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

Ariana Grande will finally tour again next year, and fans in Los Angeles are in for something special: The Oscar-nominated Wicked star is bringing her Eternal Sunshine Tour to L.A. for five nights of arena magic—split between the Crypto.com Arena and Kia Forum—that promise to feel both intimate and gigantic.  This is her first tour since the 2019 Sweetener World Tour, and it’s in support of her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, and its deluxe edition, Brighter Days Ahead. The tour kicks off June 6, 2026, in Oakland before Los Angeles gets a five-night run that feels like a homecoming. Is it too early to call it the highlight of the summer?

Philly meets Hollywood for one glorious, greasy afternoon this month when Pat’s King of Steaks (as in, the 95-year-old South Philly icon that invented the Philly cheesesteak) pops up at The Benjamin Hollywood for a one-day-only martini and cheesesteak happy hour. On Saturday, October 18, from 2 to 5pm, The Benjamin will swap its usual (incredible) burgers for a taste of East Coast nostalgia, complete with sizzling ribeye, melted cheese and a side of Hollywood glitz. Frankie Olivieri, third-generation owner of Pat’s, will be flying in to sling his famous sandwiches alongside The Benjamin’s executive chef, Hannah Martin-Duarte (Mother Wolf). It’s a collaboration that marries two very different kinds of American institution: the no-frills, late-night corner joint that’s fueled generations of hungry Philadelphians, and the sleek, Art Deco-inspired haunt that’s become one of L.A.’s most popular new spots. Together, they’re serving up something deeply comforting and wildly indulgent. RECOMMENDED: The founder of The Hundreds just opened up a glamorous new Melrose cocktail bar Each $85 reservation on Resy gets you a cheesesteak (your choice of cheese, onions optional), fries (with or without whiz), a martini or cocktail, and a limited-edition Pat’s x The Benjamin T-shirt, a souvenir worth wearing long after the grease stains have faded. For those who want to keep the feast going, The Benjamin’s full a la carte and beverage menus will also be available, offering the restaurant’s usual

North Hollywood’s taco scene just claimed the ultimate bragging rights. According to Yelp’s freshly released 2025 rankings, Birrieria Familia Castro has officially been crowned the best taco spot in the United States. That’s no small feat, considering the country’s endless taco trucks, taquerias and trendy sit-downs vying for attention. But what started as a family business built on traditional Jalisco-style birria has now pulled off something much bigger. Yelp’s annual “Top 100 Taco Spots” list is generated by analyzing millions of user reviews, and Birrieria Familia Castro soared straight to No. 1. Regulars can tell you why. Their birria de res, slow-cooked for hours until the meat is fall-apart tender, is wrapped in handmade tortillas designed to withstand a good dunk into rich consommé. The flavor balance hits that perfect sweet spot of savory, spicy and comforting, the kind of taste memory that makes people drive across town during a hangover. RECOMMENDED: The 32 best tacos in Los Angeles The restaurant’s origin story is as unpretentious as the tacos themselves. The Castro family opened with the goal of bringing recipes from their hometown in Mexico to Los Angeles. Birria wasn’t always the headline attraction in LA’s taco landscape, but in recent years, it’s become a full-blown phenomenon, with Instagram reels of cheese-pull quesabirria and steaming consommé shots fueling the craze. Still, while plenty of competitors leaned on social media hype, Birrieria Familia Castro

Brooklyn just scored another reason to love winter, and it comes with blades, skyline views and a whole lot of seasonal charm. SKATE at Domino Park is returning to Williamsburg this November, transforming Domino Square into a full-fledged waterfront rink through February. If last year’s debut felt like a neighborhood experiment, this year it’s bigger, brighter and ready to cement itself as a cold-weather tradition. The rink opens November 10 and runs through February 22, offering four months of skating under the open sky with the East River on one side and the Manhattan skyline glittering in the distance. At 7,000 square feet, it’s just as big if not as crowded as Rockefeller Plaza. This is Brooklyn—more space to actually move, fewer tourists fighting you for the perfect photo op, and just enough edge to feel fresh. The setup includes glass dasher boards, solid sound and Riedell skates available to rent. RECOMMENDED: Where to go ice skating in NYC The schedule is designed to lure both kids and after-work skaters. The skating starts at 2:30pm, perfect for ducking out early from your laptop grind, while weekends and holidays open at 10:30am. Closing time is 9pm daily, which means you can glide under the lights before ducking out for Williamsburg cocktails. And this isn’t just about endless laps. Expect DJ nights, holiday parties, themed performances and family-friendly programming to keep the rink buzzing. Last year’s Santa skate and the Figures Skating in Harlem collaboration

Los Angeles just got a little pricier—again. In a unanimous 10-0 vote, the City Council approved an increase in parking meter rates across the city, raising the hourly rate from $1 to $1.50. The hike marks the first adjustment in over a decade and comes with additional changes that are sure to make parking in L.A. even more of an adventure. For starters, meters will soon run on Sundays, ending one of the last havens of free parking in the city. The rollout will happen gradually over the next six months as new signage and systems are installed. In areas with high late-night activity, meter hours will extend all the way to midnight. Elsewhere, enforcement will stretch to 8pm. So if you were used to squeezing in dinner or drinks after six without paying, that window is officially closing. RECOMMENDED: A beginner’s guide to Metro in L.A. City officials are framing the move as a matter of parity and practicality. Nearby cities like Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica and West Hollywood already enforce paid parking seven days a week, and L.A. is finally catching up. The city estimates the new rates will generate roughly $14.4 million in additional revenue, plus another $1.7 million from adjustments to public parking lot fees. That money is expected to help fund transportation projects, street maintenance and city services. Officials are also asking departments to take a closer look at other public space issues, like trash bins blocking sidewalks and streets. Still, for anyone who

On Chicago’s ever-shifting cultural map, there’s one very special store that just got recognized for its kindness on a national level: Semicolon Books in West Town. Recently named one of America’s five “Nicest Places” by Reader’s Digest, this independent bookstore has long been more than just a retail space.  Founder DL Moore launched Semicolon in 2019 with a vision that extended beyond bookshelves, a space "for readers who enjoy stories by and about minority authors," according to its website. A former museum curator who found herself unable to fly for work after a cancer diagnosis, Moore chose the name “Semicolon” intentionally. “A semicolon is where an author could stop the sentence but chooses not to," she told Reader's Digest. "So it was kind of a space for me to figure out a way to still make life enjoyable." RECOMMENDED: The best bookstores in Chicago What makes Semicolon especially enjoyable is how rooted it is in particular neighborhood care. Moore frames the store as a kind of “third space,” not home and not work, but a place to belong. Its programming and ethos expressly lift voices of marginalized authors and center stories by and about minority communities. In practice, that means curated book selections, thoughtful community events and a real openness to conversation. One of its signature efforts is the #ClearTheShelves initiative, through which Chicago Public Schools classes are invited to visit and select books for free. To date, Semicolon has gifted over 13,0

Miami’s cocktail landscape just got a little more luminous: Panamericano Bar has officially earned a coveted “pin” in the latest round of additions to The Pinnacle Guide, joining a select roster of bars around the world recognized for excellence.  Set in Mary Brickell Village, Panamericano sits tucked behind Novecento, reachable only by pressing a buzzer at a hidden entrance. That speakeasy charm fits perfectly with the kind of bar The Pinnacle Guide celebrates, ones with personality, craft and consistency. And now Panamericano is included as one of the newly named 1-pin bars, a mark of “Excellent” status in the guide’s system. It’s a milestone for a venue that opened with a mission to take imbibers on a journey through the Americas with every cocktail. RECOMMENDED: Brickell has a new No. 1 restaurant, according to Time Out Inside, the experience leans into theatrical mixology with a custom bar, where the cocktail creation process turns bartenders into storytellers. Panamericano’s vision has always emphasized bridging tradition and innovation, using spirits, flavors and techniques rooted in Latin American cultures while pushing boundaries in presentation and technique. For locals and visitors alike, it’s a place to order and create experiments that don’t feel like precious mixology culture but instead feel intentional and precise. The Pinnacle Guide is a new global recognition system for cocktail bars, using a 1-, 2- and 3-pin rating to signal “Excellent,” “Outstanding” and “

If you’ve been scrolling Instagram lately, you may have spotted a burst of vibrant pastel walls, tropical motifs and shoutouts to “la casita” popping up around Astoria. That’s because Bad Habits, the restaurant and lounge on Broadway, has fully leaned into the Bad Bunny hype with a full replica of the singer’s famous La Casita installation, which has turned the Queens neighborhood into a mini pilgrimage site for fans. The installation debuted during a watch party for Bad Bunny’s surprise concert in San Juan, but the timing couldn’t be better. With Benito now locked in as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime headliner, the move feels celebratory and strategic all at once. For now, though, the façade is sticking around only through October 6, giving New Yorkers a limited time to snap their photos and lean into the vibe. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in Astoria, Queens And yes, there’s an incentive: Anyone who posts a shot of the La Casita backdrop and tags both Bad Habits and Bad Bunny gets 10% off their bill. It’s a clever hook in the age of content: selfies turn into discounts, tags turn into foot traffic, and the buzz feeds back into the venue itself. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bad Habits Astoria (@badhabitsastoria) Of course, Bad Habits has never needed a gimmick to pack the room. The spot has already built a reputation for its weekend dance floor, DJ nights, colorful cocktails and Dominican-leaning comfort staples like mangu and empanad

The Boston Public Library might be best known for its architecture, iconic lions and unparalleled collection of books and archives, but once a year, the stately stacks transform into something far less buttoned-up: a dance floor, a cocktail bar and a hub for one of the city’s most anticipated after-hours parties. Night in the Stacks, now in its fourth year, returns in October with its biggest celebration yet. And, for the first time, it falls right on Halloween night (a.k.a. October 31). That means a literary landmark becomes the setting for Nightmare in the Stacks, a costumed bash complete with spooky revelry, curated cocktails, dancing and a raffle stocked with Boston favorites. Expect the revelry to last from 8pm to midnight. RECOMMENDED: Buy your tickets now for an epic Hocus Pocus drag brunch next month The annual event, hosted by the Emerging Leaders of the Boston Public Library, has evolved from a buzzy experiment into a full-fledged Boston tradition for the city’s young professionals and culture seekers. Last year’s gathering sold out at 600 tickets, raising an impressive $280,000 for the library’s free community services, which range from literacy programs to technology access to resources for job seekers. This year, organizers are aiming even higher, expecting more than 1,000 guests and hoping to smash fundraising records while keeping the party spirit alive. If you’re imagining a polite little cocktail reception, think again. This is a proper night out, in the unli

The next time you board a Metra train, don’t be surprised if one car feels less like a transit tube and more like a café pop-up, because that’s exactly what Metra is testing this fall. The agency has launched a prototype Café Car, rolling it onto rush-hour runs across its busiest lines and asking riders to weigh in on whether this kind of experiment should become a permanent part of Chicago’s commuter experience. Metra removed the second level in one section of a car and retrofitted it with counters, tables, booths and stools so that riders can sip, snack, chat or work mid-ride. Metra’s leadership says the intention is to improve the rider experience and maybe draw new riders back to the system. RECOMMENDED: The 21 most epic Metra day trips from Chicago Photograph: Courtesy MetraMetra train in Chicago, IL The Café Car runs on the Rock Island Line through October 2 and will later be parked at LaSalle Street Station for a day of viewing. From there, it heads across BNSF, Milwaukee District North and West, Union Pacific North, Northwest and West lines for a week each. Riders who fill out the onboard survey during those runs will be treated to free snacks and drinks (while supplies last). “We created this special car in an attempt to improve the riding experience and maybe attract new riders,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski in a statement. “This is your chance to check it out and tell us what you think. Would you use it? What amenities would you like to see? Wh

You’ve heard it whispered at brunch spots, shouted in ceviche bars and scribbled in foodie group chats: Miami has officially dethroned the traditional heavyweights. In WalletHub’s 2025 “Best Foodie Cities” report, the Magic City claimed No. 1, leaving culinary juggernauts like New York and Los Angeles in its spiced-up rearview mirror.  It’s not just hype or hyperbole: The rankings rest on distinct metrics spanning affordability, diversity, restaurant quality, access to specialty food shops, farmers’ markets and more. For the criteria that really hit home with Miamians—restaurants per capita, affordable eateries rated at least 4.5 stars, a wealth of farmers’ markets and kitchen supply stores—the city soared.  RECOMMENDED: This seafood-focused South Miami stunner was just named one of America’s best new restaurants of 2025 When you think “urban food capitals,” your mind might flicker to Manhattan’s corner delis, L.A.’s fusion temples or San Francisco’s Michelin-studded hills. But WalletHub’s approach asks what good are great restaurants if you can’t afford to eat there regularly? Miami’s edge comes from delivering serious flavor without putting a dent in your bank balance, from pop-ups to fine dining, from casual bites to specialty grocers that fuel home cooks.  That said, the dethroning is bold because it challenges the narrative. New York, ranked No. 26 in this study, can’t escape the penalty for high costs and a lower affordability score despite being a globally recognized f

Living in New Jersey has its perks, and a new one just dropped. On October 22, the Broadway League will launch the inaugural New Jersey Night on Broadway, a one-night cultural bridge (and tunnel) offering discounted tickets, transit deals and a slew of dining promotions aimed squarely at Jersey residents. Think of it as Broadway’s version of a dinner party across the Hudson. For one night only, ticket-buyers from the Garden State can snag buy-one, get-one tickets for $17.87 (a cheeky wink to the year New Jersey entered the Union), while NJ Transit will offer BOGO rides via its mobile app, so commuting to the Great White Way doesn’t feel like bankruptcy. RECOMMENDED: Lincoln Center just announced a massive free culture festival this month, and it looks pretty great But the evening is meant to feel less like a logistics exercise and more like an occasion. Twenty-one Broadway productions, from Aladdin and The Lion King to Wicked, Hadestown, The Book of Mormon and SIX, are on board, each promising a “twist” or special gesture just for the night. (Chicago, & Juliet and The Outsiders will participate on October 23 to accommodate their schedules.) Theaters aren’t the only venues involved, either. Eighteen Theater District restaurants will roll out celebratory specials. Among them are iconic names and staples (Carnegie Diner, Apollo’s, Hard Rock Café) as well as longtime local faves (La Masseria, Mermaid Oyster Bar, Spice Symphony). “New Jersey audiences have always been a vital part

Miami’s cocktail culture just scored another win: Café La Trova has been named one of the World’s 50 Best Bars extended list for 2025, landing at No. 82 on the 51-100 ranking. For locals, the recognition feels overdue. For visitors, it’s one more reason to make a beeline for Calle Ocho—just in case its spot at No. 13 on the list of the best bars in North America didn't convince you. Created by legendary Julio Cabrera alongside James Beard Award–winning chef Michelle Bernstein, Café La Trova instantly envelops guests in live music, warm hospitality and the unmistakable aroma of rum cocktails being shaken by bartenders in crisp white jackets. The cantinero tradition isn’t just revived here; it thrives. RECOMMENDED: This Miami bar was just voted one of the best in North America Cabrera’s cocktail program is rooted in Cuban classics (think daiquiris, mojitos, and El Presidente) but elevated with modern flair and Miami energy. The execution is elegant, but also a sense of theater that makes each drink feel like part of the show. And while the cocktails command attention, Bernstein’s menu ensures guests never leave hungry. Croquetas, empanadas, ropa vieja and lechón are prepared with finesse, offering a dining experience as compelling as the drinks. What sets Café La Trova apart is its ability to balance authenticity and innovation. It’s a place where Cuban heritage is honored but never frozen in time. The music, the food, the drinks—they all feel alive, evolving in a way that refl