Now that Halloween is just two weeks away, it's the perfect time to take a walk through some of Harlem's prettiest neighborhoods and get into the holiday spirit.
Choose one—or all—and don't just admire the creatively spooky decor, but the gorgeous architecture while you're at it. From south to north:
1. Mount Morris Park Historic District
A great place to start hunting for cobwebs and other ghoulish details is this beautiful neighborhood just south of 125th Street. Head down Lenox Avenue and try the blocks between W 119th and W 124th Streets from Mount Morris Park West to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.
2. Strivers' Row
Historic Strivers' Row—located on 138th and 139th Streets between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevards—may be small, but it packs a punch. There you'll find all sorts of ghouls and goblins haunting the stately facades designed by McKim, Mead and White and others.
3. Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District
Here you should take a stroll up and down Convent Avenue between 141st and 150th Streets, then turn east on 144th Street to reach Hamilton Terrace, which always has some of the best Halloween decorations in all of Harlem. The landmarked brownstones from 145th to 150th Streets between Convent and St. Nicholas Avenues in Sugar Hill are also worth a visit.
