab your tickets quickly though because many of our mentions will end up selling out!

Happy travels, Dean & Andie