By Tracy Zwick
October 31st through November 2nd
Celebrate Halloween and Dia de Muertos
It’s Halloween and there are plenty of places to celebrate on the UWS! The old Metro movie theater at West 99th Street and Broadway is hosting a Halloween Pop-Up from 3:30 to 7 p.m. with a Halloween movie costume contest, a selfie backdrop, candy for kids, and more. There’s a block-long Halloween celebration from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on West 95th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. And there’s “Halloween in the Garden” at the West 87th Street Garden (between Central Park West and Columbus Ave.) from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Kids can come in costumes, carve pumpkins, watch balloon animals being made, and, of course, haul home some candy. Add your Halloween destination in the comments!
Tomorrow, Lincoln Center’s hosting a free Dia de Muertos Celebration at 7:30 p.m. in the David Rubenstein Atrium (1887 Broadway near West 62nd Street). This Mexican cultural tradition provides a time and space to honor deceased family members and ancestors. Guests can bring copies of photos, notes, and letters to honor their loved ones. Music will be provided by Pasatono Orquesta, a group dedicated to the musical culture of the Mixtec people.
Enjoy TCS NYC Marathon Weekend
It’s the best day of the year in NYC, and it’s this Sunday! “It will move you” is the marathon’s tagline, and it’s absolutely true. I challenge anyone to not cry as they watch athletes from just about every background and country tackle the grittiest, biggest, arguably most challenging major marathon course there is. And the weather should be perfect. Check out WSR’s complete guide to the marathon and some stories of local UWSers overcoming grief, tragedy, illness and morning sickness to tackle 26.2 miles this weekend. I’m running the shorter Dash to the Finish Line 5K on Saturday. While it’s too late to get in any of this weekend’s races, get out and watch! You won’t regret it.
Catch a Non-Spooky Film: Film at Lincoln Center, 165 and 144 West 65th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam); Movie times and tickets here
I’m honestly interested in all three films currently running at Film at Lincoln Center, but the one I’m going to see is Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” – about the 1959 making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless.” I wouldn’t hesitate to see “It was Just an Accident” – previously-imprisoned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s story of revenge and moral choice that won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, or “The Mastermind” – an unconventional art heist movie set against a Nixon-era backdrop of alienation and disillusionment. It stars Josh O’Connor and is directed by Kelly Reichardt.
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Join your local community on Sundays at 3pm to practice meditation out of doors in Central Park near the West 100th Street entrance. We practice mostly in the Buddhist tradition with both experienced practitioners and those new to meditation welcome. Freely offered to the community. RSVP to Kalyana.Mitta4747@gmail.com