There are two main areas you want to visit if you're as mad for halloween decor as I am. The effort that these New Yorkers go to is incredible, decking their brownstones out from top to bottom with huge cobwebs, covering their stoops in pumpkins {one we saw cost over $70, for one pumpkin?! Insane!}, posing skeletons and hanging out freaky heads from the trees. Some of them are like art installations, it really is incredible just to walk around and spot them. So you'll want to check out Brooklyn - in particular the areas around Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens/Brooklyn Heights. Any of the streets surrounding these gorgeous areas, in particular Cobble Hill Park. Just walk to your heart's content. And then in Manhattan, there are some houses around Greenwich but mainly up in the Upper East and West side. New Yorkers joke that 'Upper West is best'. Check out the Mommy Poppins blog for halloween trick or treating guides, she'll list the best streets in each area and try to scout out on instagram each year where good ones are {I found an account called nyc_morgan who had a highlights reel with addresses/houses on}. In particular, UWS 69th Street by Columbus Avenue, this street actually closes on halloween for a street party and the houses are incredible and theatrical. Some photos from some of my favourite houses we spotted during our trip...

This was taken during an evening walk through Park Slope in Brooklyn, another good neighbourhood for house spotting!

You'll find pumpkins everywhere! On almost every corner at each greengrocers/bodegas, at the farmers market {I highly recommend Union Square Greenmarket} and as displays outside shops/restaurants - it's just part of their fall decorations and they take it very seriously. I happen to be obsessed with pumpkin spiced things so adore the Shake Shack pumpkin special at this time of year, pumpkin ice cream and all the Trader Joe's flavoured things, we had both pumpkin cereal & pumpkin waffles for breakfast. 

On halloween itself, we couldn't wait to see all the trick or treaters. In England, if you take part it's just going to people's doors who have a pumpkin out, but in America you go to every shop and restaurant, even places like the MAC store or estate agents will give out candy so it's a huge event for children of all ages and SO fun to see. We joined in with a parade for babies in Cobble Hill, we met in the park at 4pm and the streets were closed to traffic as everyone went around with their babies. It was crazy, and so surreal, but we loved it. The costumes were amazing, in America it's not custom to dress up as something scary like we do in England, it's basically any costume goes - and even the dogs were dressed up. Some photos below.

SO much fun, I dream of going back when Freya's older someday.

R <3 xx