Lisa Brown

Living in a cramped apartment in NYC means your dog needs quality outdoor space. Check out these stellar and frolic-friendly dog parks across the city and if yon’t have a furry four-legged friend yet, we have you covered with this list of the best places for pet adoption, as well as parks in NYC and other cool things to do outside with your favorite critter. 

Shamir Bailey recently turned 23, but he’s over being young. “I can’t wait to be in my thirties,” he says. “We’re the hustle generation. Most of my friends have two, three side hustles, same as me.” Music has been Shamir’s main hustle since he burst out in 2015 with the acclaimed dance-pop album Ratchet. Since then, he’s matured through a series of personal and professional tribulations. In April, after moving to Philadelphia and parting with his former label and management, he self-released a surprise follow-up called Hope, a lo-fi project created in one weekend during what he calls a manic episode. A few weeks later Shamir was hospitalized and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He returned home to rural Las Vegas for a few months to work on his mental health. There Revelations was born—his latest album, which employs cathartic rock narratives of generational unease and healing. Before he brings his newfound sound to Brooklyn this week, we talked to Shamir about being healthier, more self-aware and leaving behind electronic pop. How did making Revelations compare to your previous album, Hope?Hope was a breaking point, a pallet cleanser. That whole record is just filled with anxiety and uncertainty, where as Revelations is learning how to deal with it. Hope doesn’t even sound like an album. It was the beginning of a manic episode and had I not made it I wouldn’t have been diagnosed and able to get my mental health together. Did you intend on making a new album when you went hom

New York is never short of crowded summer music festivals. But there are only so many you can attend—by the time September rolls around, every lineup starts to look the same and it can be pretty easy for even the most fervent audiophile to burn out. As the season comes to an end, Basilica Soundscape returns for its sixth year with an avant-garde experience for music fans looking for a more intimate fest. Taking place from September 15–17, the weekend brings together art installations, literature readings and eclectic music performances under the rustic roof of a former 19th century factory in Hudson, NY. Here are five reasons why you should take the short train ride for this upstate gem. 1. Its lineup is one of a kind Basilica Soundscape’s bookings have always been a refreshing alternative to the typically middling festival billings, incorporating a unique aesthetic that combines indie-folk, experimental electronic and black metal. This year boasts performances from the energetic political punks Priests, pulsing footwork producer Jlin and Serpentwithfeet’s neo-classical styles of pagan gospel. Also taking the stage is cathartic singer-songwriter Zola Jesus, whose recent full-length (Okovi) exposes personal narratives of gaining strength through painful times. 2. In addition to the super cool venue—a giant former factory—there'll be immersive art installations The festival invites visual artists to create captivating exhibits throughout the venue grounds. Roam the Main Hall

Maggie Rogers no longer knows what day it is, but there’s a pretty good reason, given that she’s in the middle of her first headlining (sold-out) tour. Following the viral success of the hypnotizing, Pharrell-approved single “Alaska” last year, Rogers released her debut genre-fluid EP, Now That the Light Is Fading, in February. That project chronicles a journey of self-discovery with layers of lush vocal harmonies, whirling synths and enchanting piano riffs. The NYU graduate finishes her tour with two NYC shows this week before hitting the festival circuit this summer. You started out playing banjo. How did that shape your electronic-leaning sound?It definitely influences me as far as putting sounds together and even chord progressions. People call it hybrid music, but I think if you heard it in the coffeeshop, you probably wouldn’t say, “What is this folk tune?” I have a funny time rectifying the genre of this music because I feel genres are meant for selling music or for explaining it to people, not really for making music. Was there a specific catalyst that led you to experiment with dance music?I think being in Paris [studying abroad], I really experienced dance music and house music for the first time. It helped me decide what I wanted to make. But as far as wanting to play with electronic sounds and production, I studied music production and engineering in school, so I really had to use synthesizers in class. But it was my junior-year study-abroad trip that really brou

In this week’s cover story, we decide to finally talk about that oft-mocked city on the West Coast: Los Angeles. See how a New Yorker fares in La La Land (and vice versa) and check out just how much each coast costs below.  

This week’s issue is all about celebrating the very best things we experienced in NYC this year. But as I’m sure you’ve noticed, like, a trillion times on your Facebook feed, this year had more than its fair share of sucky moments. Here are the ones that hit NYC the hardest. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best of 2016 Worst MTA proposal Sorry, we meant proposals. It’s a tie! In one corner, there’s the looming 2019 L train shutdown, and in the other, the recently announced subway-fare hike to $3. Fight it out for yourselves, you two. You’re both losers. Worst news for live music Goodbye record-dork mainstay Other Music, Bushwick rock venue Palisades, charming piano bar Manhattan Inn, DIY space Aviv and the Mostly Stephen Sondheim open-mic night at the Duplex. You will be missed. Worst hit to our morning commutes Dr. Zizmor, of the famed subway ads, lorded over straphangers for more than two decades until his unexpected retirement this year. Now there’s an empty space in our commuter hearts that those Casper mattress ads just can’t fill. Worst news for workout-aholics ClassPass’s unlimited-class membership seemed too good to be true—and apparently it was. While CP is still going strong, it’s all-you-can-sweat pass bit the dust just like those spandex you thought you could pull off. Most I-need-a-drink–inducing news Let’s all pour one out for the timeless Greenpoint dive Palace Cafe, Bushwick rock den Alaska and the stylish Bed-Stuy bar One Last Shag. Our favorite drinkeries clo