Courtesy CC/Flickr/Susan Sermoneta
Courtesy CC/Flickr/Susan Sermoneta

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

This is what’s driving us bonkers in NYC right now and making us (almost) want to move

Advertising

We live in a walk-and-talk kind of town—I get it. When I’m on my morning commute or running between meetings, you can bet your ass I’m using that precious time to “catch up on calls,” which is code for “calling my mother.” However, I see more and more people roaming the streets while FaceTiming. This behavior is unacceptable.

RECOMMENDED: See more New York rants

Listen, I can understand that the occasional tourist would want to share their trip to the Best City on Earth through the lens of their iPhone for someone back home. But this is not what’s happening here. These distracted lollygaggers are always discussing some meaningless nonsense (personally, my conversations are witty, informative and brief) with some groggy pal in a disheveled bed right here in the tristate area.

While I get the allure of a face-to-face convo, these FaceTimers are pinballing into pedestrians and completely ignoring the flow of traffic. Must I get bumped around so that you can whisper sweet nothings to your boyfriend in Yonkers?

Let’s bring back the days when New Yorkers just obnoxiously shouted into their phones with a robust disregard for others. At least then they would see where they were going.

Not all of NYC is annoying!

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

One of the top things to do in New York this fall includes several weeks of drinking some of the best beer in NYC during Oktoberfest. Take in the beautiful fall foliage while drinking at one of the best beer gardens and German eateries in New York City. Take advantage of this glorious holiday to sample fine Bavarian beer and food. Prost!

  • Art

Got a wall to fill? This walk-around expo unites thousands of contemporary artworks under one roof, spotlighting painting, sculpture, photography and other artistic media. See artwork from over 400 local, national and international artists. The fair runs from September 17-21 at the Starrett-Lehigh Building. 

Don’t let the name fool you: If you’re coming to buy, you should be prepared to spend in the range of three or four digits; to qualify as "affordable," the original artworks must be priced below $12,000. The least expensive works start at $100. Even if you can’t find something within your budget, you'll still get to check out pieces by a bunch of amazing artists.

This year's fair will present Brazilian artist Fabiana Preti in her New York debut. Based in São Paulo, Preti's practice explores the interplay of line, shape, texture and color through painting, ceramics and sculpture. 

Passes cost around $30-$85. 

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Literary events
  • Recommended

The Moth, the acclaimed storytelling show, is DARING to be different. For the first time in the organization's 25-plus-year history, its 2025 mainstage season will be dedicated to one theme. From New York to Nairobi, The Moth will be taking their deep and poignant show on the road to 18 cities. 

New Yorkers will have three opportunities to see the show. The season opener on September 18 will be at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. In East Harlem on October 24, El Museo del Barrio will host a Spanish language-centric performance, which happens to be the only one on the whole tour. The last NYC performance will be at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn on December 5. You've got plenty of opportunities to catch this show and its stories.

Learn more here.

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

We could all use a big plate of pasta chased with a cannoli right about now. The Feast of San Gennaro is here to meet those needs with its annual festival featuring parades, live music and of course, glorious foods.

Festivities run from September 11-21, 2025 in Little Italy. Activities include the Blessing of the Stands, the Grand Procession Procession, and a Solemn High Mass celebrating the patron Saint of Naples. Here's the full events calendar.

Advertising
  • Eating

The all-white affair that is Le Dîner en Blanc is returning to NYC this fall, landing in an undisclosed location on September 19. Billed as the “World’s Largest Dinner Party,” the roaming event gathers 100,000 people around the globe, all clad in white, to celebrate an evening of gathering, food and revelry under the stars.

This year, lucky New Yorkers attending the French-inspired picnic will be joined by an authority of the cuisine itself: the one and only Daniel Boulud. The acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author will be curating picnic baskets for the exclusive evening. While reserving the food is not a requirement, the inclusion of the picnic baskets may just help lighten your load.

Make an account on the event's website so you can be notified when tickets go on sale and reserve one of Boulud's baskets for yourself.

  • Things to do

The Village Trip kicks off its seventh year on September 19, aiming to break through the cloud of uncertainty that hovers over our city and nation with 10 days of music, talks, tours, art, comedy and fun. The festival celebrates culture and community in Greenwich Village and the East Village/Lower East Side. 

Some key events include the "Bernstein Remix!," a lineup of performers organized by Jamie Bernstein made to rethink and re-interpret her father's music and words. There's also the "Village Voices" with baritone James Martin and pianist Lynn Raley performing the world premieres of work by David Amram, Carman Moore and Maria Thompson Corley. Be sure to catch "It's Complicated: New York's 400-year Relationship with its Waterfront," a panel discussion with critic Michael Kimmelman, Dutch architect Matthijs Bouw, Hudson River Park Trust president Noreen Doyle and oyster entrepreneur Moody Harney. 

Click here for tickets and the full schedule. 

Advertising
  • Things to do

Feeling unsettled by this summer's heatwaves and abnormal rainstroms? You're going to want to bookmark the The Climate Film Festival, which will return during Climate Week NYC from September 19 to 22. 

The Climate Film Festival is New York's leading showcase for boundary-pushing climate storytelling, with powerful messages that explore the narrative to shape climate action. The festival will also host a live pitch competition, sessions on screenwriting, funding and distribution, measuring impact and sustainable filmmaking practices, as well as networking opportunities across sectors. This year's festival features 50 films and 31 premieres along with a full slate of screenings, interactive programs and public conversations and partner activations. 

Highlights for the weekend include the opening night kick-off on Friday with a screening of the 25th anniversary new 4k remaster of Erin Brockovich with a conversation to follow. On Saturday and Sunday, finalist screenings will be shown across 18 programs at Regal Essex Crossing and the public and industry programs will be taking place at Essex Market.

The weekend concludes with Awards Night, where winners will be selected by a panel of leaders in film, journalism, climate justice and creative industries. The weekend will also conclude with a NYC premiere of Trade Secret—a global exposé of the legal trade in polar bear pelts and the institutions complicit in it. 

Click here for the full schedule and ticketing; the progam is supported by media partner The Guardian

  • Art

Most people associate the sari with its South Asian origin. The New York Historical adds another layer to the garment's story by unearthing how the sari—and those who wear it—made New York City its home in a new exhibit opening soon. "The New York Sari: A Journey Through Tradition, Fashion, and Identityruns through April 2026.

This exhibition traces the path of the sari from the Indian subcontinent to NYC, going from exotic object of trade to a tradition embraced by many communities. The sari holds many different identities; whether it be within consumer empires, dance and performance or explorations of gender and identity, museum officials explained. 

Advertising
  • Theater & Performance

Broadway attendance is at a historical high, but sales still tend to dip in September and January, even for the very best Broadway shows. To address that issue, the industry has come up with Broadway Week, a twice-annual half-price sale for tickets to nearly every Broadway production. The name is just a bit misleading: The discounted period in question actually lasts for several weeks. 

The latest iteration will span from September 8 through September 21, 2025. Go to Broadway Week website to peruse the list of participating shows and snatch up the best seats for the ones you want most. 

  • Art

World-renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei has unveiled Camouflage, a monumental new installation on Roosevelt Island that marks both his return to New York and the launch of a new public art initiative: Art X Freedom. See it through December 1.

Opening to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Camouflage will transform Four Freedoms Park into a contemplative sanctuary draped in netting. Visitors will be able to contribute handwritten reflections on freedom, tying them to the fabric of the work in a gesture of collective memory and resistance. 

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising