Governors Island might just be the best place to get away without leaving NYC…and now it’s open year-round! It’s Halloween month and we have suggestions for some fun adventures and a great costume store. Valerie Smaldone has the scoop on a lovely midtown restaurant that serves a late night dinner, a rarity these days in the city that use to never sleep. Sandi Durell has the scoop on a fabulous free outdoor concert later this month.  Our roving photographer has fab images from the Feast of San Gennaro. And our Broadway Babe has some fun free streaming entertainment too.

Governors Island

This is exciting. Governors Island just announced that it is now open to the public all year long! Enjoy the Island’s open space, cultural programming and public art and recreational resources year-round, for the first time in history.  Check out the calendar with really awesome events and activities, including pumpkin picking later this month.

Green-Wood Cemetery After Hours

Just in time for Halloween, spend a Saturday evening exploring the historic grounds of Green-Wood under the cover of night. In the guided walking through you’ll weave through the Cemetery’s stunning landscape and visit the graves of fascinating figures in New York and American history. This not-to-be-missed walking tour ends with a visit to the Catacombs, which are normally closed to the public.

Green-Wood is 478 spectacular acres of hills, valleys, glacial ponds, and paths, throughout which exists one of the largest outdoor collections of nineteenth- and twentieth-century statuary and mausoleums. Four seasons of beauty from century-and-a-half-old trees offer a peaceful oasis to visitors, as well as its 570,000 permanent residents, including Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, Charles Ebbets, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Civil War generals, baseball legends, politicians, artists, entertainers, and inventors.

$30/ $25 for members. There are no paper or e-tickets. Attendees will be checked in by name. The walk is over hilly and uneven terrain, comfortable footwear is encouraged. Get tickets.

The Roving Photographer

Nicole Freezer Rubens (author of The Long Pause and Short Breath) takes us to The Feast of San Gennaro that celebrates the patron saint of Naples. The first festival in New York City was in 1926 and has evolved into an annual 11-day event taking over Mulberry Street in Little Italy. Street vendors, musicians, meatball eating contests, kiddie rides and carnival games fill the old, narrow streets of the neighborhood. The delicious smells of sausages, peppers and cannolis in the air invite everyone to commemorate the bold and beautiful Italian culture and tradition.

The Andy Warhol Cow Maze

Head to the Queens County Farm Museum and experience the Amazing Maize Maze that celebrates the genius of Andy Warhol’s pop art in NYC’s only corn maze. The adventure begins with a Stalk Talk to prepare you for the 3-acre challenge of finding clues, solving puzzles, and making your way to Victory Bridge where the full vista of Warhol’s Cow is revealed.

Queens County Farm Museum dates back to 1697 and occupies New York City’s largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland. The farm encompasses a 47-acre parcel that is one of the longest continuously farmed sites in New York State. The site includes historic farm buildings, a greenhouse complex, livestock, farm vehicles and implements, planting fields, an orchard, and an herb garden.  Get the details.

Need a Halloween Costume?

Photo: Kate Glicksberg

Head to Abracadabra in Chelsea where it’s Halloween and magic all year long. You’ll find amazing costumes to buy or rent, magic and so much more. If you’re not buying, it’s just a fun place to browse. Get the details.