Block candy

Upper West Side

After your little ones show off their costumes at the American Museum of Natural History’s annual shindig (see “Gourd evening,” page 24), head south to 69th Street between Central Park West and Broadway for a frightful outdoor party. Throngs of kids from all over the city hit up this stretch of buildings for treats. Farther uptown and a block west of Central Park, 95th Street also gets particularly tricked out, with locals dressing up their houses in spooky decor, and a healthy crowd of goblins clamoring for booty. Don’t forget to shake down local businesses, like toy and clothing boutique A Time for Children (506 Amsterdam Ave between 84th and 85th Sts; 212-580-8202, atimeforchildren.org). An elaborate window display, creepy music and costumed employees lure visitors—as does the candy they hand out.

Bay Ridge

Start your mini-tour of this festive Brooklyn neighborhood at Hip Squeak (8119 Third Ave between 81st and 82nd Sts; 718-745-3705, hip-squeak.com) and Hip Tween (8321 Third Ave between 83rd and 84th Sts; 718-836-1965), where costumed staff will give out holiday confections. Then walk south to the Spa & Wellness Center (8804 Third Ave at 88th St; 718-921-6100, greenspany.com), which eschews traditional Halloween orange for save-the-earth green. Any kid who arrives clad in an eco-friendly costume will receive a free pass to a children’s yoga session. Along with organic bonbons, young scroungers will get a copy of the spa’s Recycling Tricks to Treat Mother Nature pamphlet. Next door, the equally serene lifestyle store and organic tea garden HÔM (8806 Third Ave at 88th St; 718-238-4466, thehomstore.com) is dispensing seeds rather than candy corn. For a more indulgent—yet still virtuous—treat, pop into Little Cupcake Bakeshop (9102 Third Ave at 91st St; 718-680-4465, littlecupcakebakeshop.com). This wind-powered bakery has store-bought candy to spare, but staffers also will be doling out house-made sugarcane ghosts. Top off your kids’ expanding treat bags—and admire the dolled-up pooches—at Posh Pet (9520 Fourth Ave between 95th and 96th Sts; 718-238-3131). Just keep sticky little fingers away from the dog biscuits.

Ditmas Park

If the Halloween hysteria of Park Slope is too much to handle, then head a few neighborhoods over to more subdued Ditmas Park, where the Albemarle Road Parade kicks off at 6pm. Costumed tykes can follow a procession of drummers and ghosts mounted on tall poles (Albemarle between Stratford and Argyle Roads) and head back to grab candy from friendly neighbors. If you need an even more low-key alternative, check out the West Midwood Parade, which starts off at Glenwood Road between Rugby Road and the Q train. The procession leads children directly to grand Victorian homes that resemble classic haunted houses—and just might have good candy waiting. Local businesses also get in on the eerie act; check out Cortelyou Road, where the proprietors of the Farm on Adderley (1108 Cortelyou Rd between Stratford and Westminster Rds; 718-287-3101, thefarmonadderley.com) will be giving out tasty sugar rushes.

Forest Hills

Since 2001, this swanky Queens nabe has embraced the spooky season with its Be Safe: Trick-or-Treat Here program. Look for posters bearing the logo in the windows of shops like the posh Micciche & Lorenzo Salon (73-01 Austin St at Ascan Ave; 718-544-1246), where stylists will cut and blow-dry in costume and treats await tots. Across the street, Body & Sole clothing boutique (73-04 Austin St between Ascan Ave and 73rd St; 718-575-3335) doles out sweets, and a few blocks away, Narita Sushi (107-08 70th Rd between Austin St and Queens Blvd; 718-263-2999) proffers little Japanese candy-filled pumpkins. Once your treat-grubber’s bag is sufficiently loaded, gawk at the scarecrows and giant spiderwebs adorning the lovely Burns Street homes and Forest Close/Arbor Close row houses. Last year, parents and kids alike griped that businesses ran out of sugar early, so arrive before sundown to secure nighttime nibbles.