I can’t turn my head without seeing pumpkins, skeletons, witches, or the color orange. That means it’s Halloween season again! So, of course it’s a 4-week-long celebration here in the city because it’s a known fact that NOBODY does holidays like New York. Last year I filled you in on some fun like Bryant Parks Spooktacular on Ice, Boo at the Zoo, and visiting Houdini’s grave. This year I have SO much more, and thankfully, I have a secret weapon to help me pick the best spooky holiday fun to share with you. PopUp viewer Anthony Mark sent me a great e-mail with so much info, I couldn’t wait to share it all. So, here is some Spooky City Halloween Fun courtesy of Anthony! Thanks again!

1) Luna Park Nights of Horror! Between you and me, Coney Island is rumored to be haunted. Especially at this time of year, it’s easy to believe the hype. Thats why I find Luna Park Nights of Horror to be extra bone-chilling! But, thats not what this attraction is all about. Coney Island Luna Park’s Nights of Horror is a mix of crazy rides and spooky haunted mazes filled with creatures who have taken over the park! It’s so scary, in fact, that it’s not intended for kids under 14. Night of Horror runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from the 7th until the 30th! If I were you, I’d bring an extra pair of pants cause you might get real scared and pee yourself. JUST SAYING.

2) Creepshow at the Freakshow! We can’t get enough of Coney Island or Halloween, so the two combined is like Christmas for us here at PopUp. But we’re only going to focus on holiday for now, so back to the spooky stuff! Creepshow at the Freakshow has been deemed “the best and wildest haunted house in town“, so one can only imagine what goes on here! This year the theme is “The Ride Inspectors Nightmare”, which is an interactive 45 minute show that takes viewers on a scary tour through various rooms of the building. The building is set up to resemble NYPD Crime Scenes, so be prepared to come across a lot of blood, gore, and creepy zombies along the way. Of course it’s all focused around Coney Island, so expect one hell of a ride! The show opens on the 7th and runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until Halloween Day from 6PM until 11PM. For a full list of dates, CLICK HERE. Tickets are $10 at the door, and all kids under 14 need to be with an adult. Don’t miss this!

3) Nightmare Fairy Tales! Close your eyes and picture Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Little Red Riding Hood. Great. Now close your eyes and picture all of them as they really are: twisted horror stories! Most of us don’t really acknowledge that these fairy tales were all written centuries ago with intentions of scaring children and making them behave. Think about it. Little Red Riding Hood walked away by herself and almost got killed by a wolf. In the real version, the Little Mermaid got her voicebox ripped out and then turned into a thing of sea-foam because she didn’t want to listen to her father. Hansel and Gretel ate something that wasn’t there and almost got burned to death in a fire. Definitely not child-friendly, but over the years they’ve been adapted to seem full of sparkles and sunshine. This attraction is all about the dark side of fairy tales. Here you’ll wander through the dark woods and enter the world of these well-known characters, reliving all the twisted, terrifying events that they encountered themselves. As you go from cottage to cottage, the attraction gets more and more intense. Don’t stray off the path or you’ll never find your way home! Enjoy 12 famous stories from Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and more as you explore this scary forest. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door, but I think it’s really worth it. It’s really intense, so it may not be suitable for kids under 16 but you’re allowed to be the judge of that. All the fun is happening now and runs until November 5th, so get going to avoid the crowds! Nightmare Fairy Tales is located at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center at 107 Suffolk Street.

4) City Tech College’s Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel! Who would’ve thought that one of the city’s well-known Halloween attractions would be at a CUNY school?! Gravesend Inn is the work of City Tech’s theater troupe, and it’s built and operated by both students and faculty. Come get spooked! Anthony gave me a heads up, though! He said this haunted house is so much fun AND the least expensive but it gets really crowded, so get there ASAP! Oct 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, and Halloween Day at the Voorhees Theatre 186 Jay Street in Brooklyn. $6 for general admission!

5) Who can forget the Annual Halloween Parade down in the Village. It’s been listed as one of the 100 Things To Do Before You Die, so high five NYC. Of course you all know it starts at 7PM on Halloween, but Anthony gave me TWO special secrets just for you guys! First, he said there is a children’s parade in Washington Square Park during the late afternoon. The real parade isn’t really suitable for small children, so this is great for them to be included in the action too. SECOND, he said to get down to the east side of Spring Street around 6PM. Here you’ll be able to see everybody arriving in their awesome costumes, so it’s like two parades in one. Thanks so much Anthony!

I can’t wait to go to all of these. I love all the spooky attractions this time of year. AND it’s a huge plus that all of it starts at the beginning of October, cause then we have all month to celebrate! Happy Halloween everybody! Enjoy!

People often get confused when it comes to PopUp New York and Pop-Up Shops. You don’t know how many e-mails I’ve gotten from people who think this is a site all about the NYC Pop-Up shops. Unfortunately, it’s not. But, I DO talk about a lot of other really cool things so thats a huge plus. HOWEVER, my bud Greg down at Openhouse Gallery keeps me filled in on all the cool stuff that’s happening down on Mulberry Street and today I got somethin real European for you guys. It’s the Austria Pop-Up Shop!

I feel bad for Austria. It’s a really pretty place, but they don’t get a lot of acknowledgment from us Americans. A lot of you would rather hop on a cruise ship to the Caribbean instead of flying to see the Alps. FYI You’re missing out! Most of you have seen the Sound Of Music, and I KNOW that you think those hills that are alive with the sound of music are pretty sweet lookin. From October 5th-19th, check out the Openhouse Gallery Austria Pop-Up Shop sponsored by the Austrian Board of Tourism. For two weeks, you’ll have the chance to experience Austria without leaving the city!

Here’s a list of some of the cool stuff they’ll have down there:

-Experience true Viennese coffeehouse experience at Cafe Sacher!

-Check out some pieces from one of the world’s BEST art museums – KHM! [Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien]

-Create YOUR version of the perfect kiss while Gustav Klimt’s famous painting “The Kiss” acts as the backdrop to your picture!

-Experience traditional costumes of Salzberg. I might have to bust out MY lederhosen just for this.

-Feast your eyes upon a collection of Swarovski Crystals.

-Taste some goodies at the Austrian Deli!

-Plan your vacation and learn all about this beautiful country at the Austria Travel Lodge.

There will also be some cool events happening on specific days! Watch the Talea Ensemble perform on October 8th. Pretend you’re a part of the Von Trapp Family Singers at the Sound of Music Event on October 9th! Watch the Claring Chamber of the Friends of Mozart perform some of his classic tunes on Oct 11th. And catch a slideshow of breathtaking pictures of Austria on both October 12th and October 15th.

The Austria Pop-Up Shop opens on Oct 5th and runs until the 19th. It’s open Sun-Thurs 12Pm-9PM & Fri/Sat 12Pm-10PM

Jay and Yeezy said it best, this shit CRAY. [I apologize to everybody who has no idea what I just said. It means it's crazy.] But in all seriousness, I love this city and everything but these new neighborhood nicknames some people are coming up with are driving me nuts. SoHo, DUMBO and TriBeCa don’t really count, just because they’ve been around so long. But FiDI and BoCoCa can SMD. Think you’re confused now? Here’s a little list of some new one’s I’ve been hearing.

WaHi – Washington Heights. Really, this is just unnecessary.

MaNo – Manhattan North. ‘Scuse me? I thought thats what UEW and UWS were for.

NoLIta –  North of Little Italy. Why.

FiDi – Financial District. Sounds like a dog name. I’ve had enough.

LoHKi or SoHell – Lower Hells Kitchen/South of Hells Kitchen. They just remind me of Thor. No comment.

SoBro – South Bronx. No. No. No No No No.

SpaHa – Spanish Harlem. Stop trying to make nicknames..

BoCoCa – Combo of hoods in BKLYN. -Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens. This just sounds wrong. So very wrong.

WeVar – West of Varick. What is this.

Those are only just a few. There are probably 100 more that people have thought about but are too afraid to share publically in fear that it’ll end up on blogs like this. No hating on these hoods though, this city is too lovable.