Nick Leftley

Picture this: your cat-eye contacts are turning you half blind, you’re trying not to accidentally spit out your fake fangs, and you’re on your third double vodka and coke of the night. It’s Halloween, baby, and that means it’s time for a serious party. A spooky party. A Halloween party to remember.  And d'you know what you’ll need for that (other than the fake fangs, the witch hats and the vodka, that is)? It’s a properly banging Halloween playlist. And fear not, friends, we’ve got the playlist for you. From The Cramps (of ‘Wednesday’ fame) to Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend bleeding her dry, we’ve got the ultimate Halloween soundtrack right here. Time to get freaky, people.  Written by Brent DiCrescenzo, Christopher Tarantino, Andy Kryza, Adam Feldman, Kate Wertheimer, Andrew Frisicano, Sophie Harris, Carla Sosenko, Nick Leftly, Ella Doyle, India Lawrence, Chiara Wilkinson and Georgia Evans. RECOMMENDED:🎉 The best party songs ever made🎸 The best classic rock songs🎤 The best karaoke songs🎶 The best ’80s songs

Alright: time to get physical and also musical. Contrary to what the very ripped personal trainer at the gym keeps screaming at you, sometimes the best motivation for working up a sweat isn’t the grunting encouragement of a stranger clutching a protein shake. Often, you just need the right song to get your blood pumping, your body moving and you mind in the zone. The perfect workout song is, to some extent, an elusive beast that heavily depends on what type of music you’re into: presumably there are people out there who work out to showtunes, and good for them. The unifying factor is enough energy to power the national grid, and a decently fast beat to help you keep the pace up. Beyond that, all bets are off,  To help you on your fitness journey, we tapped our stable of music geeks – some of which are in much better shape than others – to scour their knowledge of hip-hop, pop, classic rock and for 55 high-energy motivators. Some may seem like pretty leftfield choices, but all of them should get your pulse racing. Strap on the sweatband and get ready to move.  Written by Kristen Zwicker, Marley Lynch, Hank Shteamer, Gabrielle Bruney, Brent DiCrescenzo, Sophie Harris, Andy Kryza, Andrew Frisicano, Nick Leftley, Tim Lowery, Carla Sosenko, Kate Wertheimer, Steve Smith and Andrzej Łukowski. RECOMMENDED:🏃 The best running songs💪 The best motivational songs🤩 The best inspirational songs🎸 The best classic rock songs⚡️ The best songs about power

The Beatles parted ways way back in 1969, but the band never for a second left the pop-culture conversation, their legacy cemented by a catalogue of timeless hits and a neverending debate about which are the best Beatles songs. The Fab Four altered the very DNA of pop music. They introduced the mainstream to cheeky Britishisms, shaggy hair and psychedelia. They went from boy band to experimental musicians, fads to film stars. Now – 60 years past the British Invasion – Beatlemania is once again percolating thanks to Peter Jackson’s buzzy six-part Disney+ documentary, Get Back.  John, Paul, George and Ringo penned some of the greatest songs in modern music during their eight years together, but let’s be honest – not all Beatles tunes are equal. There are genuine masterpieces in their discography. There are also many, many songs about dessert foods, sea creatures and whatever popped into Paul’s brain during his afternoon doobie. Still, even the most basic Beatles number is worth a listen. Which makes ranking the 50 best Beatles songs particularly difficult. In polling the biggest Beatlemaniacs on our roster, we discovered, unsurprisingly, love for every era of Beatledom, from the gruffer Hamburg days to the Ravi Shankar era. As such, you’ll definitely find some favourites missing here (no songs about the sun made the cut, and poor Ringo got left out entirely). But you’ll also find the best of the world’s most influential band. Your preferences may vary, but these are undeniably

1. You feel like every single thing your child does is being noted by the other moms and written down in their special “reasons why everyone else’s kids suck” journals. 2. You are totally convinced you know the best shortcut across the park to the Botanic Garden. 3. You have a crush on your kid's 23-year-old folk-music teacher. 4. You now consider the steps at the Seventh Avenue subway stop to be your own personal nemesis, and you have vivid nightmares about them at least once a week. 5. Your child already has opinions on what the best Pavement album is. 6. You have occasionally “dropped your iPhone in the toilet” just to get out of a conversation about whatever parent activist group is being organized this week. 7. You think it should be legal to punch your single, nonparent friends in the face any time they try to give you life advice. 8. You’ve been to Prospect Park Zoo so many times, you know each of the animals by name. 9. …and you actually have a beef with one of the sea lions. 10. Your priorities for your child are education, health and culture. Your partner’s is making sure they know Third Eye Blind’s entire back catalog. 11. You occasionally look up from stacking bread at the food co-op at 5am and think, What am I doing with my life? 12. If you have to go to one more wacky, themed kid’s birthday party, you will throw yourself off a building. 13. Your child is in a Twitter feud with Blue Ivy. 14. You have a list of drastic solutions to the alternate-side-o

As you may have heard, Time Out New York is going free on April 15. Grab your copy every Wednesday on the streets of New York from one of 175 locations, to read up on all the high-quality features and reviews you already love, plus a few new surprises (for more info, you’ll see our move to free explained here). As you can imagine, we’re extremely excited, and we’re not the only ones: Our panel of famous New Yorkers guest editing the magazine couldn’t wait to get started and help put the first free issue together. Check out the videos below to find out why Interpol’s Daniel Kessler, cabaret superstar Bridget Everett, restaurateur supreme Mario Batali, fashion legend Patricia Field and Hollywood A-lister Rosario Dawson jumped on the opportunity to be involved. 

New York looks incredible from any angle and in any weather (and we’ve got the pictures of the city in the rain and fog to prove it), but there’s really something special about seeing it from up high. That’s why we love rooftop bars so much—it’s a chance to get off the street while appreciating the city from a whole new vantage point. We took that to another level with our cover this week by asking photographer Paul GaNun to hop aboard a helicopter and snap some photos of the beautiful rooftop pool of Soho House. Travel along with Paul on his mission as he zooms 1,000 feet above the city in this breathtaking video.  RECOMMENDED: Find more things to do on NYC rooftops

Finding a taxi in New York is sometimes as easy as sticking out your hand, while other times it can be completely impossible. But wait—don’t head for the subway just yet! We asked a group of cab drivers for their picks of the best places in the city to find a taxi when you need one, so take a look at the map below and see if your shining yellow savior might be just around the corner… 

Independence Day is so close we can almost taste the hot dogs, but if you really can’t wait for the full 4th of July experience, take a look through these photos of last year’s incredible display. If that’s got you in the mood for catching this year’s event in person, don’t forget to check out our recommendations for where to watch the 4th of July fireworks in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the 4th of July in NYC

If you’re looking for things to do in NYC this summer, look no further. Below, you’ll find our pick of the best restaurants, bars, beaches and events to make sure that this year, you really do have the best summer ever. What are you waiting for? Get out there! RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in the summer in NYC

As the Smallest Penis in Brooklyn pageant and the underwear run have shown, people in this city like to show off their bodies once in a while. Today's World Naked Bike Ride was further proof of this, as New York's bravest riders stripped down to little or nothing and set off from Grand Ferry Park for a ride around Brooklyn that they (and the spectators) will probably never forget. See some of the highlights from the ride below. RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the World Naked Bike Ride in NYC

As a city full of crazy, New York lends itself to the sitcom format better than maybe any other city. But which ones really captured the experience of living here? Our list is ranked not just by how funny these shows are, but by how relatable they are to New Yorkers—the people who’ve actually endured the wacky roommates or the subway ride from hell without the benefit of a laugh track…

When it comes to summer, NYC has the rest of the world beat. We have incredible concerts, fantastic outdoor screenings and more free things to do than you can shake a stick (also free!) at. With so much going on, we want to know which events you consider to be absolutely essential to the New York summer experience. Take a look at the list below, and reorder it in whatever way you see fit. RECOMMENDED: Find all the best things to do in NYC this summer 

Just moved to New York and shopping around for someone to shack up with in the cheapest apartment you can find? As much as we all dream of finding the perfect person to live with, everyone has their own specific flaws. That said, here are 25 types of NYC roomies that you should especially be on the lookout for. (Because, unfortunately, we can't all live with this guy.) 1. The one who walks in on you masturbating and doesn’t know where to look 2. The girl who asks you what you think of her date outfit, and who you don’t know well enough to give an honest answer to, leading to this face: 3. The one who agrees with you that your current living situation is “just short-term” 4. The guy who asks incredibly personal questions despite the fact you’ve only known each other for 38 seconds 5. The one who moves their bedbugs in with them 6. The one who’s just waiting for their “big break” in New York…and has been for the last 15 years 7. The one who’s a little vague on how they actually intend to make the rent 8. The one who breaks things and pretends it wasn’t them 9. The one that knocks on your door at 3am after having “a little accident in the kitchen” 10. The one who ends up being kinda…distracting 11. That couple who you end up having that one regrettable drunken night with, and can’t even look at for the rest of your lease term 12. The endlessly pedantic bastard 13. The one who is constantly trying to hook-up with you 14. The one who is constantly trying to hook-up with your boyfr

As if we didn’t already have enough comedy shows to choose from in this town, Tribeca Film Festival just dropped a whopper on us: the entire surviving cast of Monty Python will be reuniting in New York for a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin will present the movie in celebration of its 40th anniversary, as well as the international premiere of new documentary, Monty Python – The Meaning of Live. Described by Michael Palin as “a documentary about coconuts that lost its way,” the endlessly quotable Holy Grail has been a favorite of comedy nerds for decades, more popular than either the more coherent and satirical Life of Brian or the startlingly adventurous Meaning of Life (both of which will also be screened at the festival). The screening will take place at the Beacon Theater on April 24, with tickets going on sale March 23 on Tribeca’s website. It probably goes without saying that these tickets will sell out fast, so polish your Holy Hand Grenade, fetchez la vache and make a note of the wingspans of unladen swallows (both African and European), then prepare yourself for a glorious quest…   RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival

Are we excited that comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried is closing out our next showcase? Ask us when we've stopped whooping and running in circles. That's right, the man with the most recognizable voice in stand-up (and, yes, the voice of the parrot in Aladdin, the Aflac duck and probably several other cartoon birds) will be performing a headline set at our next show, taking place at Carolines on July 29 at 7:30. If that's not reason enough to come (and it absolutely is), Gottfried will be supported by a fantastic lineup of comics, including Monroe Martin  (Adam Devine's House Party, Last Comic Standing), Liz Miele (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and Chloe Hilliard (Last Comic Standing). The night will be hosted by Phil Hanley, and as if all that wasn't enough, we'll also be squeezing in a guest appearance from Chicago native Mel Novit, the 70-year old stand-up you definitely won't forget in a hurry.   You can buy tickets for the Time Out New York Comedy Showcase right here, and in the meantime, here's what went down last time.   

Every New Yorker could use a little etiquette reminder now and again, whether they're recent transplants or born and raised locals. Below you'll find a list of tips and rules for making everyone's life here a little better, from behaving yourself on the subway to handling your pizza. By Time Out New York contributors, edited by Nick Leftley 1. When you find a great apartment, jump on it.We cannot stress this one enough. Looking for a new place is a difficult, discouraging endeavor, and most people see a lot of shitty places before finding their new home. But if you find that unicorn on Craigslist, or a broker shows you something rent-stabilized that just opened up, take it immediately. Don't take a few days to decide, if it's a good pad, it'll be gone in seconds, and you'll never see another like it. 2. Have a go-to bar. It’s a huge city, and new, trendy bars open every day, but you have to have that one local hole in the wall to keep you grounded. Also, it's nice to have a place to go to cry at the bar where they know you well enough to give you a couple on the house.  3. Look both ways when crossing a one-way street. Not only is this generally a safe thing to do, New York cyclists can literally come at you 100mph from any direction. They can probably fall on you from the sky at that speed. Also, just always be aware of surprise bike lanes in general. 4. Master the art of packing for the day.Going home in between work and dinner, or school and happy hour, or whatever items a

The Time Out New York Comedy Showcase took over Carolines again last night, and as ever, it was a hell of a show. We always say that, don't we? You know why? Because it's true! The fourth in our ongoing series saw a veritable onslaught of top comedic talent. Our energetic host Jimmy Failla started off the night by introducing Phoebe Robinson (in our opinion, one of the funniest women in NYC right now), who told us stuff about how her boyfriend tries to initiate sex that we're still cringing at now. She was followed by Matt Koff, who left the audience howling with a seemingly endless barrage of jokes before Christian Finnegan took the stage to discuss the "emotional bestiality" he inflicts on his dog (it made perfect sense. It really did). Hari Kondabolu closed out the night in fine style with his thoughts on the TSA—you can see some photos of the night below. Join us next month on July 29 when our headliner will be none other than the comedy legend that is Gilbert Gottfried!  <img id="319a8afb-677f-58ce-98fd-03245b8f724f" data-caption="Phoebe Robinson" data-credit="Dominick Mastrangelo" data-width-class="" type="image/jpeg" total="2884894" loaded="2884894" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102751037/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> Phoebe RobinsonDominick Mastrangelo     Jimmy FaillaDominick Mastrangelo           <img id="d122480e-038d-2869-1418-3d6e7ecb0e20" data-caption="Christian Finnegan" data-credit="Dominick Mastrangel

Ah, summer in NYC. While we do love the chance to watch movies in the park or drink in rooftop bars, we’re also very aware that our clothes are sticking to us, our hair is demented and for the love of God, what is that smell?! Here are the things you will never, ever hear a New Yorker say in the summertime.  Written by Time Out New York contributors, edited by Nick Leftley 1. “Not investing in an A/C unit was a great decision—this rickety fan from the bodega is totally doing the trick!” 2. “I love when sweaty strangers press up against on the subway—it makes me feel part of a community.” 3. “It’s only 30 blocks, let’s just walk, we’ll still look this good when we arrive.” 4. “I really miss all those rich assholes who leave the city for their summer homes every weekend.” 5. “I’m just not a big iced coffee person.” 6. “I don't really feel like day-drinking.” 7. “You know what? I’m not even going to take a vacation this year, I can’t imagine anywhere being more relaxing than this.” 8. “Surprise thunderstorms are so much fun!!” 9. “Mmm, that mountain of exposed leg flab spilling out of that dude’s tiny shorts onto my subway seat is really making me feel good about stuff.” 10. “The garbage piling up on the street outside my window smells so freaking good!” 11. “I’m so sick of all these free festivals.” 12. “Where’s the best place to grab a nice, warm bowl of ramen?” 13. “Let's snuggle!” 14. “Oh my God! I can’t believe how great my hair looks in this weather!” 15. “Rooftop bars are

Once again, we're bringing you the absolute best from New York's comedy scene with our monthly night of stand-up at Carolines. On Wednesday 24, laugh your face inside out at Phoebe Robinson (creator of the amazing Blaria blog and its spin-off live show), Matt Koff (Emmy-nominated writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Christian Finnegan (one of the original panelists on VH1's Best Week Ever) and Hari Kondabolu (Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Show with David Letterman and more). The night kicks off at 7:30 with your host, the inimitable Jimmy Failla—you can buy tickets for the Time Out New York Comedy Showcase right here, and if you want to know what you've been missing, here's what happened at the last one!  

Believe it or not, it’s now been three decades since Canadian comedy group The Kids In The Hall first formed, and 22 years since their legendarily punky, innovative sketch show began airing on CBS. These days, the “kids” are all in their 50s, and the hall in question happens to be The Town Hall, where they’re playing two back to back shows on Friday (followed by a show at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester the next day). To get ready for what’s sure to be one of the best comedy shows in NYC this week, we asked the former young upstarts what they’ve discovered in the process of growing up.   Kevin McDonald“Maturity is not the accumulation of wisdom—it’s having the power to end the conversation with ‘Because I said so.’ And if stepchildren get mad at you for burning their dinner, never yell, ‘Hey! I was nominated for three Emmy's!’ Of course if you have won three Emmys it's a different story—it must be glorious.”   Mark McKinney“We were quite young when Lorne Michaels told us, ‘You always go back to your last hit.’ [I thought] I got it right away: Don't be a hack and repeat yourself. Wrong! Now I realize it was pretty sound career advice: When lost, retrace your steps. Another thing to remember is that what goes around does not always come around: It’s waiting for you, sir, usually at home. I've also realized I need to accept that, to KITH fans, I will always be ‘the sexy one,' 'the pretty boy,' 'the best actor' and 'the funniest,'  but to the troupe I am forever the guy who

BBQ Films, the company that brought the amazing Empire Records screening to Rough Trade earlier this year, are preparing to launch their next immersive movie event in the city. Don't expect 90s teen angst this time around though—at their next event they'll be showing Wesley Snipes vampire action classic Blade at Terminal 5, complete with a vampire rave afterwards (while we love BBQ Films' commitment to thorough movie recreations, we're hoping they'll skip the blood in the sprinklers). Fans will have to wait till October 9 for the screening, which takes place as the official after party of Super Week at New York Comic Con, but a limited number of tickets will be on sale from noon today. Go here for more details, and we'll see you at the party!  BBQ Films prepares for the partyLenny Platt    

By Time Out contributors, edited by Nick LeftleyThere are very, very few things that get us quite as excited as summer music festivals in New York—okay, maybe dollar-slice pizza and free iced coffee, but apart from that, we love our festies. Lucky for us, we're spoiled for choice with some of the world's best, including weekenders like Governors Ball and Summer Jam, and summer seasons like Celebrate Brooklyn! and SummerStage. While lineups can be as diverse as New York itself, though, there are certain types whom you can guarantee will be at all these fests, from the bros to the veterans to that kid standing at the front of the show waving a giant banner in the hope his friends will find him. Here they are, in all their glory!1. The fairy pixie girlsThey came dressed for Coachella despite the reports of knee-deep mud (Governors Ball 2013, we still remember you). Now they're wading through it, barefoot, to get to the Porta Potties. Don't look.2. The movie-makerIs it appropriate to be waving that giant iPAD in the air at the front of the show so others around you cannot see? No, madam, it is not!3. The T-shirt wearerProudly sporting a Phish shirt from 1987 that's so full of holes it barely exists at all. We get it. You were there.4. The mud personWe're pretty sure your kind originated in England at Ye Olde Glastonbury Mud Fest. Either way, you're here in America now and dancing naked in the mud. Do not come anywhere near us or we will scream. 5. The very badly burned personAnd

Comedy fans were treated to another surprise special guest at this month's Time Out New York Comedy Showcase as 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander dropped by Carolines unannounced to close out an already fantastic show. Host Robin Montague (who so memorably hosted the Time Out New York Women of Comedy 2014 shows) got the crowd in the mood before bringing up Emma Willmann—we named Emma one of the 10 funniest women in NYC last year, and holy cow, we stand by that decision after last night's performance. Up next was Mark Normand, whose relentless punchline assault left the crowd reeling before the delightfully dry Sheng Wang arrived to spill some hard truths about New York apartment living. You can see more photos from the night below, and don't forget to check back soon to see which comics will be performing on our next show on June 24.    Robin MontagueDominick Mastrangelo                                           Emma WillmannDominick Mastrangelo                                           Mark NormandDominick Mastrangelo                                           Sheng WangDominick Mastrangelo                                           Judah FriedlanderDominick Mastrangelo  

By Time Out New York staff, edited by Nick Leftley As if it wasn’t bad enough that there’s no more Mad Men to look forward to, tonight sees the last ever episode of The Late Show with David Letterman. “End of an era” doesn’t really do justice to a finale 22 years in the making, but let’s wish Dave a happy retirement as we run down all the ways he belonged in this city. 10. He knew we’d love top ten listsNew Yorkers need their information quick, succinct, and to the point, and Letterman gave the whole nation a taste of how we like to receive our data. (Wait, did someone mention funny lists?) 9. He doesn’t take any shitThe famously prickly host rarely conducted the kind of sycophantic interviews that many celebrity guests might have been expecting, but it was that no-bullshit attitude that so endeared him to New Yorkers. 8. He’s a trendsetterYou have to blaze your own trail in NYC, and no one made a mark on their profession like Dave. When people like Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert consider you one of their greatest influences, you have nothing left to prove. 7. He was always way ahead of the comedy curveYou only have to watch the classic skit with Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler to see how much he loved comedy that was both ahead of its time and completely unafraid to mess with people. 6. His repeated featuring of Rupert Jee and his Hello DeliNew Yorkers can't live without our local delis and bodegas, and getting to know the owners and workers is ju