Are people who FaceTime while walking down the street literally insane?

Giant monarch butterflies are taking over the New York Botanical Garden for two afternoons on October 24 and 25, as part of its Día de los Muertos celebration. From 11am to 3pm, larger-than-life monarch puppets created by internationally renowned artists Lucrecia Novoa and Mascara Viva will roam the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, bringing the iconic insects to life through masks, costumes, storytelling and dance. The colorful procession celebrates the monarch’s remarkable migration between Mexico and the United States while connecting the butterfly’s annual journey with Día de los Muertos traditions. The monarch puppet parade is included with an All-Garden Pass.

It may be third in the Olympics, but bronze is No. 1 at The Frick Collection. "Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500" brings together roughly 40 works exploring how Sienese sculptors turned the metal into objects of extraordinary beauty and technical sophistication. The exhibition features masters including Donatello, Vecchietta and Francesco di Giorgio, with many works that are rarely seen outside of Tuscany. Beyond the artistry, the show examines the technical hurdles and political complications that shaped bronze production in 15th-century Siena, revealing the ingenuity behind these intricate creations. It’s a chance to see Renaissance sculpture through a fresh lens and appreciate just how much craftsmanship goes into making something look effortless.

Tickets for The Frick Collection run between $17 (student) and $30 (adult) depending on the ticket you qualify for.

Art history gets a shake-up in Roméo Mivekannin’s first New York solo exhibition, Porteurs de feu (Bearers of Fire). At Southern Guild in Tribeca (75 Leonard St), the artist reimagines iconic works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Winslow Homer, inserting his own likeness into paintings on black velvet to challenge how Black histories, migration and cultural identity are represented. An expansive portrait installation inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk rounds out this thought-provoking show. Catch it through October 29.

Some films are important regardless of their cinematic quality. They have an urgency and a relevance that go beyond aesthetic consideration. This new film from Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the filmmakers behind Palestinian-Israeli Oscar-winner No Other Land, is one of those. And it’s one of the year’s best.

The film consists of the testimony of 24 anonymous ex-members of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). The interviews take place in the dark on rooftops in Tel Aviv, overlooking apartment buildings and streets where the night-time traffic passes. Abraham questions his subjects and listens to what they have to say—they are anonymous shapes in the dark with quiet reasonable voices. 

NAZA puts together a restrained, intelligent, articulate, precise and utterly damning case against Israel’s actions in Gaza and their ongoing actions throughout the region. As a work of cinema, it is exemplary. As a work of journalism, it is inarguable.

Read more of John Bleasdale's review here.

In cinemas worldwide October 15.

Photography can do more than document a crisis—it can challenge why the world has ignored it for so long. "Through Her Lens," a project from the END Fund and African Women in Photography, brings together five African woman photographers to explore how neglected tropical diseases affect women and girls across the continent. The resulting series moves beyond medical statistics to capture the people, families and communities living with these often-treatable illnesses. Maureen Gathoni, Maheder Haileselassie, Temiloluwa Johnson, Amarachi Nnoli and Jodi Windvogel have each spent time in the communities they photographed, contributing to the project. Their work addresses conditions including trachoma, intestinal parasites, schistosomiasis and lymphatic filariasis. The photographs explore everything from the stigma surrounding illness to barriers to clean water and healthcare, centering the dignity and resilience of those affected rather than reducing them to patients. Explore the outdoor exhibition at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza through December 3.

Get a rare glimpse inside a quintessential Brooklyn Heights 1839 Greek Revival townhouse, just steps from the world-famous Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The townhouse (1 Monroe Pl.) features a grand double parlor with soaring 13-foot ceilings and preserved period details, a spacious full-floor primary bedroom suite and five beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces. A fifth floor features floating stairs to the roof deck with both city and water views. Marvel at each room decked out by talented interior designers from New York and Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse is open through November 1. It's closed Monday through Wednesday, operating from 11am to 7pm Thursdays and Fridays, and 10am to 6pm Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost $50 per person or $450 for a group of 10. Brooklyn Heights Association members can get in for $40.

Fall means a lot of things, but one of the most universal—in the U.S. anyway—is football. Long ago, New York City was blessed with not one, but two NFL teams: the Jets and the Giants. Unfortunately, the Jets were not blessed with the ability to win (we're still holding onto Super Bowl III), and while the Giants do have four championships under their belt, 2012 was a long time ago in sports years. Still, heading to MetLife Stadium on a Sunday in the fall is a bucket-list experience you'll want to check off—and it's one you may get to have for a lower price than exprected, thanks to those records and the fact that the North East stadium doesn't have a roof (bring a poncho if it's going to rain and a heavy blanket if it's below 35 degrees). If you don't care as much about seeing a good game, and a good time is all you're after, grab some friends and tailgate gear and join the most optimistic pessimists you've ever seen—we're actually a lot of fun.

(Written by a lifelong Jets fan.)

Check the game schedules for the Jets here, and the Giants here.

Want to get out of the city this fall? You're in luck: Classic Harbor Line offers scenic fall foliage sails aboard gorgeous vintage vessels with a front-row seat to the changing of the seasons stretching from the Hudson River to the Palisades. Cruises run multiple times a week from October 3 through November 15.

These elegant 1920s-style yachts make the experience extra special, and you'll get to see iconic and picturesque landmarks such as the George Washington Bridge, The Met Cloisters, the Palisades and the Little Red Lighthouse.

Classic Harbor Line offers several more unique options, too, including the Fall Foliage Brunch Cruises on Saturday and Sunday mornings and an Urban Naturalist-narrated tour with expert commentary on the fascinating geology of the Palisades and the Hudson River. There's also the Grand Palisades Fall Foliage Schooner Sail if you're looking to travel largely by wind, with more time to contemplate the beautiful surroundings. Every ticket includes a complimentary beverage.

There’s no spookier way to welcome the Halloween season than to visit BloodManor, the popular 10,000-square-foot haunted house that’s actually deemed too scary for children under 14.

Visitors will confront their deepest fears as they journey through dark, sinister corridors filled with twisted characters and scares at every turn. Incorporating state-of-the-art special effects, BloodManor brings unparalleled realism to the haunting experience thanks to a terrifyingly talented team of trained actors, set designers, makeup artists and more. Expect an unprecedented level of horror and excitement that lasts 30 minutes—or, more likely, 20 minutes as you run screaming. 

BloodManor is open every weekend and some weekdays from October 2 to November 7 at 359 Broadway in downtown Manhattan. General admission starts at $50 per ticket. You can purchase tickets for a timed entry here.

When they say dinner is a journey, they usually don't mean it quite as literally as at The Infinite Table, an immersive dining experience combining a multi-course meal with 360-degree projection, sound and scent. Its latest experience, Oaxaca: Tierra y Tiempo, transports diners through the landscapes, traditions and flavors of Oaxaca, Mexico, with the room transforming alongside each course. The experience includes a three-course lunch or five-course dinner, with both standard and vegan menus available. Seatings take place at communal tables, making the meal as much about meeting fellow diners as exploring another culture. The Infinite Table holds four seatings (noon, 2pm, 5:30pm, 8pm) each day at ARTXNYC (409 W. 14th St.) Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from October 2 through 25.

Read our full review on the experience here.