Mark Peikert

Getting seats to the best Broadway shows usually requires quite a bit of advance planning. But what if you haven't planned, and you urgently need to see a show tomorrow or even tonight? Don't panic: There are plenty of options for last-minute tickets, especially if you’re willing to put in some legwork. It partly depends on what you're willing to pay and how much risk you're willing to take—and, of course, on plain old luck. If everything goes your way, you might even luck into cheap Broadway tickets, great seats or a chance to see hit shows that you would never have been able to get into earlier. Here is our insider guide to buying last-minute Broadway tickets. The day before the show: Enter the digital lottery Many Broadway shows—including Aladdin, The Book of Mormon and Hadestown—conduct digital lotteries for cheap tickets on the day before each performance. In most cases, you enter the lottery online, then wait until later the same day to find out by email if you've won; if you do, you'll need to reply to the ticket offer within an hour or you'll lose your chance. A few shows, such as Wicked, do their drawings on the morning of the show itself; others have drawings once a week, notably the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child $40 ticket lottery and the $10 Hamilton lottery, both of which happen on Fridays and cover the week ahead. For a full list of shows that offer lotteries, consult Broadway on a Budget or Playbill's Broadway and Off Broadway listings. The morning of the s

Attention proud nerds: Anime After Dark is about to tip nerd culture into a deliriously playful burlesque fantasia at The Slipper Room. Expect a high-gloss collision of cosplay and cabaret as performers bring JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Spy x Family, Pokémon, Cowboy Bebop, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ghost in the Shell and Sailor Moon to life with wit, heat, and precision. Featuring Lychee Mynx, Happy Bun Bun, Storm Psycho 6, Mae B. Koi and more. 

Tap your toes and enjoy the music at the 15th Annual Blue Note Jazz Festival, with performances running from June 1 through July 1. The festival pops up at major venues across NYC, including Sony Hall, Blue Note Jazz Club and SummerStage in Central Park. This year's performances include Ledisi, Durand Bernarr, Big Freedia, UMI, Bestin Conrad, Shabaka Hutchins, Kokoroko, Cymande, Take 6, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jose James, BLK ODYSSY Louie Vega: Elements of Life and more. Here's the full lineup with ticketing info. 

The Sierra Club has organized this inaugural Earth Day concert, dubbed Sierra Sessions. Hosted by KCRW DJ Novena Carmel, the night will feature performances by eco-conscious songwriters and storytellers, including Hurray for the Riff Raff, Irene Diaz, Dr. Lyla June, Rising Appalachia, Rozzi and more. Each artist will perform a few songs in the intimacy of Village Studios and share reflections on nature and life on Earth. If you can’t make it in person, the concert will be streamed on YouTube on Earth Day, when the various chapters of the Sierra Club will also host watch parties. If you can make it to the show, stick around afterward for an after-party.

Erstwhile podcast host and comic about town Marc Maron has been branching out into live music lately. He’ll bring both the laughs and the melodies with his Marc Maron Band for one night only this April 13 at Lodge Room. Joining him on the bill will be special guest comedians Blair Socci and Lara Beitz. 

Whether you’re excited about or terrified by artificial intelligence, it seems to be here to stay. Creatives can learn how to work with AI at RenderCon—which offers a deep dive into the future of media, art and technology as it relates to AI. Hosted by the Render Network, the conference hosts artists—including L.A.-based Refik Anadol, the mind behind soon-to-open Dataland—developers and industry leaders for two days of talks, panels and hands-on workshops focused on real-world AI production workflows. Expect practical insights, demos of cutting-edge new tools and networking opportunities.

Timed to the United States’ 250th anniversary, the American Folk Art Museum's Folk Nation: Crafting Patriotism in the United States exhibition explores how vernacular art has shaped national identity. Using the museum’s collection, the show delves into the meanings of “folk,” “nation” and “patriotism” at the 2 Lincoln Square gallery. It offers a thought-provoking look at who is represented in American stories and how those stories change. The show runs April 10–September 13, then reopens October 8 and runs through February 28, 2027.

Feast your eyes upon the best selection of contemporary and vintage jewelry designers at the NYC Spring Jewelry and Object Show. Held from Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea (125 W. 18th St.), the showcase provides a platform for jewelry collectors and enthusiasts to buy and check out unique and historic jewelry pieces all in one place.

Folks flock to this annual floral-filled exhibition at Macy’s Herald Square, where jaw-dropping arrangements are on display for two weeks. The theme for this year's installment is "Homegrown," part of the nationwide celebration of America's 250th birthday, "expressed through flowers, fiber and timeless handicrafts," per Macy's. From Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, May 10, explore greenhouse-inspired installations, breathtaking bloom-filled planters, decorative stained-glass garden panels, sculptural fabric birds, yarn-wrapped trees and more in the immersive spring spectacle. 

Step into the atmospheric Crypt of the Cathedral at St. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Ave.) for Music in the Crypt, a hauntingly intimate concert from Grammy-winning Experiential Orchestra led by James Blachly. The program, shaped by the space’s resonant acoustics, features works by Franz Schreker, Caroline Shaw and Beethoven. Performances are scheduled for 7:30pm on April 10, and at 5pm and 7:30pm on April 11.

On April 18, 19, and 25 at the Broadway Comedy Club, veteran magicians Jim Vines and Carl Mercurio perform a comedic set of tricks and illusions that is especially tailored to delight young audiences—though the rest of the family is likely to enjoy it, too. And at just $25 a ticket, this is a surprisingly affordable Times Square outing for a larger group.

A Current Affair returns to Brooklyn with 70 premier vintage retailers on April 11 and April 12, offering thrifters access to some of the best deals around, not to mention rare and collectible designer vintage. Come out to the Industry City location in Brooklyn at 51 34th St. on Saturday and Sunday, and browse clothes, bags, accessories, jewelry and more. General admission is $21.88, but early-bird and weekend passes are also available at higher price points.

Experience art and music at Voices of Memory, an intimate evening at the Tenri Cultural Institute on April 25. At 7:30pm, the program begins with a gallery viewing of paintings by Lizi Budagashvili, followed by a live performance from musicians Sendi Vartanovi, Taisiya Losmakova and Aleksandr Bolotin performing Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Debussy and more. The evening ends with more time to linger amidst the art. Seating is limited to 70 guests, so reserve tickets in advance.

The dog days of summer have an almost Pavlovian effect on many of us, who yearn for the simple joys of youthful hot weather when we didn't pay the AC bill and were content to just lie on the carpet, reading R.L. Stine and nursing a creamsicle. Nobody has carpet anymore, but Starbucks gets the creamsicle nostalgia. Starting this week, the company is rolling out a new lineup of Orange Cream beverages alongside limited-edition merch from Dandy Worldwide at participating U.S. Starbucks locations, while supplies last. RECOMMENDED: NYC was just named the second-best city in the U.S. for coffee lovers: see who beat it The new bevs lean into our collective summer memories of freezer pops, peeling oranges and spending an unreasonable amount of time outdoors. The beverage lineup combines tangerine and mandarin flavors with sweet vanilla notes across four different drinks. Photograph: Courtesy StarbucksOrange Cream Frappuccino The Orange Cream Cold Brew pairs Starbucks cold brew with orange cream cold foam; the Iced Orange Cream Matcha combines matcha, milk, and ice with orange cream cold foam; and the Iced Orange Cream Chai takes the same citrusy topping in a spiced-chai direction. There's also the Orange Cream Frappuccino blended beverage, which combines orange-vanilla flavors with milk and ice, topped with whipped cream. The collection is part of Starbucks' larger summer road trip-themed collaboration with Dandy Worldwide, the fashion brand from siblings Mia and Kian Schank. The pa

JAŸ-Z is not done celebrating three decades in the rap game. After selling out his initial Los Angeles date, the hip-hop icon has added a second show to his massive 30th anniversary concert series. The newly announced performance will take place at SoFi Stadium, giving L.A. fans another chance to see JAŸ-Z run through three decades of hits, deep cuts and career-defining albums. The shows are part of the rapper's ongoing JAŸ-Z 30 celebration, which has already taken him from Philadelphia to New York and will continue with dates in Paris and London. The Los Angeles concerts are scheduled for Friday, October 23 and Saturday October 24. The newly expanded run follows three sold-out shows at New York's Yankee Stadium earlier this month, where JAŸ-Z celebrated the 30th anniversary of his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. RECOMMENDED: Summer concerts in L.A., including free shows Those New York shows were about as star-studded as you'd expect from a JAŸ-Z anniversary party, with appearances from Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Nas, Eminem, Slick Rick, Clipse and others. The final night alone stretched into a nearly three-hour spectacle—after a nearly four-hour delay caused by unticketed fans rushing the entrance gates—so L.A. fans can reasonably expect the possibility of a few surprises when Jay-Z takes over SoFi. The JAŸ-Z 30 series began with a career retrospective at Philadelphia's Roots Picnic in May, where JA

Frozen drinks aren't usually worth the brain freeze or the empty calories, but Southie's Yellow Door Taqueria just might have the exception to that rule. Instead of a boozy slushy, the South End location is offering up margarita soft serve that's equal parts dessert and drink. And it took plenty of strenuous research and development sessions to get it just right. "There's a full serving of margarita in the soft serve," Yellow Door's co-owner Colleen Hagerty tells Time Out. "So a lot of the trial and error was getting it to freeze with that much booze. It took a few R&D sessions, but everyone was excited to help that one." RECOMMENDED: A dessert speakeasy is opening in Kendall Square View this post on Instagram A post shared by BOSTON DRINKS | CLAUDIANE (@nailthecocktail) Currently, the soft serve is only available at the South End location (354 Harrison Ave)—something that fans of the other outposts have been very vocal in complaining about—as a dry run to see if the concept has legs. "It's really a pilot program to see how it goes, because you have to buy the machine for it," Hagerty says. "And [South End] has something different: We have a little window that reaches out to the patio, so people can walk up and grab the soft serve to go, or a server can bring it." A week in, the offering just changed from pomegranate and peach (available individually or as a swirl) to watermelon and lime. Expect the flavors to rotate regularly, which is a sure sign that you

There is no shortage of places in the U.S. to watch the sun disappear dramatically behind the horizon. But according to a new study from FloridaRentals.com, some of the country's most famous sunset spots aren't actually the best places to catch a spectacular sky. RECOMMENDED: These 5 U.S. mountain ranges were just named the most beautiful in the world The study analyzed roughly 13,000 locations across the continental U.S., using weather and satellite data from 2020 through 2024 to determine the spots home to the most likely conditions for a vivid sunset (things like cloud cover, humidity, air quality and the openness of the horizon). The results may surprise anyone who has spent a summer evening looking at a sunset from a beach: The best sunset conditions are generally inland, particularly around high-desert lakes and reservoirs. The combination of dry, clean air, open western views and water reflecting the last light creates the ideal conditions for a colorful sky. In fact, the study found that famous coastal destinations—including Malibu and Big Sur—don't rank as highly as their dreamy Instagram feeds might suggest. According to the researchers, the problem is cloud cover: California's coast is often either too foggy or too clear, while the most spectacular sunsets tend to require just the right amount of high cloud to catch the fading sunlight.  Instead, head into the desert for the best views, with Utah, Wyoming and Montana taking up the majority of the top 25 slots.  The

Grab your black cats and pointy hats, because Salem celebrates 400 years of history in 2026, and the North Shore city is marking the occasion with a yearlong calendar of festivals, cultural events, historical programs and community gatherings.  RECOMMENDED: This iconic Boston restaurant is turning 200 years old The Salem 400+ festivities kicked off in January with a free, all-ages launch party that brought hundreds of residents together at Salem High School (home of the Salem Witches team), with more than 60 local organizations participating. Since then, the anniversary programming has ranged from Black History Month and Juneteenth celebrations to hands-on history programs, public art and family events, all designed to look beyond Salem's most infamous chapters and explore the many communities and stories that have shaped the city. The biggest summer celebration arrives with Salem 400+ Heritage Days, running August 1–9. The festivities kick off on Saturday, August 1, with the return of the Heritage Days Parade, a tradition that has been on pause for more than 30 years. (Does it still count as a tradition in that case?) The parade will travel from Salem State University's O'Keefe Center to Salem Maritime National Historical Park, where a waterfront festival will take over the day. The free festival runs from 11am to 6pm and will feature historical demonstrations, craftspeople, food trucks, live music and free kayak and paddleboard rentals. There's also the Great Salem Maritime

If your idea of a music festival involves waking up at noon, standing in a field for eight hours and ending the night covered in someone else's beer, Daybreaker would like a word. The global movement behind sober morning dance parties is going bigger than ever with ALIVE, its first-ever U.S. festival experience. The two new festivals will transform Santa Monica Pier and Brooklyn Bridge Park into all-day celebrations of music, movement, wellness, food, creativity and, most importantly, human connection—with nary a late-night wristband in sight. RECOMMENDED: The best sober bars in America for zero-proof cocktails The first ALIVE festival will take place on Sunday, September 13, at Santa Monica Pier, followed by a New York edition on Saturday, September 26, at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Both events will run from before sunrise through sunset, offering nearly 14 hours of programming designed to get people moving, mingling and questioning why they ever thought a 2am DJ set was the only way to have fun. The festivals follow the success of ALIVE : LDN, Daybreaker's inaugural London festival, and arrive as sober socializing and daytime "daylife" experiences continue to gain traction. Rather than building the event around a handful of headline acts, ALIVE is designed around participation, with programming that includes live DJ sets, yoga, guided runs and walks, movement classes, storytelling, sound baths, breathwork, improv comedy, interactive art, communal dining, family programming, saun

Lollapalooza is already one of the best places in Chicago to see the city from a new perspective. And even more so if your preferred perspective is from somewhere in the middle of a massive crowd, approximately six feet behind a very tall person. But this year, you might have the chance to defeat those vertically gifted people with the addition of a brand-new Ferris wheel to the festival grounds.  RECOMMENDED: The best festivals in Chicago for 2026, from music fests to street fairs Motorola is bringing its first-ever "Razr Wheel" to Lollapalooza 2026, where it will be installed in the center of Grant Park. Created in partnership with Live Nation, the Ferris wheel will offer complimentary rides throughout the festival weekend, giving attendees a chance to escape the crowds and take in panoramic views of the Chicago skyline and the festival grounds. The attraction is inspired, of course, by Motorola's signature Razr phone, because nothing says "cutting-edge mobile technology" quite like a Ferris wheel. The company says the ride is designed around the ideas of self-expression, creativity and connection, while also providing festivalgoers a creative way to connect with others by expressing themselves with photos from high above. The Razr Wheel will be available to Lollapalooza attendees for free throughout the festival, which runs in Grant Park from July 30 to August 2. No separate ticket price is required for the ride, although you'll obviously need a ticket to Lollapalooza itse

Airport lounges have come a long way from sad buffets, lukewarm coffee and a few chairs squeezed between the duty-free shop and Gate 47. These days, a good lounge can be reason enough to arrive at the airport early, offering everything from restaurant-quality food and Champagne to showers, quiet workspaces and, occasionally, a place to forget you're about to spend six hours in economy. A new ranking has now revealed the world's best airport lounges for business travelers in 2026—and four of the top 10 are right here in the U.S. RECOMMENDED: The world’s busiest airports in 2026, with an American hub taking the top spot The study, conducted by business credit card company Capital on Tap, analyzed 74 Priority Pass airport lounges around the world, looking at factors including customer ratings, weekly opening hours, amenities and whether guests have to follow a dress code. Priority Pass member ratings were weighted most heavily in determining the final scores.  The best lounge in the world, according to the ranking, is Vienna Lounge at Vienna International Airport, which earned an overall score of 8.73 out of 10 and a 4.8 Priority Pass member rating. The lounge boasts 18 listed amenities, including a cinema, children's play area, quiet zone and showers. It also has conference facilities for an additional fee, because the airport is where we're conducting business in a remote-work world. Athens International Airport's Goldair Handling Lounge Extra came in second, thanks in part to

You made it through airport security. You survived the long flight and landed safely. You're out of customs, and now the real vacation stress begins. According to a new survey from travel transportation platform Mozio, the period between touching down at an unfamiliar airport and actually reaching your hotel is the most stressful part of an international trip for nearly 40-percent of travelers. The company's "Transfer Anxiety Report" surveyed 1,006 international travelers in the U.S. and U.K. about what happens during those crucial first few hours abroad—and how much they're willing to pay to avoid a transportation nightmare. RECOMMENDED: Here are the U.S. airports where you are most likely to miss your connection The cities that travelers found most anxiety-inducing? Paris took the dubious honor of first place, followed by Cancún and Rome. To the surprise of no one who has ever left JFK, New York City took home top honors for the U.S. (at No. 4 globally), while London, Tokyo, Bangkok, Mexico City, Barcelona and Istanbul rounded out the top 10. The biggest source of arrival anxiety, according to the survey, is the fear of being scammed or overcharged, cited by 41-percent of respondents. Other major stressors include not knowing where to meet a driver (33-percent), language barriers (32-percent), navigating a confusing airport (32-percent), arriving without cell service or data (30 percent) and concerns about personal safety (29-percent). For some travelers, the stress is eno

Miami Beach's oldest dive bar is turning the big 1-0-0, and it's celebrating the only way a bar that has survived a century of hurricanes possibly could: by throwing a giant party in the street. Mac's Club Deuce will mark its centennial with a massive block party on Saturday, September 5. Organized by the Washington Avenue Business Improvement District, the open-air celebration will run from 4pm to 11:30pm, promising more than seven hours of music, drinks and old-school Miami Beach energy. RECOMMENDED: An iconic former Miami bar space is back with a fresh look—and it is home to what might be the city’s smallest cocktail bar The Deuce dates back to 1926, though it officially opened as a bar in 1933 following the repeal of Prohibition. Mac Klein purchased the establishment in 1964 and put his name on the front, helping cement its status as one of South Beach's most recognizable watering holes. Today, the bar still leans into its dive-bar roots, with a jukebox, pool table and famously unpretentious atmosphere. The bar's history is tangled up with Miami pop culture, too. Mac's Club Deuce appeared several times in the 1980s series Miami Vice, and its famous neon signs were reportedly left behind by the production after filming. The late Anthony Bourdain was also a famously devoted fan, calling the Deuce one of his favorite places on Earth. A century is an especially impressive run in a city where entire neighborhoods can transform between one happy hour and the next. While much of

Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have a shortage of pizza joints. But in a world of increasingly elaborate toppings, a new spot in El Segundo hopes to stand out via simplicity. EZPZ, a neighborhood slice shop devoted to just two menu items—pizza and soft-serve—is now open at 321 Main Street in downtown El Segundo. The restaurant comes from movie producer Beau Flynn (Barbie, San Andreas) and actor Marley Shelton (Scream, Pleasantville), who teamed up with Scott Tremonti, founder of the popular mobile pizza operation the Urban Oven. RECOMMENDED: The best pizza in Los Angeles The concept is refreshingly straightforward: Rather than offering salads, sandwiches and appetizers, EZPZ focuses on New York–style slices made with California ingredients, followed by organic soft-serve for dessert. Photograph: Courtesy EZPZEZPZ The pizza starts with dough made from California-milled organic high-protein flour that’s fermented for 48 hours before baking, creating a crust that’s light, airy and crisp. Each pie is topped with pesticide-free California tomatoes, Wisconsin whole-milk mozzarella and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. The menu features classics like cheese and pepperoni alongside specialty pies including Fresh Mozz, White Out, Chef T’s Fennel Sausage and the Hottie. Diners can also customize pizzas with toppings like burrata, ricotta, hot honey, Calabrese peppers and vegan cheese. Gluten-free pies are available, too. Once you’ve polished off your slice, it’s time for dessert. Organic sof

When most people dream about a beach vacation, they picture umbrellas, frozen drinks and bustling boardwalks. But if you prefer sand dunes to souvenir shops, a new study has narrowed down the best places in the U.S. for more tide pools and less wave pools. Online gaming site SlotsLV analyzed the number of natural beaches in every state as part of its Most Relaxed States Index, then paired those results with Tripadvisor ratings to identify one standout beach in each of the 10 highest-ranking states. RECOMMENDED: Here are the most beautiful “hidden gem” beaches in the U.S. Massachusetts claimed the top spot with 2,342 natural beaches, thanks in part to Cape Cod National Seashore’s Coast Guard Beach in Eastham. Reviewers praised its expansive dunes, uncrowded shoreline and pristine scenery, earning it a 4.7-star rating on Tripadvisor. Florida came in second with 1,880 natural beaches. Rather than spotlighting Miami or Clearwater, the study singled out Playalinda Beach, part of the protected Canaveral National Seashore on the Space Coast. The undeveloped barrier island is known for its wildlife, dunes and peaceful atmosphere. New York ranked third, with Southampton’s Cooper’s Beach earning top honors. While the Hamptons beach offers amenities like lifeguards and concessions, it’s the broad Atlantic shoreline and grass-covered dunes that landed it a 4.6-star Tripadvisor rating. California placed fourth, led by Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. Located about 20 minu