Another October zipped by and then I woke up and it was November 1st again. I have never seen time fly by so fast. Christmas will be here soon. With the way stores handle it, Christmas arrived before Labor Day. At our local Dollar Tree, the manager told me that he not only had the Christmas merchandise but the Valentine’s Day merchandise as well.
I promised myself this year I would not be running around like in previous years. I did not want long weekends on haunted house tours and cemetery and graveyard talks. I had done all the in previous years. I ran around too much the past three years. This year, I picked and chose what I wanted to do and I tried not to travel too far with my work schedule. Plus many of the weekends had at least one rainy day, so many outdoor things got cancelled or scaled back because of the weather.
Walking down Fifth Avenue
I knew October had arrived when it started to get darker earlier and the pumpkins and hay stacks started to come out. This started before Labor Day was even over. I tried to combine attending events and talks both in the City and the suburbs. This made it nice to tour around and enjoy the weekends. Still, I found myself running around in and out of the City and in the car running to one day events. All of this capped off by the Halloween Parade on Halloween night, where we lucked out with the weather again. I had a good time!
The City was beautiful when the sun went down
I knew it was October when my neighbors started to decorate their lawn. The flags from the summer went down and the Halloween decorations started to arrive. They have colorful lights and weird animals on their lawn.
My neighbors across the street love to decorate
Then they bring out their mischievous scarecrow, Giggles, to wreak havoc in our neighborhood
My commentary on this devious neighbor
My blog on Giggles:
The month started with the most amazing warm weather. It had been a cool summer and I ended up setting the air conditioners up late and shutting them down early. Even though I keep mine up until after Halloween, I turned it on only once in October, which is pretty rare. It had been cool at night all through October this year. As the weather changed, so did the leaves which started to turn colors earlier than previous years. I can tell it will be another cold Winter.
The season started with a series of Fall festivals around New Jersey. Last semester, I dragged my students through every historic cemetery and graveyard throughout Bergen County for my project on the historical site for the ‘Bergen 250’ project I created and I was all ‘cemeteried out’.
My blog on the ‘The Historic Cemeteries and Graveyards of Bergen County’:
My research of all the historic Cemeteries and Graveyards in Bergen County:
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/tag/historic-cemeteries-of-bergen-county-nj
Plus I had been to all the walking tours and festivals at least three times at most of the historical homes and mansions in the area, so I wanted to find some new things to do around the Tri-state area. I was also trying to build on my site, VisitingaMuseum.com this year as the site was becoming more popular and that led me to more Fall events around the museums.
I started my Halloween adventure with a trip to the Anthology Theater in the East Village and the viewing of an independent film that had been released in 1984, “Screamplay”, which had bombed back then and had been restored in 2026. It had now found its audience and returned to the screen for glowing reviews.
The “ScreamPlay” commentary
After the film, there was a Q & A, where I asked both the writer/director of the film and his co-star what it was like to have all this attention forty years later after the film was released. ‘Redemption” was the answer with a smile on his face.
The Q & A for the film ‘Screamplay ‘ with the cast forty years after the film was released
https://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
I had decided after I had finished Alphabet City for my blog, MywalkinManhattan.com, to return to Washington Heights and Harlem to revamp those blogs so they better reflected the current ones and spent most of my Summer and early Fall uptown. My goal was to finish before school started, which did not happen and I am still walking the streets of Harlem.
Walking on the borders of Harlem
People all over the Upper East Side were decorating for the Halloween holidays
As I was finishing my walks around Harlem and East Harlem before it got cold out, I was also visiting small museum throughout New Jersey to build on my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com. There were so many small museums that I had come across during the recent Firemen’s Convention in Gloucester County and up in Sussex County, that I had enough to keep me busy the whole month.
While all this was going on, I was looking forward to my upcoming birthday the second week of October. The first weekend of October was a spectacular day with break taking weather in the high sixties. It was sunny and clear and I started my mission of visiting more museums on the weekends. The only problem I had is that one day would be really nice and the other would rain. I tried to visit as many places as I could around those rainy days.
The first museum was the Morgan Farm and Museum in Cedar Grove, NJ. I had heard about this from one of my students in my summer business class. She had mentioned it in her research paper on the town. I lucked out in that they were hosting a ‘Pumpkin and Apple Festival’ that weekend, which was a nice way to open the Halloween holidays.
The event was a fun family event on a beautiful sunny afternoon. They had a nice size crowd touring the house and farm grounds, taking pictures at the cut outs and at the petting zoo. The house tour and the history of the family I thought was the most fascinating part of the tour. To know that this farm was still in use to the 1980’s was a informative part of the tour.
The Morgan Farmhouse at the Morgan Farm Museum, the headquarters of the Cedar Grove Historical Society
https://www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.com/history
https://www.facebook.com/MorgansFarmAndMuseum
Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Seasonal-please check the Society’s website)
Admission: Free but a donation is always appreciated. The Society also sells honey as a fundraising.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The museum sign just off Route 23 South
The farm property the day of the Fall Pumpkin & Apple sale and Open House
I recently visited the Morgan Farm and Museum one Saturday afternoon in the Fall and was surprised to find that they were hosting their Annual Pumpkin & Apple Sale, which has been a tradition on the property since the last owners of the farm, the Morgan family did this every Fall.
It was a lot of fun. The Society members were selling pumpkins and apples, baked goods like Cider doughnuts and cookies (completely sold out by the time I got there), Apple Cider and clothing products. On the farm land there was a petting zoo, picture taking by the Pumpkin Patch and tours of the house. The tour of the house was very interesting in that their docents to assist you on each floor to explain the family dynamic. It was a wonderful afternoon and a enjoyable family event.
The sign of Route 23 South for the Pumpkin & Apple Sale
The History of the Pumpkin and Apple Sale at the Morgan Farm Museum:
(from the museum pamphlet)
Each year the Cedar Grove Historical Society holds a Pumpkin and Apple Sale in honor of Edith Morgan and her son Courtenay Morgan. In the Fall of each year, the Morgan’s sold pumpkins and apples in the front of the Morgan farmhouse. The pumpkins were grown on the farm but the apples came from northern New Jersey. Mrs. Morgan passed away in 1961 but Courtenay, the last farmer in Cedar Grove, continued the tradition until his death in 1985 at the age of 86. The Historical Society continues that tradition each October.
Courtenay left his property to the Township of Cedar Grove with the stipulations that the Township create a park for passive recreation and that the Historical Society create a museum to preserve the history of Cedar Grove. Our pumpkins and apples are from the Chester area. Today the Historical Society’s home is the Morgan Museum located in the Morgan farmhouse. The Township created the J. Courtenay Morgan Park on the property.
The farm’s old barn now used as a meeting place and gift shop
History of the Morgan’s Farm and Museum:
(from the Museum pamphlet)
The Cedar Grove Historical Society welcomes you to Morgan’s Farm & Museum and the Canfield-Morgan House. The guide explains why Morgan’s Farm is unique and leads you to points of interest that you may want to explore.
The Morgan’s Farm is a fourteen acre site that was farmed continuously from the mid-1800’s until 1985. In 1985, Courtenay Morgan donated the farm to the Township of Cedar Grove. This portion of the farm is a park managed by the Township while the farmhouse and other buildings are operated as a museum and education center by the Cedar Grove Historical Society.
The Cedar Grove Historical Society maintains a wonderful collection of agricultural tools and equipment that reflect farming methods over a period of one hundred years. Items on display in the Canfield-Morgan House includes letters, photographs, clothing, furniture and other objects that show us how people lived during the early 1900’s.
The Family History:
(from the Museum pamphlet)
Benjamin Canfield built the farmhouse sometime around 1845 for his family. The Canfields were typical, hardworking farmers who were respected for the quality of their produce. They grew corn, apples, melons and other crops which they sold in the Newark and Paterson markets. The Canfield family farmed the land until 1910 when James and Edith Morgan bought the property James Morgan was an advertising executive who commuted by rail to New York City.
Mr. Morgan was passionate about farming and he worked hard to learn the latest farming methods. he experimented with the different types of crops until tuberculosis took his life in 1920. After Mr. Morgan died, Edith and her son, Courtenay struggled to keep the farm operating. They were well known locally for the vegetable and fruit stand they operated off the front porch.
Long before the Canfield and Morgan families lived here, the Lenape Indians used the site as temporary camp. Courtenay Morgan found many Native American tools as he plowed the fields. These artifacts are now preserved by the Cedar Grove Historical Society. A portion of the Lenape Trail passes through Morgan’s Farm.
The front parking lot of the farm property and the Pumpkin Patch
The inside Barn gift shop was selling apples, pumpkins, gourds, apple cider and doughnuts. By the time I got there, there was not much left. The Society even sells their own honey.
The barn from across the gardens near the farmhouse
The History of the Barn:
(from the Museum pamphlet)
The barns that you see behind the Canfield-Morgan House today were reconstructed by the Cedar Grove Historical Society in 1994 because they were had badly deteriorated. While the center of the barn is not as high as it once was, it has its original foundation and looks much like it did in 1910. This barn was probably used to house livestock at one time. On the west side of the main barn is a structure that once was a carriage house with a small apartment on the second floor for hired help. At some point, possibly in 1911, the second floor was removed. The shed on the east side was used to shelter livestock and later to store farm machinery.
There was all sorts of fun activities for families and especially the kids with a Pumpkin Patch, games and a Petting Zoo plus tours of the house.
The Pumpkin Guessing game
https://www.facebook.com/MorgansFarmAndMuseum
The entrance to the Pumpkin Patch offered kids a chance to take pictures and pick the perfect pumpkin to make a Jack O Lantern
The Pumpkin Patch was perfect for picture taking
The pumpkin decorations in the Pumpkin Patch
The were plenty of places where the kids could take pictures with all sorts of characters of ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night
Halloween is on its way
I loved the small Petting Zoo that they had set up. There was a baby cow, a baby pig, ducks and chickens.
The Petting Zoo
The baby cow was really friendly
The ducks were walking around their pen
The baby pig ran around his pen as well
The highlight of the afternoon was touring the old Morgan Farmhouse, which was furnished with family antiques and heirlooms, plus artifacts from the community of Cedar Grove, NJ.
The back of the house facing the barn
The History of the House and Barn:
The Canfield-Morgan House looks much like it did after Benjamin Canfield finished building it in the mid-1800’s. The modern kitchen and the accessible porch and bathroom are the most visible changes. The size and character of the house are typical of a traditional farmhouse. The features of the French windows in the front parlor and a wide entrance hall suggest that the Canfield’s were interested in current fashion and design of homes. A cistern under the kitchen floor stored water that was collected in gutters and piped into the cistern.
The gardens have many flowers such as daylilies, akebia, peonies, roses and quince that were planted by Edith Morgan and continued to bloom in the garden. The Morgan family added pergolas to the garden in 1911 and grew honeysuckle to cover them.
The fields of the farm is a variety of crops were planted in fields east of the park and south of the farmhouse. Crops included everything from tomatoes to pumpkins and apples. The Canfield family grew corn on what is now the front lawn. While these crops are no longer grown on Morgan’s Farm, the fields remain open space.
The Cedar Grove Historical Society sign on entering the house
The entrance to the house through the main hallway. The original part of the house was built in the 1700’s with an addition which added these rooms in the mid 1800’s. This is the newer side of the house.
The tour of the house was on my own but there were plenty of docents from the Society to explain each room. There were all sorts family furnishings and heirlooms of the Morgan family that were donated when this became a museum. The Society keeps the home in immaculate shape and its looks like the family still lives here and off for the day, letting us see a glimpse into their home.
The Living Room/Music Room
The corner of the Living Room and Music Room
Mr. Morgan’s desk in the home
The antique musical instruments in the collection
The Cedar Grove Music Association in 1900
The Morgan family photos from the family’s private collection, now part of the museum
The Morgan family portrait
Gail Morgan Chandler as a young girl
The Reception and Recreation Room next to the Living Room
Some of the family decorative pieces on display
Across the hall from the Living Room is the Dining Room that displays the home’s baking and serving pieces and some of the family China.
The Dining Room of the farmhouse
The second week of October brought the annual ‘Halloween Window Painting’ competition in Downtown Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. The kids do such a nice job with the contest and it decorates our downtown for Halloween. Here is a sample of just some of the paintings the kids created. Some of them were quite clever and some were very original. There is a lot of talent in this town.
There were dozens of paintings up and down the Boulevard, our Main Street in Hasbrouck Heights, but I took pictures of my favorites to show the creativity of the kids in our town.
The modern pumpkin patch
Various paintings on a business window downtown
I thought this purple creature was clever
This purple creature was pretty cool too
I was not sure if this was a ghost or a ghoul
Very clever Halloween motifs
The kids creativity in front of Bill O’Shea’s Flower Shoppe
This painting stood out
So did this multi stacked pumpkin painting
I thought this was very clever
I was not sure if this was a spin on a Halloween tree
An interesting look at the pumpkin patch
Ghosts entertaining each other
I liked the snoopy painting
I thought the witches cauldron was clever
I loved this vampire painting
Interesting paintings on the doorway
The Headless Horseman
This one was my favorite
The Frankenstein painting was very clever
The Pumpkin King
I liked the laughing pumpkin
The RIP
I liked the skeleton dance
I liked this collection of paintings
I thought that this ghoul was clever
This faceless specter was interesting
No Halloween is complete without a trip to Mills Bakery in Wood Ridge, NJ, our neighboring town. The owner knows how to merchandise the store and has a special cake decorator on staff. There are so many great Halloween treats to chose from!
Mills Bakery at 275 Valley Boulevard
Home
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Bakery/Mills-Bakery-185965134750526/
Hours:
Sunday 6:00am-4:00pm/Monday 6:00am-6:00pm/Tuesday 6:00pm-7:00pm/Wednesday Friday: 6:00pm-8:00pm/Saturday: 6:00pm-7:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
The cakes decorated for Halloween
I have to go in for a treat every once in a while and I looked over the cases while I admired the cakes, cookies and cupcakes decorated for the perfect Halloween party.
The was my favorite cake in the case, a Pumpkin trick or treat container filled with candy
The Eyeball cake was interesting
This Spider Cake was interesting
The Pumpkin and Ghost cupcakes were festive
I settled on a Halloween Orange and Black cookie, a spin on the traditional black and white cookie. It was pricy at $5.00, but well worth as I enjoyed it after after dinner. You should see the creativity of the bakery at Easter and Christmas as well.
The Mills Orange and Black cookie, a special holiday treat
October is also my birthday and my best friend, Maricel took me to Virgil’s for my birthday dinner. We really lucked out as it was a beautiful, warm night and there was a prediction for rain the whole weekend (it poured the all day Sunday when a Nor’easter came through until late Sunday afternoon).
Virgil’s Real BBQ at 152 West 44th Street
https://virgilsbbq.com/locations/times-square
My review on TripAdvisor:
My birthday dinner, we shared their Spicy Chicken Wings and their Chopped Pork Nachos, two items we love ordering when we eat at the restaurant.
I love the appetizers at Virgil‘s
We then shared from Fried Oreo’s for dessert and they were so good, we ordered a second batch. The sauces you could dip them in were so good and brought out the flavor of the chocolate
Then the waiter brought out a special birthday treat for me, a dish of ice cream with a candle in it. I know to some people this might sound corny at my age but it never gets old with me and Maricel knows how to put a smile on my face on my birthday.
My birthday ice cream at Virgil’s
Maricel had to leave early after dinner because she had to be up early for work the next day so I left for the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) to see the new “Pollack/Krasner Past Continuous Exhibition”.
The Met at night is spectacular
The fountain is so relaxing outside the museum at night. I wish they put it to music.
I love the views of the Rotunda at night
The entrance to the “Past Continuous” exhibition
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/krasner-and-pollock-past-continuous
My review on TripAdvisor:
I had not known much of Lee Krasner’s work except for a couple of paintings I had seen at the Museum of Modern Art. It was nice to see how the husband and wife team’s work contrasted and clashed and then worked with one another.
These were some of my favorite paintings from the exhibition. Their works were so dynamic and interesting. Both artist’s works stood out and made a bold statement. I plan to travel back to the museum to see the exhibit with more time.
This was my favorite painting of the exhibition Lee Krasner’s ‘The Seasons’
This is Lee Krasner’s “The Embrace”
This is Jackson Pollack’s “Portrait and a Dream”
This is Jackson Pollack’s “Number 29”
The nice part of exploring the Met on a Friday night is that the museum is open late until 9:00pm and that particular evening was quiet so I got to see the exhibition without a lot of crowds.
After I finished for the evening and left the Met, I walked through the Upper East Side and looked at the Halloween decorations on the side streets. Just like their suburban counterparts, people in the City are really decorating their homes so creatively and hiring professionals to create haunted homes out of their brownstones and townhouses. These were some of the best as I walked down both Madison and Lexington Avenues.
I loved this haunted home
I thought this was very clever
This one reflected the spirit of the Fall harvest
I loved these evil figures by the entrance to the house
I thought this display was very elegant
I loved this witches display in the corner of the home
This was another home that represented the Fall Harvest
This one was the most elaborate one I saw on my Halloween walk down the Upper East Side. It had a complete haunted wedding scene.
The extravagant details were amazing
This is taking holiday decorating to a new level. I just wondered what happened to this display with all the October rain we got every weekend.
I even came across this interesting street art on the way home from the museum
The day before my birthday, I toured all over Sussex County, NJ for the 16th Annual “Sussex County Heritage Weekend”, which just like when Morris County, NJ opens all its cultural sites in the Spring, Sussex County had a whole listing of cultural sites open for the weekend. The problem was a Nor’easter was heading up the coast and would hit later that evening and my birthday day would be a washout. It ended up starting to pour Saturday evening into late Sunday evening. Still, on Saturday the weather was sunny and bright for most of the day and I got to see many historical museums and homes I had never visited before in a County I had never really explored before.
The Sussex County Heritage Weekend:
https://www.scahc.org/heritageweekend
My blog on the Sussex County Heritage Weekend:
I visited about five different historical sites and museums on my trip around Sussex County, NJ. I started at the Old Monroe Schoolhouse in Franklin, NJ, which was closed for the day (electrical problems), then went to the Franklin Heritage Museum in Franklin, NJ, then toured the Hill Memorial Museum in Downtown Newton, NJ, which is becoming a very up and coming town with wonderful shops and restaurants and I finished at the Stillwater Historical Museum in Newton, NJ. It is a breathtaking little town that looks like you were in a small town in Vermont, not a town thirty miles from Manhattan.
My trip to the Stillwater Historical Museum:
This was last museum on my tour during the Sussex County Heritage Weekend, the Stillwater Historical Society Museum in Stillwater, NJ, a small town just west of Newton, NJ, the County Seat of Sussex NJ.
The front of the Stillwater Historical Society
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricStillwater
https://www.historicstillwater.org
Admission: Free but donations are appreciated
Open: check the website for hours/Seasonal
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Historical Society is set up like a General store on the first floor with displays with merchandise of the past and household items. They have recreated the recreation of the past with a modern twist. How did a small town buy and sell a hundred years ago? How did they socialize when this was the place of communication?
The sign for the museum
The Historical Society of Stillwater Township:
(from the museum pamphlet)
Since its organization in 1977, the mission of the Society has been to foster and promote an interest in Stillwater area history by maintaining a museum and reference library of historic artifacts and genealogical records of area families and support preservation efforts of historic structures sites and events.
Through the generous foresight and planning of Mr. Amos F. Dixon and his wife, Mrs. Mary W. Dixon, the museum associated with the Historical Society of Stillwater Township has been located within the Neighborhood House on Main Street in Stillwater since 1954. Originally a one room schoolhouse from 1842 to 1909 and the home of Mary W. Dixon Library, within the building are interpretive displays of a restored schoolroom and a general store with a post office. A collection of artifacts depicting the early life of the village and surrounding area is on display as well as a costume collection, mineral collection, Native American artifacts and military items dating back to the Revolutionary War. Genealogical records, photographs and newspaper clippings of historic significance to the area and its families are part of the Reference Library.
The first floor gallery of the Stillwater Historical Society is set up like a general store.
The first floor gallery
The History of the Museum:
(from the museum pamphlet)
The museum’s collection has grown and flourished throughout the years thanks to generous donations from the Stillwater community. The Society is always seeking locally-relevant physical artifacts and genealogical information. Dedicated members are working to preserve the artifacts and we are currently computerizing our collections to make the information.
The Preservation of the Museum:
(from the museum pamphlet)
Along with the continued preservation of the Museum and its artifacts, the society has supported the concept of an historic district in Stillwater and recently assisted in the historic registry designation of the Shafer Grist Mill in Stillwater village. The Society & the Casper Shafer residence on Main Street previously assisted with the preservation of Keen’s Mill in the Swartswood Lake area.
The Van Horn family burial plot is also preserved and maintained by the Society. The Society supports all efforts to preserve these and other important historic structures and to make them available for public enjoyment and educational purposes.
To support Stillwater’s community life, the Society hosts educational programs and fund-raising events throughout the year. Past topics have included the evolution of grist mills, herbal remedies used during the 18th Century, Revolutionary War weaponry, the Tocks Island Project and historic cemeteries. Fundraising events range from festivals featuring music, food and games to seasonal bus tours.
The General Store display
The General Store display
The old pot belly stove the center of the General store
The stove of the old General Store
The pot belly stove
Kitchen artifacts
Local artifacts from the Stillwater community
The Town of Stillwater, NJ:
(from the museum pamphlet)
https://www.historicstillwater.org/township-overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stillwater_Township,_New_Jersey
Stillwater Township is located in Sussex County, eights miles west of Newton. Its encompasses an area of 28 square miles. Three small villages: Stillwater, Middleville and Swartswood, together with residents now residing in what was only a few years ago a farming community, compete its population of approximately 4,500.
After my tour of the Stillwater Historical Society Museum, I took a walk in the rural downtown of Stillwater, NJ. I felt like I was in a quaint New England village and not twenty miles from Manhattan.
The beautiful Victorian homes
The town was decorated for upcoming Halloween
The General Store restaurant downtown
The farm view from the downtown
The historic sign for the old Casper Shafer farm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casper_Shafer
https://www.sussex.nj.us/585/Casper-Shafer
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricStillwater/permalink/10159716198614329
The original farmhouse decorated for the Halloween holidays
The ghost on their porch
The picturesque farmland
The farm stand in front of the house (on the honor system)
The plant and pumpkin stand on the farm (also on the honor system)
The also had a arranged flower stand with colorful Fall flowers
The back of the old Shafer farm in the Fall
The town was so beautiful and picturesque and it was so much fun just walking around looking at the foliage. It was also a nice way to end my tour on the Sussex County Heritage Tour for the afternoon. I could not believe I was still in New Jersey. It was the perfect place to cap off my tour of cultural sites in Sussex County.
My birthday was that Sunday and it poured like crazy the whole day. I had wanted to tour Sussex County for the second day as there were many small historical homes and schoolhouses that were only open on Sunday but I did not want to travel backroads while it was pouring rain. I figured either they would close early or just not open because I could not see people running around in this weather. I stayed home and did paperwork and read. Friends and family called me all day so it was nice to talk to everyone. For dinner that evening, I went to Tom Yum Koong for my birthday dinner. I had not been there in years (I found out I had not been there in about nine years via my last TripAdvisor review) because it was always so crowded but on this night, there were only two tables of people and they were finishing when I arrived at 7:45pm. The weather had broken and it cleared up for about a half hour until the rain came back down.
Tom Young Koong is a very well-known destination Thai restaurant that is very busy between Thursday and Saturday nights. Their assortment of appetizers that include Chicken Satay, Curry Puffs, Fried Dumplings and Shrimp Fried Noodle are excellent and they have the most delicious Pad Thai which is wonderful with Chicken and Shrimp. The food is cooked by the owner with recipes that came from his mother. The service is always friendly and the owners are really nice.
Tom Young Koong at 305 Boulevard
https://www.menuism.com/restaurants/tom-yum-koong-thai-restaurant-medford-19871
My review on TripAdvisor:
For my birthday, I did not plan anything special but I knew where I wanted to go for dinner. On a very gloomy Sunday night, I arrived late and there were only two tables at the restaurant and they were just about finished up. Since they closed at 9:00pm, I planned the dinner for about an hour and then arrived at 8:00pm on the dot.
The inside of the restaurant
The restaurant is so beautifully decorated. It looked like they were preparing for Halloween as some of the decorations were already up. I prefer the elegant Thai decorations on the wall.
The beautiful artwork inside the restaurant
What I love is the food here. I love the appetizers and always have a problem figuring which ones I want to order. So for my birthday, I treated myself to my two favorites, the Curry Puffs and the Thai Spring Rolls.
The appetizers of the Curry Puffs and the Thai Spring rolls
The Curry Puffs
They were so delicious
The Thai Spring rolls
The Thai Spring rolls were perfectly cooked
For the entree, I had the Chicken Pad Thai, which was perfectly cooked and spiced. With the lime squeezed on top and the mix of the bean spouts, it gives it a crispy and cool taste to the entree.
The Chicken Pad Thai
It was studded with spiced chicken and the lime gave it a nice flavor
The owner overheard my brother singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me and then treated me with order of Fried Bananas wrapped in wontons was the perfect. It was the perfect birthday gift to myself. It is always a treat to eat here. It was the perfect way to end my birthday weekend.
I returned to Hacklebarney Farm in Chester, NJ on a late Friday afternoon after class before the third weekend of the month. I was in the mood for Apple Cider and the foliage was colorful and breathtaking. I just needed a break from classes and the drive helps me relax.
I have been coming here since I was a kid and always enjoyed their doughnuts and apple dumplings. As the surrounding farms have become more commercial, the owners here have kept it the same and every season it is so much fun to visit for the views and to snack on things from the bakery. The views of the farm are breathtaking with the Fall foliage in the background.
Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill at 104 State Park Road in the Fall of 2026
Open: Thursday-Sunday-10:00am-5:00pm/Closed Tuesday-Wednesday (Seasonal)
Review on TripAdvisor and link to their site:
The foliage at the entrance of the farm
The beauty of Hacklebarney Park and the farm entrance
The farm was quiet that afternoon
I love the way they display their farm items. You don’t want to touch it.
The Fall display of flowers and pumpkins
The pumpkins and gourds on display with a variety of apples
The barn was decorated with pumpkins
I love walking around the farm. It reminds me of when I used to visit here as a kid. It really had not changed that much. I have been coming to the farm for years.
The entrance of the apple orchard, corn maze and pumpkin patch
The corn maze and apple orchard
The pumpkin display by the pumpkin patch
The apple orchard and apple picking
The apple orchard decorated for the fall
The old farm sign on the food stand
The pick your own sign by the bird feeder
The front of the bakery decorated for the fall
There are so many choices in the bakery and everything is freshly made on their bakery on the back of the store.
The jams and jellies selection
The bakery goods pies and cakes
The apple cider doughnuts are delicious and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The perfect treat after a nice lunch.
The cinnamon doughnut
What a treat!
After I visited the farm, I drove down the road from the farm and visited part of Hacklebarney Park, where the river bend created a lake.
Hacklebarney Park in the late afternoon
The view of the lake and the forest
As I was preparing for Midterms and the Halloween holiday weekend, I stopped up the last weekend before Halloween at the Annual Pumpkin Blaze in Croton on the Hudson at the Van Cortlandt Manor. I have been coming to this event now for over a decade and it keeps morphing.
Attending the Annual Pumpkin Blaze is part of my Halloween traditions
https://hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze/
My review on TripAdvisor: (Van Cortlandt Manor):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g47560-d116391-r1083400813-Van_Cortlandt_Manor-Croton_on_Hudson_New_York.html
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
I always start my evening with dinner at Dong Happy Gardens at 440 South River Avenue in the ShopRite Mall. This small takeout place has excellent food and service. The family that runs the restaurant could not be nicer and welcoming when you eat there. The food here is wonderful.
Dong Happy Gardens in the ShopRite Mall in Croton on the Hudson has the most amazing food and service. Don’t underestimate this little gem
https://www.menupix.com/westchester/restaurants/3212099/Dong-Happy-Garden-Menu-Croton-On-Hudson-NY
https://restaurantguru.com/Happy-Garden-Croton-on-Hudson/menu#google_vignette
My review of TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
The inside of the restaurant is nicer than the typical take out restaurant with bright signs and comfortable booths
I have traveled many times up to Croton on the Hudson, NY to visit the Van Cortlandt Manor for the Pumpkin Blaze and to tour the house when it was open. I just came across Dong Happy Gardens Restaurant when I walked around the ShopRite Mall and wanted a reasonable lunch.
On my recent trip to Croton on the Hudson for the Pumpkin Blaze, I stopped in for my annual dinner and I wanted something with vegetables so I ordered the Chicken with String beans with an egg roll with Pork Fried Rice. It was the perfect meal on a cool night.
The Chicken with String beans with Pork Fried Rice and an Eggroll
The portion was very generous
I love their eggrolls which are filled with lots of chopped pork and shredded cabbage
The egg rolls here are so good
The dinner was so good
Every time I come to Croton on the Hudson, I look forward to trying a new dish here. Everything is so well prepared and I always enjoy my lunches and dinners at Dong Happy Gardens. It is my ‘go-to’ place when I am in Croton on the Hudson.
The real magic of this trip is the Pumpkin Blaze on the Van Cortlandt Manor estate in Croton on the Hudson. This magical display dazzles everyone who visits it. I have seen a change in the display especially this year where there were less carved pumpkins and more prop displays and themed exhibits. It was a change from previous years.
The display at the Van Cortlandt Manor at 5 Riverside Avenue in Croton on the Hudson, NY is spectacular
ttps://hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze/
Open: See website for seasonal hours
https://hudsonvalley.org/historic-sites/van-cortlandt-manor/
My review on TripAdvisor (Manor and Pumpkin Blaze):
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
I love the lit woods around the display. It gives the evening an eerie and colorful feeling to it.
Entering the Pumpkin Blaze at the entrance
The gift shop was entrance of the Blaze was stocked with Halloween merchandise
The entrance of Blaze
The props people were taking pictures with
The entrance to the Blaze
The pumpkin faces greeted me when I entered the display
Entering the display
I was greeted by theses dancing skeletons
The skeletons dancing around
An octopus guarding the river area
The pathway was filled with carved pumpkins
The assortment of carved pumpkins at the entrance
One of my favorite carved pumpkins
These are some of my favorite carved pumpkins in the display.
The Cat face
The Bat Face
The Spider face
The Cat pumpkin
The center of the display
The windmill in full swing
The windmill
This little owl was bobbing up and down
He goes up and down
The pumpkin ‘Lifegourd‘
Pumpkins in a boat
The pumpkin octopus
The Statue of Liberty
The Pumpkin Planetarium of Lights
The tunnel of lights to walk through
The pumpkin birthday cake
The brilliance of the displays and the lit forest
Dracula chasing us around
The trick or treaters were creative
The Pumpkin Carousel
The Big Bad Wolf
The Wizard of Oz display
The Halloween scene in front of the Van Cortland Manor
The disco dancing in front of the Van Cortland Manor
The skeletons really partied down
The Disco Pumpkin DJ
The Pumpkin DJ spinning
The skeletons partied on
The skeletons guarding the exit
They were quite eerie
I headed toward the exit from the Blaze through the Headless Horseman Bridge
I followed the path to the exit passing an array of pumpkins and skeletons
Passing the Pumpkin Graveyard of the Van Cortland’s
The pumpkins glaring at the exit of the exhibition
The evil pumpkin at the exit
It was a beautiful but cool night right before Halloween and the traffic was not bad on the way home. Tarrytown was quieter when I drove through and I got home in record time.
The Tuesday before Halloween in New York City, the Museum of Modern Art opened its door for a Members get together and celebrate the holiday with music, drinks, movies and dancing. It was one of the best get togethers I have been to at the MoMA since the 2004 party when they opened the doors to the newly renovated and expanded museum.
The elegant black and white and well-lit exterior of the museum provided the modern day ‘haunted house’ of tricks and treats and everyone had a ball. The museum encouraged people to dress up in costume of the event so it brought that holiday excitement leading up to Halloween and our “Mardi Gras” like parade on Saturday night. This was especially good for me since it was Midterm week at the college and I needed to get my mind off of all of this.
The MoMA was haunted on a pre-Halloween Night and members of the museum were looking for a fright!
On October 28th, the Museum of Modern Art held their annual Members Night with a Halloween theme “It’s Alive”. They asked members to dress up and carried the Halloween theme throughout the museum with entertainment, refreshments and art lectures on spooky looking art. It was a fun evening out on a warm October night.
The Costumed guests at the Museum of Modern Art
The guests were greeted at the museum with a DJ playing and a pumpkin carving display being created. On the second floor, there were arts and crafts for adults and children, while a spooky silent film played in a darkened hall. The theme of the evening was “It’s Alive” and the museum came to life with each member arriving.
Members mingling among the ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night
The sign welcoming us for the Members Evening “It’s Alive”
https://www.moma.org/calendar/programs/193
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/11748
Many of the museums were having their Members Nights before the start of the holidays but nothing beats a night at the MoMA before Halloween night. This was no ordinary night of Trick role Treating at the museum. There was a costumed DJ spinning tunes as we entered and the whole lobby was filled with people in costume.
The lobby was the heart of the party
I love the art in the lobby
There was a pumpkin carving demonstration on the first floor when we walked in
The museum planned an array of activities to enjoy from the DJ spinning to the to the dancing and music on the first floor. Pumpkin carving and artwork to enjoy with our creative side to a spooky silent film to watch and then tour the haunted halls of the museum looking for sinister art. Movies and music on the patio as the sun set and the moon rose in the night sky.
Our directory of the evening
My first stop was the outside patio and it was just beautiful this evening with the weather warm at 65 degrees and such a pleasant night to be outside. The cool weather finally gave way to a warm week leading into Halloween. Surrealist movies were playing on the screen while the Beauty of Midtown lights gleaned in the background.
The patio was busy with people chatting and enjoying the nice weather
My video on the patio
The patio fountains were lit for the evening
I then made my way to the second floor to watch a silent horror film, ‘The Cat and the Canary’
The beginning of the film
The movie in full
The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”
Watching the silent film
The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”
While we were watching the film, the tables were set with play dough and paper to create what inspired us. I created my version of Mr. Bill. It was fun being a kid again!
The table setting our spooky instructions
The spooky instructions
My version of Mr. Bill doing the scream
My creative artwork
After my time with the arts and crafts , I sat down to watch the full film which had lots of twists and turns on it.
I needed a drink after the film was over and with it being Midterms week at work, I really needed one to relax me. I eyed the Blood Orange Margarita and watch it get mixed. They even put a small gummy eye at the bottom of the drink.
The Blood Orange Margarita sounded good after a long week of running around
The margarita looked cute but not for $17.00. I thought it was a bit small with too much ice. The candy eyeball was cute though.
As I was enjoying my drink and listening to the music, the museum laid out trays of Halloween candy like M & M’s and Tootsie rolls, which got devoured quickly. As I walked around the lobby, the main floor turning into a dance floor of witches and ghosts and many costumed characters.
The make shift dance floor on the first floor
The party continued on the first floor
I continued the evening walking the galleries of the Fifth Floor looking for Halloween art. There were talks and tours all night and I joined other members on the Fifth Floor and I found many ‘haunting’ objects and ‘eerie’ artwork in the halls of the MoMA. When you look at some of our contemporary artists, they have a twisted sense of the reality and that is what makes the art work.
Artwork on the Fifth Floor
The spider like Alexander Calder piece
The colorful surreal pieces of the Fifth Floor
A missing mysterious magician
A headless Spector rooming the halls
Colorful art dominating the Fifth floor
The party continued into the later evening with the dance floor going strong.
The costumed characters on the dance floor on the first floor
I took a break from the festivities and relaxed on the patio enjoying the warm night and admiring the lights of Midtown. With everything going on in the world today, the MoMA tricked us in for a real treat at the museum that night.
Relaxing in the patio at the end of the evening
The haunted pools of the patio relaxed me that evening.
All good things come to an end and the museum started to close down by 9:00pm. I could tell many of the party goers did not want to leave but out into the darkness we went only to be treated by the array of lights to Midtown Manhattan.
Looking at the MoMA from a distance down Seventh Avenue
After the party was over, it was back to reality and Midterms. Wednesday and Thursday night I gave my students their Midterms and had to correct them all for Friday morning so I could go over them before the Halloween Weekend. I now had all the class work behind me, the corrections done and the Team Project now assigned, I told my students they had the weekend off to enjoy themselves. I still had some events before Parade Day.
On Wednesday night after the first set of Midterm were over, I joined members of the Village Preservation Society and the Merchant House for a Halloween talk on magician Harry Houdini.
The talk on Harry Houdini
The talk took place at the Church of the Village at 201 West 13th Street
https://www.churchofthevillage.org
https://www.facebook.com/ChurchOfTheVillage
The talk inside the church
The video on the presentation
After the presentation was over, I walked around the City looking at the decorations for Halloween. All over Manhattan were signs of ghosts and ghouls .
The Chalk FIT art by FIT
https://news.fitnyc.edu/tag/chalk-fit
https://www.instagram.com/chalkfitnyc/?hl=en
The Chalk FIT art at FIT
The Skeleton Upper East Side family
Frankenstein protecting a brownstone
Walking through Bryant Park on Halloween week decorated for Christmas
Walking through Bryant Park on Halloween decorated already for Christmas
https://bryantpark.org/activities/holiday-shops
https://bryantpark.org/downloads/holiday-shops-directory.pdf
I had a parade to help run with all the Marshalls who volunteer. Halloween Day was going to be a long day. Before I left for the City the next day, I explored the decorations around Hasbrouck
You really have to tour our town on Halloween Night to really experience the lights and decorations. People really spend a lot on decorations and some homes really decorate to the hilt. This house is decorated right near my bus stop when I return home from the City. You should see it at Christmas time as well, which will probably be prepared the following day after Halloween. People change their holiday decorations quickly in Hasbrouck Heights.
My neighbors house by the bus stop into the City decorated on Halloween night
The decorations at the bus stop from Manhattan when I returned home on Halloween night
I had to be in Manhattan by 3:00pm to report to my Marshaling duties at Dominick Street in lower Manhattan so I left early for the City and ate lunch in Chinatown before I arrived at the Village. We have lucked out with the weather every year as a warm spirt seems to arrive just before Halloween and it was a beautiful but cool day that got warmer as the sun rose.
https://jinmeidumpling.com/#google_vignette
My TripAdvisor review:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
My first stop was Dumplings (Jin Mei) on Henry Street in Chinatown for their fried dumplings. This place is really catching on as the line was ten deep when I got there and twenty deep when I got to the front of the line. Their dumplings are worth it. Fifteen for $5.00 in this economy make them very popular right now. That and they are really good!
My lunch before the parade. Fried dumplings and a Coke
The Pork and Chive Fried Dumplings are so good
This was the view from the park that I eat at when I am in Chinatown just off Catherine Street
I walked to the parade route from Chinatown and I could see the City was preparing for both the Halloween Parade and the Marathon on Sunday. It was going to be a very busy weekend in the City. There was sidewalk barriers all over Lower Manhattan and the police were being placed for the night’s activities. I also saw lots of people in costume arriving in Chinatown preparing to walk in the parade.
Arriving on Dominick Street where the heart of the parade and puppet rehearsals
Preparing the puppets to start the parade
Dominick Street is where the magic of the parade starts as the puppets that were created in the Hudson Valley studios are assembled and then the puppeteer’s who perform in the parade practice before they head uptown at the beginning of the parade. Most of these puppets you will see later on YouTube at the beginning of the parade.
Lining the puppets up before the volunteers arrive
I was not too sure what this was meant to be but it really was creative
The puppets lined up in a row
These maiden witches have participated in many parades
While I checked in and started my duties for the parade, volunteers and entertainers started to arrive and thus the people started to want to sneak into the parade. This went on all night long as it usually does. Everyone ‘lives in the building in the parade route’ or everyone is ‘going to dinner’ just ‘across the street’ knowing full well the streets are blocked off and it is chaos in the streets behind us.
The puppet volunteers arrived between 4;00pm and 5:00pm to practice
The day turned into night as time zipped by and the frantic behavior of getting inside that parade route went on from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. Trying to get performers and musicians and their friends who do not have passes inside takes a lot of coordinating. We had stragglers still trying to get in at 8:00pm when their floats were long gone.
The park on Sixth Avenue and Dominick Street
We were finally able to shut the street operations at Dominick Street by 8:45pm. The parade had started at 7:00pm and most of the floats had already headed uptown. One woman was crying at 8:00pm that her friends texted her to join their float and she did not have a pass to get in. We told her to go home. These are the things I listen to all night long.
The staging area on Spring Street for all the floats
The staging is where the magic comes to life and one of the most chaotic areas of the parade. I can’t understand why people want to sneak to see it here. It is so busy and the volunteers here have a lot on their hands. Everyone is trying to get all the entertainment organized in the parade and get them uptown all while letting all the costumed people into the parade to fill in around the floats.
Letting the bands into the parade takes a lot of work
The costumed characters entering the parade at Spring Street
This part of the parade route is trying to keep things organized and not a place where the public should be standing around gawking. The whining and complaining I hear every year from these people trying to sneak in thinking that they are going to sit down on some grand stand and watch the beginning of the parade is a pipe dream. There is so much going on to run this parade and there is no place to sit down.
Our favorite coordinator in his annual costume dressed as little pig
Getting the floats ready to travel uptown
The floats on Spring Street heading uptown
I had to do everything from being in everyone’s way to get some pictures in. For people reading this blog on the Halloween Parade, this is NOT the area to best see the parade so stop trying to sneak in. Go four blocks uptown and you will see much more.
The floats kept leaving the Shute to head up Sixth Avenue
The float heading uptown
The crowds heading uptown
The crowds heading uptown
The costumed crowds heading uptown
The crowds and floats heading uptown
The costumes were so creative.
The crowds continued their route uptown
The Balloon women
Skaters making their way uptown
Looking downtown at the last of the floats heading uptown
The costumed characters heading uptown
The costumed characters heading uptown
The costumes were really creative this year
The Central Park skaters heading uptown
The last of the costumed characters heading uptown before I left at the parade route to head uptown for the Volunteers Dinner.
The last float heading uptown at the end of the parade
I walked uptown through the parade up Sixth Avenue and could not believe the crowds that night. People were packed along the parade route. The crowds thinned a bit in the Village as people saw the end of the parade coming.
The crowds in the restaurants all over lower Manhattan were packed with people. There was not one restaurant, bar, fast food place or pizzeria anywhere around the parade that was not busy. Even the neighborhood Walgreens had lines ten deep with people buying snacks and drinks. I think with everything going on from the economy to the wars to politics and justly general life, people were here just wanted to blow off some steam.
As I passed Christopher Street and the Stonewall bar, the birthplace of the Gay Liberation Movement, the place was packed with people both inside and outside the bar restaurant
I saw this painted on the wall as I walked
The decorations on top of the buildings on Christopher Street
The scary skeleton on the side of that building
The witch in one of the display windows off Christopher Street
People all over the Village devoted their homes for the Halloween holiday
I walked the entire way up to da Umberto’s Italian restaurant for our Volunteer dinner and the restaurant was already packed with volunteers who were starved from a long day working the parade. I was glad I had the dumplings earlier that day because I was now ready for dinner. The food here is wonderful and we are always grateful to the sponsors who donate this dinner to us.
Arriving at da Umberto’s at 107 West 17th Street for dinner
My review on TripAdvisor:
The entrance to the restaurant that night
Joining the rest of the volunteers at the parade for dinner
Enjoying the buffet dinner. Here we have the Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive oil
The staff at da Umberto’s does a nice job and the service here is always so friendly. The food is really good here and I really enjoyed the buffet dinner they provided especially the Chicken Parmesan and the Squash Ravioli.
Here we have the pastas on the buffet line Penne Vodka and Fall squash
My dinner that night
The biscotti for dessert
After dinner was over and a nice conversation over dinner with other volunteers at the table, it was time to head home. Some people were heading for Brooklyn for the big ‘After Party’ at Industrial City. I was exhausted between work, Midterms, yard and housework and laundry, I just wanted to head home.
I walked from 16th Street up Seventh Avenue to Port Authority and I can tell you the City was packed that evening. All the restaurants above 23rd Street were just as mobbed as the ones that surrounded the Village. This was the largest crowd I have seen for the parade since before COVID when it was 72 degrees in 2019. From West 16th Street to West 42nd Street, there was not one eating establishment that did not have a crowd. Even the $1.50 Pizza Slice places had long lines long after the parade was over. The pizzeria in Port Authority, which is never that busy, had a line with people eating before they went home (their food is really quite good).
The lights of Midtown
I walked by Bryant Park and just enjoyed the views. All the lights were on in the buildings surrounding the park. It was just the perfect night to walk around. This is when the City works its true magic.
Looking downtown on Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building
Looking up at Fifth Avenue
I walked around Bryant Park on the way back to Port Authority. The night lights around the park are dazzling.
The lights in Bryant Park
The lights around the park
The New York Public Library at night
The fountain in the park
The face in the fountain gushing that evening
With mild 60 degree weather and clear starry skies, it was a spectacular night in Manhattan for both the parade and for Halloween. The streets were packed all along the way and even around Port Authority, all the restaurants and bars were packed with people wanting to have a good time. I have never seen the City so busy on Halloween night. People were desperate for a good time and I am sure they had one. It looked like people just wanted to blow off some steam. What a night for the parade!
Happy Halloween! Boo!
Jack o Lantern
It was a great Halloween!
Places to Eat:
Dong Happy Gardens
440 South Riverside Avenue
Croton on the Hudson, NY 10520
(914) 271-7888
https://www.menupix.com/westchester/restaurants/3212099/Dong-Happy-Garden-Menu-Croton-On-Hudson-NY
https://restaurantguru.com/Happy-Garden-Croton-on-Hudson/menu#google_vignette
My review of TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
Mills Bakery
275 Valley Boulevard
Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075
(201) 438-7680
Home
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Bakery/Mills-Bakery-185965134750526/
Hours:
Sunday 6:00am-4:00pm/Monday 6:00am-6:00pm/Tuesday 6:00pm-7:00pm/Wednesday Friday: 6:00pm-8:00pm/Saturday: 6:00pm-7:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill, Bakery & Farm Store
104 State Park Road
Chester, NJ 07930
(908) 879-6593
Open: Thursday-Sunday-10:00am-5:00pm/Closed Tuesday-Wednesday (Seasonal)
Review on TripAdvisor and link to their site:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
Virgil’s Real BBQ
152 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 921-9494
Open: Sunday 8:00am-10:00pm/Monday-Thursday 8:00am-11:00pm/Friday-Saturday 8:00am-12:00am
My review on TripAdvisor:
Da Umberto
107 West 17th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-0303
Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Thursday 12:30pm-3:00pm/5:00pm-11:00pm/Friday12:00pm-3:00pm/Saturday 5:00pm-11:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Tom Young Koong
305 Boulevard
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
(201) 288-3840
https://tomyumkoong.net/medford-tom-yum-koong-restaurant-food-menu
Open: Sunday 1:30pm-3:30pm/4:30pm-9:30pm/Monday-Saturday 12:30pm-3:30pm/4:30pm-9:30pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
Van Cortlandt Manor
5 Riverside Avenue
Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY 10502
(914) 366-6900
https://hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze/
https://hudsonvalley.org/historic-sites/van-cortlandt-manor/
Open: See website for seasonal hours
Admission: Depends on the event-see the website
My review on TripAdvisor (Manor and Pumpkin Blaze):
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
Stillwater Historical Museum/Historical Society of Stillwater
900 Main Street
Newton, NJ 07860
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricStillwater
https://www.historicstillwater.org
Admission: Free but donations are appreciated
Open: check the website for hours/Seasonal
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-9400
Open: Sunday-Thursday 10:30am-5:30pm/Friday 10:30am-8:30pm/10:30am-5:30pm
Admission: Adults $30.00/Seniors & People with Disability $22.00/Student $17.00/Children 16 and Under Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York., NY 10028
(212) 353-7710
Open: Sunday-Tuesday 10:00am-5:00pm/Wednesday Closed/Thursday 10:00am-5:00pm/Friday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Admission: Adults $30.00/Seniors $22.00/Students $17.00/NY, NJ and CT Students/NY residents Pay as you Wish
My review on TripAdvisor:
Morgan Farm & Museum/Cedar Grove Historical Society
903 Pompton Avenue
Cedar Grove, NJ 07009
(973) 239-5414
https://www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.com/history
https://www.facebook.com/MorgansFarmAndMuseum
Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Seasonal-please check the Society’s website)
Admission: Free but a donation is always appreciated. The Society also sells honey as a fundraising.
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
Events to Attend:
The Halloween Parade is from 7:00pm-10:00pm on Sixth Avenue from Dominick Street through 14th Street in Lower Manhattan.
The Pumpkin Blaze at the Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton on the Hudson, NY is from late September to the first weekend of November.
