Harvest Glow at the Bronx Zoo is a separately ticketed, timed-entry event taking place after dark in the fall. There is no access to animals, but there is an elaborate trail with animal-themed illuminated jack-o-lanterns, live pumpkin carvings, food carts, games, face-painting, and an opportunity to do the dinosaur safari at night.
The trail is quite immersive – lighting is low and the different animal-themed areas are elaborate.
There is spooky music and lighting.
They make it clear at the beginning of the trail that the decoration on this trail are not living pumpkins that have been carved, but there are live pumpkin carving demonstrations at the hub between the trail and the dinosaur safari, and there are also food carts at the hub.
Along the trail, there are also people dressed up as skeletons, and a giant pumpkin head character. While not intentionally scary, I would say that depending on an individual child’s personality, having these suddenly appear in a fairly dark environment with spooky music might be alarming. For older children and adults, though, these characters just add to the immersion.
You can experience Halloween all over New York City in October at no cost just by walking around, but for a fun Halloween-themed evening, the Harvest Glow is an event to consider. There are discounts for zoo members, and I noted a discount code on the site for certain dates (FALLFEST). Book early if you want the earliest entries – there is no time limit once you enter. And if you are already looking ahead to the next holiday, Holiday Lights tickets at the Bronx Zoo are already available!
The Yorkville neighborhood on the Upper East Side is a real hidden gem in Manhattan, and I have blogged about it often (Yorkville in the snow: A love letter, Goodbye to Glaser’s Bake Shop, the heart of Yorkville, Yorkville: From Lexington and 86th Street to the East River Promenade, for instance). The heart of this neighborhood is Carl Schurz Park, between East End Avenue and the East River, from 89th to 84th Street. The Carl Schurz Park Conservancy maintains and improves the park, and also holds special events throughout the year. In October, two extremely enjoyable (and entirely free!) events take over the park on two different Sundays: Harvest Festival, and the Halloween Howl. I went to both this year (2024), had a fantastic time, and took a lot of photos.
The highlight of the Harvest Festival is a gigantic pumpkin patch created on the lawn next to Gracie Mansion. Every child that attends can select a pumpkin and take it home at no cost.
Surrounding the temporary pumpkin patch, multiple tables are set up with various ways for children to decorate their pumpkin once they select it.
When the ropes are dropped (this year, at 1PM), there is a bit of enjoyable chaos and mayhem, but even toddlers seemed to be able to go in and select a pumpkin without being trampled by larger kids.
Near the pumpkin patch and decorating tables, there were friendly costumed characters and live music (Nice Brass, see a short video of them playing at the event here).
A really nice touch is that the scarier decorations are all located in a nearby area but one that you can’t see unless you choose to go there – perfect for those with young or easily frightened children (or adults, for that matter!). For my video montage of the entire event, see my Instagram reel here.
The following Sunday, Carl Schurz Park hosted the Halloween Howl.
The Healthy Hound Vendor Fair started at 11AM, and was set up all along John Finley Walk next to the East River.
Text
The canine Halloween costume contest was set up In the basketball court, and began at 1PM.
There were four categories: for small dogs, large dogs, children with their dogs, and groups. Judges were business owners from the Yorkville area, and spectators crowded all around the perimeter of the contest. You can see the video I made of the Halloween Howl here.
There are other events in Carl Schurz Park during the year – opportunities to help with planting, movies under the stars during the summer, a tree lighting in December – and these two October extravaganzas were delightful. But I would recommend visiting this little jewel of a park any time of the year. Hang out and watch the dogs play in either the big dog run or the little dog run. Stroll along the Promenade next to the East River and watch barges or even sailboats go past. You can continue south and connect eventually to the East Midtown Greenway. There’s a wonderful playground for little kids. I love Central Park, of course, but it’s not the only show in town! Check out Carl Schurz Park and let me know what you think.
Going through Chelsea Market recently, I tried to remember what my blog post about it had featured. I mean, I had done multiple posts about High Line Park (see here and here), the nearby parks, Little Island and Pier 57, and I love Chelsea Market! So imagine my surprise when I searched my blog only to find that I had never posted anything about it. I generally post in October about the fantastic Halloween decorations in New York City (some previous examples are here specifically about townhouse decorations, here about decor on the Upper East Side, and here about a special Halloween event on Governors Island) and since Chelsea Market goes all out to decorate for Halloween, the time seems ripe for a post about Chelsea Market this time of year.
First, a little history about Chelsea Market. The building that the Market is in, the entire block between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, and between 15th and 16th Streets, was once the factory of the National Biscuit Company – Nabisco – and the iconic Oreo cookie was developed and manufactured here in 1918. If you look, you can find reminders of the building’s history scattered around the current Chelsea Market, including the medallion above and a mural showing Oreos on the lower level. Nabisco moved manufacturing to the suburbs in the 1950s, and in the 1990s the building was repurposed as retail space on the lower floors and office space on the upper floors. Alphabet (Google) now owns the Chelsea Market building (it paid over $2 billion in 2018!) as well as the building across Ninth Avenue.
Chelsea Market is part of a revitalized far west Chelsea neighborhood, with neighbors being the Whitney, the High Line (the section of it between 15th and 16th Streets actually runs through the second floor of the building, one floor above Chelsea Market), and several new innovative public parks along the Hudson River. Because of this, it is often crowded with groups of tourists. Going early in the day is usually the best way to enjoy all the shopping and eating opportunities without being impeded by slow-moving groups.
Chelsea Market has many iconic NYC businesses, like Little Witch Bakery, LiLac Chocolates, Sarabeth’s, Pearl River Mart, and Amy’s Bread, as well as some completely unique to Chelsea Market. I particularly like the Chelsea Market Baskets store near the 10th Avenue entrance. Yes, you can make up a gift basket – and that is fun – but it is also a great place to get and try little food and toiletry treats from around the world at surprisingly reasonable prices. Across from it is the Posman bookstore that has a huge selection of very unique greeting cards. I would say that I go to these two places fairly often for gifts and highly recommend them both.
Neighborhood Goods is a very unique shop, with many items (snacks, toiletries, home goods, clothes, candles, and more) from many different small businesses all in one place. There is also a small bar there (Tiny Feast) there that serves pastries and light bites as well as alcohol.
There are so many terrific places to eat in Chelsea Market that I always have a hard time deciding what to choose when I want to have lunch or dinner there. Saxelby Cheesemongers not only has cheese to buy and the ability to create cheese boards for events, but you can have incredible cheese sandwiches there with excellent cheese – my favorite is a truffle grilled cheese. Friedman’s has elevated American classics from breakfast to dinner, and cocktails as well. Creamline has fantastic milkshakes. Buon Italia is a market for Italian pantry items as well as serving fantastic pasta dishes. If you go to Chelsea Market, don’t forget that there is a downstairs, as that is where you will find Buon Italia, Saxelby, and a wonderful fruit market (as well as the bathrooms).
The bathrooms have a series of very old-fashioned looking sinks in double rows.
Chelsea Market has a very unique appearance overall simply because of its history as a factory and the clever ways the repurposing of the space was accomplished. The building itself is timber and wood, covered in brick. There are vaulted ceilings, exposed pipes and vents.
Something I always particularly enjoy about the Market is the way it decorates for holidays throughout the year, and Halloween is perhaps the most elaborate.
I often wonder if little children get afraid of the decor! They have pretty scary figures hanging from the ceilings, around every corner, and some are even audio-animatronic (see here for an example of one talking).
Paula Guran, author of multiple fantasy books including New Cthulhu, has said “The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we’ve come to need Halloween.” I do think that New York City, ever-modernizing and looking toward the future, does also give us plenty of magic and mystery when decorating elaborately for the holidays. I believe Chelsea Market is worth visiting for the decor in addition to all the shopping, drinking, and dining opportunities. Maybe I will see you there!
When one thinks of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, you often imagine rows of elegant townhouses and apartment buildings, interspersed with high-end shops, elegant restaurants, and schools with children in tidy uniforms. All those things are true, but they aren’t the entire story. The idea of the Upper East Side as a stuffy, reserved neighborhood is negated every October when walking through the gauntlet of Halloween decorations that adorn block after block in the neighborhood. Some decor is indeed elegant but much of it – much more than you would expect – ranges from spooky to terrifying. I have posted before about Halloween decor in NYC (here and here for instance) but this post is specifically about the Upper East Side this year, with a bonus of a dog costume contest held yearly in Carl Schurz Park!
I talked to a UPS delivery man while taking one of these photos and he said he felt he needed hazard pay to go to some of these houses, because he had no idea who would come to the door! I love the skeleton above – almost seems like a jaunty “Singing in the Rain” pose.
Another Instagram video, just to give more of the flavor of being in front of one of these houses.
Although a lot of those photos may make the Upper East Side seem like a terrifying place in October, there are more light-hearted things to enjoy as well! One of the best is the yearly “Halloween Howl” dog costume contest held in that well-kept secret treasure of NYC, Carl Schurz Park in the Yorkville neighborhood of the Upper East Side (I’ve blogged about it before, in general and after a snowstorm). Here are a few photos from this year:
Now, a lot of these same townhouses decorate for the December holidays as well, but there is nothing quite like the gothic excess of so many of these decorations! Walking to an appointment on the Upper East Side in October, with the first touches of chill in the air, and taking in the sights of what my fellow New Yorkers have done to celebrate the season in the city – and share it with others – I am reminded once again of how fortunate I am to live and work in this vibrant city.
I have written before about the experience of taking a short ferry ride from lower Manhattan and ending up on Governors Island, walking and biking around a little bit of country with killer views of iconic skyscrapers (read my previous report here). In addition, for years I have taken the drive up to the Historic Hudson Valley to see the Blaze, a massive display of carved illuminated jack o’ lanterns. This year I discovered, to my delight, that there is a Halloween ticketed event on Governors Island called Rise of the Jack O’ Lanterns (also held in other locations outside NYC) so of course I needed to check it out.
This year the experience started October 18-20, and will conclude later this week (October 24-27). The ticket is timed for the ferry you will take over, and you aren’t allowed to get on an earlier or later ferry, so be on time! The earliest time slot is 6 PM, and the latest is 10:40. There tend to be discounts for later times, and of course some time slots are already sold out. The ferry leaves from the Battery Maritime Terminal, the same one that is used for regular ferries to Governors Island.
At least in my opinion, some of the old houses left on Governors Island are a little creepy even during daylight hours, so being around them at night with mysterious music playing and thousands of illuminated jack o’ lanterns around is certainly enough to put you in the Halloween mood. I will say, though, that it is not particularly “scary,” so is appropriate for all ages.
All the jack o’ lanterns are hand-carved by artists out of real pumpkins, and the night I was there an artist was on site demonstrating the elaborate technique needed for such detailed compositions. Many are traditional spooky themes, but others reflect popular culture.
There were several in memoriam (see Luke Perry, above), plenty of Disney princesses and Game of Thrones tributes, as well as Harry Potter.
I loved the jack o’ lanterns themed to artists.
I kept looking for a “She said yes!” jack o’ lantern near this one, but couldn’t find it. Erika, did you make it to the RISE and were you impressed?
The jack o’ lanterns are mostly on pillars raised up so that you can easily observe the details.
One of the more surreal experiences on Governors Island is when you suddenly see the towers of lower Manhattan while immersed in this rural setting. Every now and then while viewing jack o’ lanterns I would glimpse One World Trade.
On the way back to the ferry there is an opportunity for unimpeded views of Lower Manhattan. The views are terrific when seeing during the day on Governors Island, but the night time view is simply magical.
Those who don’t live in New York City might think that it’s difficult to experience a festive Halloween, but I definitely disagree! In addition to the RISE, Governors Island has trick-or-treating for children on October 26 (see details here). There are Halloween decorations all over the city, especially on townhouses (see a previous blog post on this topic here). The Cathedral of St. John the Divine has a marvelous Halloween Extravaganza every year that includes a scary silent movie accompanied by live organ music. And of course the famous Halloween parade takes over Greenwich Village the night of October 31.
I know I’m biased, but I do believe that New York City is the best and most fun place to live – any time of year!
People who don’t live in New York City might wonder how – or even if – NYC children trick or treat. They definitely do; many larger buildings keep a list of people willing to accept trick or treaters, and residents of the building can pick up a list on October 31 so that they and their children don’t knock on the doors of too many empty apartments. In my experience, you can end up with a prodigious amount of candy (and the occasional healthy treat) in a large apartment building – even better if you pair with another family in another building and maximize possibilities in both places. (Insider tip: take the elevator to the top floor and use the stairs to walk down, if you are able – the elevators become very busy on Halloween night.) However, there are places in the city where you can trick or treat in a very traditional, door-to-door manner – primarily the townhouse blocks on the Upper East and Upper West Sides of Manhattan, or Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope, Astoria in Queens, etc. In addition, some of these houses go so all-out on decorating that they make the few weeks leading up to Halloween a “treat” to walk past. This October I made a point of stopping to take photos of houses I happened to pass while walking around the Upper East Side. I will start with a few sedately decorated examples, and progress to the truly terrifying. Perhaps one aspect of the legendary toughness of a native New Yorker is having to pass the gauntlet of horror at some of these homes to score a Reese’s Pumpkin!
This building is keeping it classy. A seasonal display of pumpkins brightens the foyer.
Friendly jack-o-lanterns accentuate this private garden.
These two townhouses have picked up the fright factor a bit without going too far – a few fluttering ghosts and a welcoming row of skulls let you know this is probably a good place to trick or treat.
If this one was closer to the door, its scare factor would go up, but as is, it decorates the house nicely without being too terrifying. I like how the ghoul is holding a pumpkin.
This is a selection of decorations that I find to be fairly typical of what you see this time of year, some scary touches and nice additions to any city stroll.
Two views of this townhouse – I love the white pumpkins, ghosts, and seasonal plants leading to a giant inflatable (but not too scary) Pumpkin King.
Even though this is a skeleton, the presence of his skeleton doggies brightens up the scene, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this one.
Similarly, these skeletons have a jaunty, Pirates of the Caribbean vibe . . .
I noticed a theme this year of many townhouses covered with spider webs, often along with the spiders and sometimes also other frightening figures.
Now we are progressing to a higher scare factor: this Dracula actually emerges and returns to his coffin on regular intervals. Note that trick-or-treaters would need to walk right past this to ring the doorbell!
This townhouse really followed through on its zombie theme.
The suit of armor is a unique touch, and pretty creepy.
Not much to say – these are just disturbing.
This house wins the prize for most terrifying decoration that I happened to pass by this year. I would find it difficult to approach these figures in broad daylight, and can only imagine what it would be like to pass them on Halloween night to ring the doorbell!
On Halloween night, many of these homes will open their doors to reveal mini-haunted houses, and often the residents also dress up. My most vivid Halloween memory as a child is of approaching a house, and being absolutely terrified of the zombie who answered the door. When I ran away rather than take candy, he ran after me offering a bowl of treats – but to my terrified mind, he was simply chasing me! Ah, the joy of being scared, as long as ultimately it is in a safe setting. New York City is such a wonderful place to live, and the dedicated and fortunate owners of these townhouses enrich it with their decorations. There are many advantages to living in a townhouse – outdoor space, not sharing walls or floors/ceilings with neighbors, abundant space – but the ability to express yourself to the community through your decoration is certainly a plus for many.
Julie Brannan, NYC residential real estate 