We're just saying goodbye to September and already the Halloween season seems to be upon us. (As any kid can tell you, you can never start celebrating too early.) We've already begun updating our NYC Halloween Fun Guide since lots of big seasonal favorites are about to start, like the Bronx Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden's Haunted Pumpkin Garden and Historic Hudson Valley's Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze.

Speaking of jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkin picking season has arrived. Find out where to grab great gourds less than an hour from midtown Manhattan or check our Farm Guide for other pumpkin places on Long Island, in New Jersey and Western Connecticut. Pumpkin picking is a wonderful activity for next week's Columbus Day holiday weekend.

If you're still trying to plan your activities for this weekend, you have a bunch of truly exceptional events to choose from, including World Maker Faire, the Dumbo Arts Festival and the Morningside Lights Illuminated City Parade. That's my daughter and her friends in the photo, beaming proudly about the wire skeleton they made for a clock tower lantern in one of the free preparatory art workshops. We can't wait to see it lit up on Saturday night! Here's what else we covered this week on our NYC site: