With spring break right for the little ones around the corner, it’s time to start planning on what to do with your kids in NYC! Full of interactive exhibits and hands-on activities, NYC is home to tons of children’s museums that are perfect for a day of adventure. To make planning a little easier, these are the best kid-friendly museums to open your kids up to a world of wonder and discovery! CMOM offers a wide range of exhibits and programs designed to engage children from infancy to age 12. The 40,000 square foot Upper West Side museum has exhibits...

You read that headline correct! A massive hot dog sculpture, in fact, the world’s largest, is set to takeover Times Square on April 30th all thanks to artist duo Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw. The 65-foot-long frankfurter is equipped with hydraulics to blast confetti over one of the busiest pedestrian areas on the planet.  It’s all part of Hot Dog in the City, an upcoming exhibition that will include larger-than-life installations and immersive experiences. The hot dog has become a symbol synonymous with America, but more specifically New York, and Catron and Outlaw have set out to “examine consumption, capitalism,...

Set sail for the tropics–or at least feel like you have–as SoHo’s tropical outdoor bar and restaurant Gilligan’s officially reopens for the season on Wednesday, May 1st. Gilligan’s is the city’s must-visit destination for the warmer months in New York. The 4,000-square-foot space is filled with wood planks, white bamboo, and lots of lush, tropical plants–of course, including swaying palm trees–bringing a taste of the tropics straight to downtown Manhattan. Their famous Watermelon Margaritas don’t even need an introduction, and are the most mouthwatering and refreshing combination of tequila, fresh watermelon, Combier, and lime. But beyond those they also serve Frozen Pina Colada-Limoncellos, made with white rum, lemon, pineapple, and coconut. Wine, beer, and cider are also offered.

NYC’s ultimate festival Summer for the City is officially returning this summer for its third year! Over the course of three months, Lincoln Center will turn into the ultimate go-to spot for summer fun, featuring hundreds of free events, thousands of artists, and food from across the city for New Yorkers to browse and enjoy. Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, stated: The ethos that drives all we do for New York is to live up to our founding mission that the arts are for everyone. It is in service of this democratic ideal that we offer a summer with artistry from so many perspectives and lived experiences—all for free or Choose-What-You-Pay.

As the weather warms and the sun begins to cure the seasonal depression, there’s nothing like a little getaway to put you in the right headspace before spring and summer fully arrival. If you’re looking for something surrounded by nature that isn’t too far of a drive, might we recommend Scribner’s Lodge—only a two and a half hour ride from NYC! The Catskills escape welcomes urban explorers for a rustic stay that will provide the necessary R&R needed from many months holed up in your cramped apartment. Guest accommodations include a 38-room Lodge. But the real superstars are the 11...

Cigarette smoking causes the death of more than 480,000 Americans per year. When you combine the deaths caused each year by HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries and firearm-related incidents, it’s still less than the amount of people killed by cigarette smoking. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 11.3% of the population (28.3 million American adults) are cigarette smokers. The addictive habit is known to cause 90% of deaths by lung cancer, and double to quadruple the risk of coronary heart disease and strokes. At this point, these staggering statistics don’t come as a...

Us New Yorkers apparently have an unlimited ride pass on the struggle bus over here in NYC–a new study done by experts at Pacific Stone has identified the top ten states that struggle to relax after work, and New Yorkers, sadly, ranked first. The study awarded each state a score out of 100 based on the a number of parameters, including: Based on the numbers, New York was named as the state that struggles the most to relax after the workday, with a score of 90 out of 100. This is largely due to the average weekly work hours of 40.1 along with a daily driving commute time of 33.2 minutes (with almost two-fifths–39%–of drivers making the commute alone). Moreover, additional factors including a high workload, stressful work environment, or fear of job loss can make it much harder to fully switch off after a work day, says the study.

Did you know a mesmerizing 185-acre portal to India is just over an hour drive from NYC? BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robinsville, NJ officially opened in 2023, after more than a decade of construction. The magnificent temple cost $96 million and took over 12,500 volunteers and 4.7 million man hours to build. “Mandirs,” which translates to places for a still mind and inner peace in Sanskrit, are Hindu temples that were created to sustain the spiritual faith of India’s sages. The establishment of the Mandir in New Jersey intends to provide a sanctuary for arts, language, music, and spiritual...

NYC’s iconic dollar slice may, for the most part, be a thing of the past, but not this week–on Thursday, April 18th, Slice Out Hunger’s $1 Pizza Party will return to NYC for the first time since Covid! This year’s iteration will feature a star-studded lineup of NYC’s best pizzerias, including Don Antonio, sLICe, Emmett’s, Joe’s Pizza, Unregular Pizza, and more. And make sure you come hungry because you can get up to 10 $1 slices! The $1 Pizza Party will take place at St. Anthony’s Church on Sullivan Street in SoHo, complete with live pizza making with portable ovens.

After NYC’s gray winters we always look forward to the blooming cherry blossom season to brighten up the city (and you can track where they’re blooming in Central Park specifically with this interactive map)! Though tomorrow, Wednesday, April 17th, we’ll catch sight of a cherry blossom display never seen before. Tomorrow, the viral “Flower Flash” installation by floral designer Lewis Miller will pop up outside of the Brooklyn Museum for only one day. Flower Flash will create a stunning display of the world-famous Japanese cherry blossoms on the steps of the Brooklyn Museum before opening hours (between 9:30 – 10:15 am). Cherry blossoms are especially beloved in Brooklyn, with some of the most dazzling bright pink blooms in the trees just outside the museum’s entrance and throughout the neighboring Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The anonymous and famous street artist Banksy gave us some of the most memorable moments and art and now there’s a museum filled with the largest collection of work inspired by his creations! Tickets to the Banksy Museum are available and it’s currently open now at  277 Canal Street! At the exhibit see the largest collection of life-size murals ever reproduced! There are also immersive parts of the experience with projections and other visual elements. Explore Banksy art across 15,000 sq ft. of space, these life-sized works have to be seen in person! Get your tickets here and check out this epic work at the Banksy Museum! See 160 pieces of Banksy-inspired art both notable and lesser known works. His powerful graffiti is his creative commentary on major topics such as poverty, corporate greed, war and injustices in society. His art made the world stop and wonder for years and it still has the same effect on people today!

With the warmer season approaching (and, actually, one of the hottest summers of our lifetime) we’ve got summer travel on our brains, and JetBlue is helping us book our travel plans while saving on airfare! Running today Tuesday, April 16th, through Thursday, April 18th, JetBlue’s two-day Hit Refresh Sale is offering incredibly low flights with fares starting at just $44! The cheapest offer is a flight from NYC’s JFK Airport to Detroit, Michigan for just $44. On the flip side, the most expensive offer is a flight from NYC’s JFK Airport to the Caribbean island Curaçao for $189–which is still an insane deal! Some additional routes being offered include:

Close your eyes. Now imagine rolling sand dunes, colorful bazaars, and beautiful feats of architecture. This could soon be your surroundings in the beautiful country of Morocco with United Airlines set to launch a new direct flight from Newark to Marrakesh this October. Passengers will officially be able to fly on the country’s only direct route from the U.S. to Marrakesh starting October 24, 2024. The route will be serviced by a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with three weekly flights to book from. The duration of the flight will come out be around seven and a half hours. United already flies to other African destinations including: Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; Cape Town and Johannesburg, and South Africa. United Airlines will proudly offer the most flight options between the New York metro area and Africa by next winter. In addition to the Marrakesh route, United will also launch flights between Tokyo/Narita-Cebu, Philippines and Houston-Medellin, Colombia. Plus, four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai before it turns into daily service by October. Under these new additions, United now has the largest and most diversified network of international routes with direct service to 134 global destinations across 67 countries.

Today’s weather has us craving a scoop of ice cream and lucky for us the sunshine is expected to carry on through some of the week! Coincidentally, Mother Nature has decided to bring the heat just in time for Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day. The company first introduced Free Cone Day in 1979 as a way to say thank you to their loving fans. By 2015, ben & Jerry’s gave out more than one million free scoops worldwide. Happening today, April 16th at worldwide participating Ben & Jerry’s locations, customers can grab a free cone with no purchase necessary! Free scoops will be available from 12pm – 8pm. Participating NYC Ben & Jerry’s locations include:

As NYC continues struggling to combat its ever-growing rat population, city officials are turning to more alternative solutions to try and mediate the problem. Councilmember Shaun Abreu in particular suggested NYC engage in a rat birth control program. The proposed program which would consist of “ContraPest pellets” would be carried out by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Sanitation. As reported by The New York Post, these ContraPest pellets would be distributed in rat mitigation zones to hit the rats where they are most densely populated. The active ingredient “triptolide” in the rat contraceptive would...

Spring is officially here and while we wait to ward off the rainy weather, we can’t help but think of the sunny warm days ahead! With that good weather comes flower blooms, and luckily they’ve already started blossoming all around New York City and its perimeters. To dowse you with some spring fever, we’ve put together a list of amazing flower shows and festivals that you can check out in the coming weeks! We’re approaching the final week (closes April 22) of The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion at the New York Botanical Garden! The annual flower show brings the catwalk to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in a fashion-inspired celebration, showcasing plenty of florals that will surely catch your eye. You can still walk the “runway” and admire the connection between fashion and the botanical world at this one-of-a-kind exhibit while it still is open! Learn more about The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion here. Where: 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx

As first reported by CBS News, NYC’s The Vessel will reopen to the public later this year. Hudson Yards’ towering climbable art installation The Vessel first opened to the public back in March 2019. Standing 150-feet-tall with 154 intricate flights of stairs–accounting for almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings–the installation immediately became a hit among New Yorkers and tourists alike. The installation, which was completely free to visit, closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19 before reopening in September of that same year. Though (**trigger warning**) just four months later the installation closed once again in January 2021 following multiple heartbreaking suicides.

There’s plenty of exciting news when it comes to Veselka this year, from the possibility of returning to 24-hour service to brand new openings! The new Grand Central location first opened last fall, but we are just one month away from Veselka’s Williamsburg debut! According to Eater, the new signs for Veselka went up at 646 Lorimer Street, confirming with the owners Justin and Jason Birchard that the location will be operational by May. It will be the first time Veselka has serviced Brooklynites. Formerly a car wash spot, the 4,000-square-foot building will host Veselka for the next 48 years (according to the lease that was signed last year). The Williamsburg Veselka promises a bright future for the already 70-year history the Ukrainian restaurant has in NYC.

Bar meets arcade—what could be better than that?! Gatcha, a brand new tenant coming to Tangram this April is bringing the two together for an epic immersive gaming experience. The concept is described as “An Asian-inspired barcade” that will span 9,000 square feet within Tangram’s 1.2 million square feet. The lease was officially signed last year, so it’s been many months in the making. Gatcha will combine the nostalgia of retro machines with Eastern arcade games. And when you’ve played enough, there’ll be a full bar to grab a drink. Visitors can expect to test their skills at the clawclade with a top tier lineup of machines to win Gatcha Designed Plush Toys and Anime figurines to Gundam Kits. Plus, Gatcha will introduce their snack claw machines that will be filled with mouthwatering goodies. After racking up the prizes at the clawcade, guests can move on to more classic games like Dance Dance Revolution that’s had a resurgence with younger generations in Asia.

As the weather warms up us New Yorkers look forward to not only spending all our time outdoors but stuffing our faces al fresco–and lucky for us this is exactly the same time that all of NYC’s mouthwatering outdoor food festivals make their return! And this spring we’re adding a new one to the list. This April the first-ever Thai Fest will take over Manhattan’s 6th Avenue with a diverse array of authentic Thai street food from some of NYC’s most popular Thai restaurants. And the announcement comes just in time for the Thai New Year, Songkran, happening tomorrow, Saturday, April 13th! Attendees can look forward to delicious bites from Thailand’s diverse and vibrant food culture, such as: The street fair is the sister brand of the renowned Dragon Fest, NYC’s largest Chinese food festival. As a celebration of Thai culture and cuisine, Thai Fest promotes Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) cultural exchange and appreciation.