Christina Izzo

We're throwing the spookiness into high gear with events for Halloween in NYC. October is filled with costumed parties, jump scares at haunted houses, corn mazes, parades and even dog parades — and we're so ready! Don't bother breaking out your sewing kit, New York's greatest Halloween stores have plenty of options to make you look really spooky. Make sure to check out our NYC events in October too for even more activities to finish off the month in killer spirits.  Bookmark this link because we'll be updating this guide all autumn long. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Halloween in NYC

Get ready to use our NYC events in August calendar as your guide for ending the summer with a bang! This month is the last to take advantage of New York beaches and pools before they close for swimming in September. There are many more things to do outside this month, like enjoying incredible rooftops, going to the botanical garden and dining at night markets. This is the last full month of summer—make it count! RECOMMENDED: Full NYC events calendar

Ready to hit one of the best beaches in New York? While you’re getting a tan on the sand (booze in hand), it might occur to you that during all the excitement and anticipation, you forgot what to bring to the beach. No sunblock, no beach blanket? No problem. The Rockaways have its fair share of surf spots, novelties and gifts, but you’ll also find awesome vintage shops, local clothing boutiques and a mini-mall boasting some downtown-cool merchandise, too. While you're down in Queens, take a break from all the beaching and boozing, and make sure you check out Rockaway’s stellar shopping scene.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Rockaway Beach in NY

Jutting out from the southern edge of Queens, the scrappy Rockaway peninsula has transformed into one of the friendliest beach towns in New York, with an ever-changing lineup of cool things to do. Stretching from Far Rockaway to Breezy Point, the urban oasis offers some of NYC's best tacos, laid-back outdoor bars and awesome shops selling vintage and trendy surfer apparel. Aside from that, the Rockaways have a killer art and entertainment scene in addition to its supportive-community vibe. Check out the area’s art galleries at Fort Tilden as well as some of the restaurants and bars, which host live music every night of the week. Whether you go to hang ten, get a tan or stuff your face with grub from the boardwalk, there is undoubtedly something for everyone at "Rock-Rock, Rockaway Beach." It's as close as you'll get to paradise in New York City!  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Rockaway Beach, NY

Time Out Wear your sunblock: The best NYC events in June 2023 are things to do outside. When you’re not spending all your free time soaking up the sun at the best beaches or drinking atop the city’s finest rooftop bars, you'll be rocking your rainbow during the Pride March and catching Tribeca Festival screeners. Get your tickets now for the best happenings of the month and keep your fingers (and toes) crossed for good weather. RECOMMENDED: Full NYC events calendar for 2023

Even when it’s not oyster season (that’d be any month that ends in R, FYI), New Yorkers are always down for an oyster happy hour. After all, what’s a better romantic date idea than sharing sensuous oysterswith your bae at one of the city’s best seafood restaurants? The next time you’re craving something indulgent that won’t break the bank, get out to one of the best oyster happy hours in NYC. After all, the city is your oyster. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

Greenpoint may not have the name-brand cool-kid cred like its southern sibling, Williamsburg, but it’s packed with plenty of quality eateries to keep you coming to the northernmost neighborhood of north Brooklyn. The best Greenpoint restaurants are some of the best restaurants in Brooklyn, ranging from nouveau New York delis to a pizza powerhouse to one of the best donut shops in NYC. Here’s where you should be eating next time you’re in the nabe. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Brooklyn, NYC

FYI: There are more things to do in the Hamptons than just getting a tan. Yes, that argument can be said for any of the beaches near NYC, but you wouldn’t just go to the Hamptons for a quick trip. Make no mistake, people do. But, in our opinion, the Hamptons is truly meant to be a destination at which you can kill time trying great restaurants, drinking frozen cocktails at outdoor bars, visitng wineries and lounging on beautiful sandy shores. Take a break from Gotham’s rooftop bars for these awesome things to do in the Hamptons. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do on Long IslandRECOMMENDED: The best Hampton Airbnbs

The phrase “all you can eat” might conjure images of massive buffets with piles of questionably-nutritious food sitting under heat lamps, but when it comes to sushi it’s a different story. Restaurants with all you can eat sushi in NYC are a welcome break for those with strained wallets looking to enjoy the Japanese delicacy. Dining deals are essential in this city, given that the best NYC restaurants are often quite pricey. From happy hours to bottomless brunches, cheap eats are key to stretching those dollars. Obviously you can splurge at one of many amazing sushi restaurants in NYC, but when you really just want to get your fix of fresh salmon, tuna, snapper and seaweed, these all you can eat sushi spots are more manageable. Tip: going out for sushi might be a go-to romantic date option, but you don’t want your sweetie to watch you eat until you burst, so check out our list of cheap date ideas before you make that call.

Tacos have it all: Portability, versatility and the ability to be filled with an endless array of crackling meats, gooey cheeses and eye-wateringly spicy sauces. Our list of the city’s very best tacos includes traditional tastes from our favorite Mexican restaurants, affordable options (how else can you get satisfying cheap eats for under $3?) and trendy dishes from fine dining hot spots. With out-of-the-way taquerias serving up juicy al pastor, a Bushwick tortilla factory serving the city’s best chorizo and a beach-side spot for fresh fish tacos, we’ve made it easy to plan your city-wide taco crawl.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

New York City’s most iconic foods: the pretzel, the bodega coffee…the hot dog. While street meat served from carts beneath red-and-yellow umbrellas is the quintessential NYC treat, we’ve rounded up the very best assortment of wieners from all over town, including both high-end hot dogs and extremely cheap eats.Here, you’ll find hot dogs served from burger joints, dive bars, Mexican restaurants and some of New York’s best delis—all waiting to be covered in mustard and eaten while you walk around the streets of NYC. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

Want bottomless mimosas, but don’t have bottomless pockets? We’ve rounded up the best cheap brunches in NYC so you and your friends can get your cheap eats on and still have cash left for a yoga class (or, you know, another round of drinks). Roll out of bed and head to the best brunch in Brooklyn or nurse your hangover with a Bloody Mary and the best pancakes in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best brunch in NYC

December 1 marks the 35th annual World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic and remembering those lost and impacted by HIV/AIDS. To commemorate the occasion, the New York City AIDS Memorial will host a full day of free, public programming in collaboration with local organizations including Housing Works, Queer Soup Night and Farm to People, among others. The observance will begin at 10am with a reading of names of New Yorkers lost to AIDS, followed by a press conference with local elected officials. Later that afternoon, the folks from Queer Soup Night will host LGBTQ+ local chefs including Alex Koones, Chala June, Levi Allen, and Lj Almendras, who will ladle up hot food for attendees. And the day will culminate with the annual Out of the Darkness candlelight vigil and march, finishing off with speakers and performers at St. John’s Lutheran Church at 81 Christopher Street.

The "Wreath Interpretations" exhibit flips the traditional Christmas garland on its head and puts your homemade attempts at holiday decorations to shame (but it’s really about the thought, right?). Now in its 41st year, NYC Parks’ annual holiday tradition is back at the Arsenal Gallery. This year's exhibition features more than 30 whimsical wreaths conceived and created by Parks employees, artists, designers, and creative individuals of all ages. As has become custom, the traditional holiday decoration is given an unexpected makeover, with the artists using unusual and everyday items like thumbtacks, dryer lint, steel scouring pads, plastic eyes and candy wrappers. The wreaths are on view until January 4, 2024 at The Arsenal Gallery (Fifth Avenue and 64th Street inside Central Park). 

The Museum of Ice Cream is turning pink for the holidays during "Pinkmas." Through Monday, January 15, 2024, the sweet-treat emporium will transform with multi-sensory installations like a Pinkmas tree forest, life-sized snow globe and a take-home gingerbread craft activity station as well as guest favorites like the iconic sprinkle pool. You can treat yourself with over-the-top, seasonal ice cream sundaes and holiday cocktails and mocktails, like the Tiramisu Martini and Torched Hot Chocolate, and treat someone else by spreading the holiday spirit: when a guest purchases a ticket for Pinkmas, MOIC will “Give the Gift of Pinkmas” by allowing the guest to give a free ticket to someone that can be used in January or February 2024. Attendees are also encouraged to come dressed in their pinkest Pinkmas attire, so dust off those Barbie 'fits!   

Before a brand new year begins, transport yourself back in time to New York’s glamorous Gilded Age with a fittingly luxurious New Year’s Eve celebration at the St. Regis New York. Kick off the festivities at Astor Court with a four-course pre-fixe feast fit for Caroline Astor herself: we’re talking decadent stuff like lobster risotto, beef Wellington, white truffle ravioli and more. Then make sure your dancing shoes are laced up and ready to go because live entertainment will be performing from 9pm until well after the ball drop. To round out the black-tie-optional celebration, enjoy a premium open bar, late evening savory snacks and sweet bites, and a champagne sabering ceremony to toast to 2024. 

Putting a sonic spin on Hanukkah classics, The Jazzukkah Project is holding a spirited concert to celebrate the annual Festival of Lights at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (15 W 16th St). The evening will begin with a story written by Isaac Bashevis Singer and read by Brooklyn-born actress Eleanor Reissa. Then the tunes begin, led by acclaimed bassist Giliad Abro and featuring the talents of jazz pianist Tom Oren, percussionist Alon Benjamini and singer-songwriter Elana Rozenfeld. With some songs in English, some in Hebrew and some instrumental, the concert will include jazzy renditions of familiar holiday classics (think a bebop version of “I Have a Little Dreidel” or “Hanukkah, Oh, Hanukkah” infused with some Afro-Cuban grooves).

Looking for a unique holiday present for someone on your gift list? Stock up on traditional and contemporary beadwork, basketry, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, photography, carvings and more from 30 award-winning Indigenous artists at the annual Native Art Museum, hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City. Held on Saturday, December 2 and Sunday, December 3 from 10am to 5pm, the market will allow art lovers to meet Indigenous artists and makers and learn about Native tradition and creativity. Along with the shopping opportunities, attendees can enjoy live music from Potawatomi acoustic guitarist Jesse Alan Horn and Laguna/Acoma Pueblo DJ Jonray.   

Sure, much of the holiday season has become entangled with commercialism and consumerism over the years, but if you’re going to shop during the yuletide season, you can at least do it ethically at Mayday Space’s sixth annual Social Justice Holiday Market. Taking place at the Bushwick venue (176 St. Nicholas Ave) on Saturday, December 16 from noon to 6pm and Sunday, December 17 from 3pm to 7pm, the market will have a broad, curated selection of politically-conscious gifts on sale, including upcycled clothes, handcrafted jewelry, massage oils, house plants, herbal remedies, skincare products, posters celebrating protest movements and more. In between shopping, take advantage of food vendors, festive drinks, holiday portraits, kids activities and music throughout the event. 

"This is not a Christmas show. This isn't even a holiday show. This is a Chanukah show," promise the organizers of the Seventh Annual Chanukahstravaganza: Still Spinning After All These Years. (Though people of all faiths are welcome!) Held at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective, hosts Lana Schwartz (The New Yorker, McSweeney's) and Ilana Michelle Rubin (MTV, Reductress) welcome onstage some of their funniest Jewish friends in New York City, including Brandon Follick, Blair Dawson, Anna Roisman and Josh Gondelman, to celebrate the Miracle of Lights with songs, live comedy and gelt. (“Lots of gelt. Tons of it,” they promise.) All proceeds from the show go to the Holocaust Survivor Initiative, which helps older adults with a history of trauma receive the care they need.

Need a little warmth during this winter solstice? Join the TRANScend Choral Community, New York's first trans/gender-expansive classical vocal ensemble, for this soulful "Season of Light" holiday concert on Saturday, December 16. Inspired by festivals and holidays centered on light around the world, the group will perform both sacred and secular choral traditions at Saint John's in the Village (218 W 11th St), all while exploring "the unique aural aesthetic of trans and other gender-atypical voices singing a thousand year-old canon of concert, liturgical and art music." If you can’t make it in person, you can still take in the performance via streaming, with specially scaled pricing ($5-$100) to fund services for the trans/gender-expansive community.  

You've seen drag performances and you've seen professional wrestling, but have you seen them both at the same time? On Saturday, November 25, you can at Strong Rope Brewery in Red Hook (185 Van Dyke Street), as A Matter of Pride takes over the Brooklyn brewhouse for a night of single leg takedowns and serving face. Along with DJ sets and burlesque performances, you'll have a ringside seat as the reigning drag queen wrestling champion, Boy Diva herself, defends her championship title. And to celebrate all that glamour and grit, Strong Rope is teaming up with Dyke Beer for the festive event, with several of the latter's brews on tap, including the Strong Rope-Dyke Beer collab pilsner. And Friendsgiving is nothing without the food: Smokin Jerks will also be on hand doling out delicious Caribbean-infused Texas-style BBQ. After all, drag wrestling does work up an appetite!

The Children's Museum of Manhattan is getting in the spirit this giving season with a full spread of Thanksgiving weekend events. From Friday, November 24 through Sunday, November 26, families can head to the uptown museum (212 W 83rd St) for arts-and-crafts sessions, fall wreath making, pumpkin decorating, live performances from Justin the Magician and more—you can even contribute to the CMOM’s annual turkey sculpture installation. And it wouldn't be a proper Thanksgiving celebration without spreading the love: the CMOM is kicking off the holiday season with its annual Holiday Gift Drive, so you can bring a toy or make a donation during your visit. “Thanksgiving is an opportunity to teach our children about gratitude. In fact, there are teachable moments embedded in each and every day of parenting and in our programming at CMOM,” said Dava Schub, CEO of Children’s Museum of Manhattan. 

If you're a pet parent, you probably already consider your furry friend to be the best present you've ever gotten. Show them some love this holiday season with a pup-friendly photo session with Santa himself at Muddy Paws Rescue's third annual Santa Paws event. From 6pm to 8pm on Monday, November 27 at the already decked-out 30 Rockefeller Plaza, you can bring your beloved pup to meet Jolly Old Saint Nick for a festive photoshoot just in time for those holiday cards, with digital photo packages and additional print options available. After striking a pose, stick around for free samples and giveaways from event sponsors for both you and your pet. Admission is free with a $60 donation, which will help fund the rescue's mission to save and foster dogs throughout New York City.   

UPDATE 11/10/23: “Field of Light” at Freedom Plaza will officially open on December 15. Complimentary timed tickets are now available right here. --- New York is about to get more lit—literally. Rendering: Courtesy of the Soloviev Foundation Scheduled to open this winter for a yearlong residence, English-Australian artist Bruce Munro is bringing his “Field of Light” public art installation to Manhattan’s East Side. The immersive piece will transform more than 6 acres, from 38th Street to 41st Street on First Avenue, at the mixed-use Freedom Plaza space near the United Nations Headquarters.  RECOMMENDED: A giant garden of flowers just opened inside of Grand Central Terminal Honoring New York City as "a beacon of freedom and home around the world," per a press release, the installation will consist of an array of 17,000 lowlight, fiber-optic stemmed spheres that will illuminate with a range of colors, creating a landscape that will almost look painted. The spheres will be powered by solar energy, "the nexus of art, technology and nature."  “Bruce shares an aligned commitment to the use of sustainable and innovative technologies to spark imagination and push the bounds of creativity. We are thrilled to work with him on this significant project,” said Stefan Soloviev, Chairman of Soloviev Group, which is behind the development of Freedom Plaza.  The artist himself—whose works have been displayed everywhere from London's Victoria & Albert Museums the Sharjah Museum of Art in th

Updated November 8, 2023 Consider it Christmas in July: the team behind two of the best holiday pop-up bars in the city—Miracle on 9th Street and Sippin' Santa—have announced that this year's decked-out editions will be popping up beginning November 2023.  Since its founding in 2014 by bar owner Greg Boehm at his East Village cocktail den Mace, Christmas-themed Miracle pop-up bars have become a staple of the holiday season in New York, with their kitschy, over-the-top decorations, festive original cocktails and general good cheer. Two years later, it expanded globally with outposts in Greece, Montreal and Paris. And this year, Miracle, along with its beachy sibling series Sippin' Santa, will be held at more than 180 drinking establishments across the U.S.  In NYC, Miracle on 9th Street will be found at The Cabinet Mezcal Bar in the East Village, opening on November 9. Meanwhine, Sippin’ Santa will take place this winter at Lower East Side neighborhood bar Thief as of November 22. “It’s incredibly exciting to be kicking off the 2023 season, almost a decade to when we first started,” says Greg Boehm, founder of Miracle. “Witnessing the growth and transformation of Miracle and Sippin’ Santa, along with the addition of numerous cities and partners to the family, makes each season even more remarkable than the last." And as usual, the Miracle and Sippin' Santa holiday mug collections will also be making their return, with limited-edition glassware available for purchase exclusivel

The death knell of the NYC MetroCard has been ringing for years now, with the announcement back in January 2021 that OMNY’s contactless payment system will replace the old-school subway cards by 2023. Well, 2023 is almost over and it looks like the big switch-over is finally happening. OMNY vending machines will be installed by the MTA at every subway station in New York City—yes, all 472 of them—starting at the following stations as of October 30, 2023: 86 St and Lexington Ave ​​​ Atlantic Ave-Barclays Ctr ​​​​​​​​​ Bowling Green ​​ Fordham Rd ​ Fordham Rd ​​ Junction Blvd  For the analog-minded, the OMNY system allows riders to “tap to pay” on tech-y OMNY readers via their smart devices (iPhones, Fitbits, what have you), contactless bank cards or a physical OMNY card purchased at a retail shop. RECOMMENDED: Everything you need to know about using OMNY, the MetroCard replacement View this post on Instagram A post shared by MTA (@mta) There’s a temporary introductory offer for new OMNY cards for $1—the same price as a new MetroCard. OMNY cards last up to five years, which is more than three years longer than newly issued MetroCards. Along with the subway vending machines, the transit agency is also planning to install OMNY readers on the turnstiles for the Roosevelt Island Tramway and the JFK AirTrain by Thanksgiving 2023. Whether commuter trains like the Long Island Railroad and MetroNorth will soon accept OMNY payment is still to be seen. But, despite the

UPDATE, September 21, 2023: Because of expected rain, the date for Taste of the Seaport has been rescheduled to Saturday, November 11, 2023. Already purchased tickets (both single and family pack) remain valid for the new date — and tickets are still on sale for the new Saturday come November. The Seaport has become a surprisingly vibrant food hub over the years, and you can get delicious proof for yourself at Taste of the Seaport. Now in its 13th consecutive year, the one-day culinary and community festival returns to Lower Manhattan on Saturday, September 23 from noon to 5pm, with the aim of raising funds for both student and teacher cultural enrichment programs at area schools including Peck Slip (PS 343) and Spruce Street (PS 397) for the 2023-2024 school year. RECOMMENDED: Flavors of the Open returns with an all-star lineup of celebrity chefs “We are proud to support our local schools through Taste of the Seaport,” said Andrew Schwartz, the co-president of the New York Region at Howard Hughes. “This beloved annual event highlights the future of our community–our kids–and it’s moving to see businesses and residents come together year after year to support this worthy cause.”  And it should easily meet its monetary goals with the cooking talent involved: the teams behind local favorites including Jean-Georges Vongerichten's The Fulton, Andrew Carmellini's Carne Mare, Helene Henderson’s Malibu Farm and legendary Brooklyn pizzeria Di Fara, among others, will be doling out el

Good news, tender lovers (we mean chicken tenders, of course): Raising Cane's is spreading its wings in New York City. The Baton Rouge-based fast-food chain first came to the Big Apple this past June with a Times Square flagship at 1501 Broadway, complete with Texas Toast-themed seating, Cane’s sauce-inspired coffee tables and, of course, those beloved fried chicken fingers. Now the chicken chain is coming to Noho—20 Astor Place at the corner of Lafayette Street, to be exact—and to celebrate, 20 lucky customers who are lined up for the new location's opening celebration on Wednesday, September 13 will win free Cane's for a year. Twenty people from the line will be selected at random to win Free Cane’s For a Year through a "Lucky 20." Entries will be accepted from 7:30 to 8:30am and winners will be announced following the opening ceremony shortly after.  RECOMMENDED: The best fast food restaurants in NYC, from Shake Shack to Sweetgreen  The opening-day celebration will also feature a ribbon cutting before doors officially open at 8:45am, as well as a live graffiti artist show at 10:30am and a musical performance from a capella group The TeeTones at 5pm. The 4,500-square-foot Astor Place location—which is smartly set just a chicken bone's throw from the NYU campus and all of its hungry coeds—marks the second NYC outpost for Cane's. The Times Square restaurant drew 10,000 customers on its opening day alone and has served more than one million chicken fingers since opening its do

There's no shortage of cocktail bars in the Lower East Side, but that doesn't mean we'd ever complain when another new drinking den gets added to the fold, especially when it comes from an alum of one of our favorite spots in town.  Ray Zhou, former R&D captain of Double Chicken Please—the experimental Allen Street bar that took the top spot on this year's North America’s 50 Best Bars Awards list—is behind Chinato, a new immersive barroom opening at the corner of Stanton and Ludlow Streets on Wednesday, September 20. (The spot soft-opened this week at limited capacity, accepting reservations only and serving a truncated menu.) RECOMMENDED: The 23 best cocktail bars in NYC, from Attaboy to Bemelman's  The name "Chinato," or "China-to," references Zhou's own beginnings in the port city of Dalian in Northeastern China and his later immigration to New York City, and the concept reflects his decades-long experience in the city's cocktail scene. (Prior to Double Chicken Please, he was the beverage director and head bartender over at Queens tiki bar The Compass.)  Unsurprisingly, the drinks—and the drink-making—takes center stage: the 1,200-square-foot space is centered around an island-style bar where patrons can see all of the interactive, tumbler-shaking action from all angles. There's also a more traditional five-seat bar area with black-leather tufted stools, as well as additional table seating for 20 guests.  The opening cocktail menu (see a sample lineup below) takes inspirat

Cranking open a fire hydrant to combat the swelter of summer in NYC is a rite of passage for every New York kid, but now those old johnny pumps are getting a modern—and more eco-friendly—makeover: meet Splash Spots.  RECOMMENDED:  Here’s where to find cooling centers in NYC A collaboration between the creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo and the industrial design studio Group Project, "Splash Spots are a new take on the traditional caps the FDNY already uses," per the brand. Made using “machined metal for optimized durability and safety,” the upgraded sprinkler caps transform the heavy hydrant into a more dedicated stream, which aids in water conservation because it “features an on/off function and releases approximately 50% fewer gallons per minute than a traditional capped hydrant.” Beyond that, they're fun AF: as well as being brightly colored, the Splash Spots feature a multidirectional design and "precisely calibrated array of valves and channels" to "create mesmerizing water effects." It's like a mini waterpark, right on your neighborhood sidewalk.  There are currently four prototypes of the colorful Splash Spot caps: the Sunshine option, which sprays "rays of water in all directions"; the Blossom, a mister that allow you to "immerse yourself in a cloud of refreshing water droplets"; the Jump Rope, where you can "leap over a whirling rope of water"; and a twirling Pinwheel design, which "unleashes a stunning spray of three rotating streams." Zulu Alpha Kilo partnered with St

New Yorkers have a bit of a love affair with Lewis Carroll’s iconic 1865 children’s novel: we got an immersive Alice in Wonderland experience last fall, an Alice in Wonderland-inspired pop-up wine bar that ran through this spring and, of course, the famousand, of course, there’s the famous, bronze Alice in Wonderland statue that has stood in Central Park since 1959. Now the New York Botanical Garden is getting in on the Mad Hatter fun with a new, garden-wide exhibition for 2024 entitled “Wonderland: Curious Nature.” On view from Saturday, May 18 through Sunday, October 27, 2024, the enchanting display will “feature horticultural and contemporary art installations that evoke the spirit of exploration and uncanny nature of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” per the NYBG. RECOMMENDED: The best gardens in NYC where you can stop and smell the roses Inspired by the classic tale and its 1871 sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, the immersive exhibition will be a true sensory adventure, with visitors able to explore a variety of mind-bending experiences set throughout the botanical garden’s iconic glasshouse, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building and across its stunning 250-acre grounds. The installations will be fittingly trippy, including works that play with scale and perspective, with no shrinking “Drink Me” potion necessary. View this post on Instagram A post shared by New York Botanical Garden (@nybg)

New York City has been awash in Barbie pink the entire summer and a new outdoor art piece is keeping the rosy makeover going through fall and beyond. From Thursday, September 7, 2023 through Sunday, August 25, 2024, Central Park goers can get an eyeful of ”Parabolic Light,” a 12-foot tall, magenta-tinted sculpture from Brooklyn-born artist Fred Eversley, set at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza at 60th Street and Fifth Avenue. Cast in polyurethane and shaped like a tapered cylinder, the luminescent piece “serves as a focal point of serenity, transcendence, and exploration of new dimensions and perspectives,” reads a press release. RECOMMENDED: The beloved “LOVE” sculpture is returning to NYC after 4 years The free outdoor exhibition, which is presented by Public Art Fund, is not only the artist’s first public sculpture in his hometown of New York but also the first outdoor placement of any of Eversley’s large-scale polyurethane resin works. “Parabolic Light” marks a continuation of the sculptor’s “Cylindrical Lens” series, a collection of free-standing, floor-based sculptures that debuted at David Kordansky Gallery this past May and harken back to the pieces Eversley first presented at the Whitney Museum of American Art all the way back in 1970. It’s also the largest addition to the series.  “My parabolic forms are all about energy. They are made to reflect all the infinite combinations of internal reflections, refractions, color changes, and other optical phenomena that one can ex

There's a premium on great vegan restaurants in New York City, so when we lose one, we feel it deeply. Thankfully, one of the most beloved veg-focused spots is making a comeback: after shuttering its original Harlem location after nine years on April 1, Seasoned Vegan has reopened with a brand-new concept down in the East Village. Occupying a smaller space at 128 Second Avenue near St. Marks Place, mother-and-son restaurateurs Brenda “Chef B” Beener and Aaron Beener relaunched the restaurant as Seasoned Vegan Real Quick in late August, a quick service takeout and delivery spot that retools some of their most popular dishes as sandwiches. RECOMMENDED: The best veggie burgers in NYC, from Superiority to Shake Shack  On the newfangled, New Orleans-inspired menu, find former Seasoned Vegan favorites like the signature burdock root "crawfish," here serving as the fried "protein" in a pretzel-bun po-boy with remoulade sauce and grilled in a barbecue "craw" sandwich smothered in "bayou BBQ" sauce. Vegan soy nuggets will be available a la carte or piled high on a burger bun. Rounding out the menu are sides like shoestring fries tossed with Cajun seasoning, sodas such as fair-trade Maine Root options, and housemade organic desserts, including salted-pecan cookies, beet-root cupcakes and a raw cheesecake made from cashews, walnuts and dates. There are several combo options available, in case you want to create a bespoke Happy Meal of sorts for yourself, such as the "Ol' Hungry Self," w

Those who say “money can’t buy happiness” has clearly never lived in a rent-controlled apartment with a clear view of the park. (After all, that recently approved 6% increase for rent-stabilized apartments isn't making anybody happy.) We already know well and good that New York City is a pricey city to live in—Manhattan is, of course, the most expensive place to live in the U.S.—but is it a pricey city to be happy in? The researchers over at S Money, Melbourne-based money exchange service, converted data from a 2018 "happiness premium" study from Purdue University, which identified a global average "satiation point," or income level, at which a person "becomes happy" based on Gallup World Poll figures from over 1.7 million people in 164 countries. The S Money team exchanged the Purdue study's figures back into local currencies, "allowing for purchasing power and the local cost of living" to conjure up "a more practical, day-to-day look at how money might affect happiness." Surprisingly, despite its money-guzzling reputation, New York City didn't come out at number one in S Money's findings. Instead, Gotham ended up in third, with $145,028 annually being the high price for happiness throughout the city. Beating the Big Apple was Santa Barbara, California, where a happy existence costs a cool $162,721 per year, and Honolulu, Hawaii at $148,943 annually. Other costly coastal cities including San Francisco, California ($144,448) and Seattle, Washington ($134,721) round out the to

It's a well-known cliche that New York City is a melting pot, but we do have the linguistical bonafides to back it up: according to the Department of City Planning, New Yorkers speak over 200 different languages. "Nearly one-half of all New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home, and almost 25%, or 1.8 million persons, are not English Proficient," the city says. A new study from Word Finder X analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data in order to find the most spoken language in each NYC neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, English and Spanish are the most commonly spoken languages in households across the city, but which tongues take top marks if you take both of those languages out of the equation?  RECOMMENDED: The best places to take language classes in NYC, whether you want to learn Spanish or Gaelic Chinese ranked as the most spoken language in 15 neighborhoods—more than any other language—including Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Flushing, Queens, and Manhattan’s Chinatown, home to the largest population of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.  Russian took the top spot in eight other NYC neighborhoods, including Brooklyn's Brighton Beach, long a haven for Eastern European immigrants who moved to the area in the late 1960s. Italian was the top language in three neighborhoods, including Howard Beach in Queens, "where half of the population is either Italian or claims Italian ancestry," reads the study. Haitian dominated areas like Flatbush in Brooklyn, the largest Haitian comm