Courtesy CC/Flickr/Susan Sermoneta
Courtesy CC/Flickr/Susan Sermoneta

Are people who FaceTime while walking down the street literally insane?

This is what’s driving us bonkers in NYC right now and making us (almost) want to move

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We live in a walk-and-talk kind of town—I get it. When I’m on my morning commute or running between meetings, you can bet your ass I’m using that precious time to “catch up on calls,” which is code for “calling my mother.” However, I see more and more people roaming the streets while FaceTiming. This behavior is unacceptable.

RECOMMENDED: See more New York rants

Listen, I can understand that the occasional tourist would want to share their trip to the Best City on Earth through the lens of their iPhone for someone back home. But this is not what’s happening here. These distracted lollygaggers are always discussing some meaningless nonsense (personally, my conversations are witty, informative and brief) with some groggy pal in a disheveled bed right here in the tristate area.

While I get the allure of a face-to-face convo, these FaceTimers are pinballing into pedestrians and completely ignoring the flow of traffic. Must I get bumped around so that you can whisper sweet nothings to your boyfriend in Yonkers?

Let’s bring back the days when New Yorkers just obnoxiously shouted into their phones with a robust disregard for others. At least then they would see where they were going.

Not all of NYC is annoying!

Forgo a jam-packed sink of dishes or a night of kitchen snafus—instead, dine at one of NYC’s best restaurants before you hit a fabulous New Year’s Eve party.

These prix fixe and à la carte options make for a memorable last meal of the year, whether you want to feast on a taco buffet and an open bar a few minutes from the Times Square ball drop or go full-glam at a luxurious Jean-Georges property. Here are the best restaurants open on New Year’s Eve 2024 in NYC.      

  • Things to do

Time to yeet 2024 to the curb and ring in the new year right with the best New Year's Eve events in NYC. No matter how you’re hoping to ring in 2025—sloppy, sober, laid-back or buckwild—we’ve got the NYE celebration for you. 

So don your festive getups and get ready for a night of amazing dinners and more first-of-the-year festivities with this roundup of the best attractions and events for ringing in the New Year.

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  • Things to do

New Yorkers unafraid of braving the freezing waters of Coney Island will return to the ocean for the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day from 11am-1pm.

Every New Years Day for 122 years, swimmers sporting their skivvies or wild costumes dive into the freezing Atlantic to symbolically wash away the year before. Organizers expect over 4,000 to take the dive this year, matching—if not surpassing—the 4,300+ who dove last year.

Fun fact: The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing club in the United States, dating back to 1903.

  • Things to do
  • Prospect Park

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s gorgeous, after-dark illuminated spectacular is back through January 5, 2025.

Lightscape, an illuminated trail of art from local and international artists, featuring the iconic Winter Cathedral, all set to over a million lights, color and music. 

As always, a curated playlist of music brings the light art to life, and there will be food concessions along the trail that will still offer seasonal treats like hot cocoa, hot cider, and mulled wine as well as light bites, cookies and sweets.

This year’s show offers off-peak and peak pricing, ranging from $24-$45 for adults and $12 to $23 for kids.

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  • Things to do

As the world commemorates the centennial of James Baldwin's birth, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) presents Turkey Saved My Life - Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971, a landmark exhibition featuring rare photographs of the iconic writer by Turkish photographer Sedat Pakay.

Running between December 12, 2024 and February 28, 2025 in the Grand Lobby of the Central Library, this exhibition offers an unprecedented glimpse into Baldwin’s transformative years in Istanbul from 1961 to 1971, when the author-activist moved to Istanbul seeking refuge from the entrenched racism and homophobia he experienced in America. The exhibition will be accompanied by public programs, including panel discussions, film screenings, and readings that further explore Baldwin’s unique connection to Turkey.

  • Things to do

Only one night of holiday celebration? Please. Hanukkah (or Chanukah or even Hanukah) means you have more than a week to celebrate. Hanukkah 2024 starts at nightfall on December 25, 2024 and ends with nightfall on January 2, 2025. L’chaim!

We've rounded up all the details on menorah lightings, concerts, and more.

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  • Things to do

The weather outside is, indeed, getting frightful, so this holiday season, cozy up to the "Island of Warmth" activation at Manhattan West. Along with an electrifying urban bonfire, there will be music and dance performances (from Harlem Lite Feet with Chrybaby Cozie, the Maimouna Keita School of Dance, and Music from the Sole), memorable holiday photo opportunities, and a show-stopping winter lights display that is sure to mesmerize the whole family.

Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate by Daily Provisions on December 4, caroling around the campfire on December 11 and a Hanukkah celebration featuring the Brooklyn Klezmer Trio Plus on December 18. 

  • Music

The days leading up to Christmas are full of festivities, but Broadway star Melissa Errico (My Fair Lady, High Society) is extending those jolly good vibes even after the holiday. Taking over 54 Below from Thursday, December 26 through Monday, December 30, Errico’s ’Twas The Night After Christmas will be a “winter party for every kind of holiday-er.”

Joined by the equally talented Billy Stritch, the actress-singer will perform yuletide and New Year’s classics from the American songbook—such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” and Frank Loesser’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”—as well as new holiday-themed parodies of songs by Stephen Sondheim. 

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  • Music
  • Cabaret and standards
  • Noho

The Divine Sandra's best work gives pop culture a big, sloppy kiss, while simultaneously biting it on the lip. Her annual year-capping residency at Joe’s Pub blends irony, wistfulness, sentiment and tongue-in-cheek (or are they?) rock songs by artists from Burt Bacharach to Lana Del Rey.

  • Kids
  • Kids

The Camp store does it again (and even better this time around!): the popular toy store recently launched its newest immersive experience, this year dedicated to the Australian animated TV series Bluey, and, although previous on-site activations (Encanto, Trolls) certainly delivered, this one feels like a notch above the rest. 

The entire space is transformed into Bluey’s home, the prevalent setting on the cartoon, so guests actually feel like they’ve been catapulted into the cute puppy’s very life with his family. Inside, you won’t just get to play around Bluey’s house (complete with a cardboard box castle with a slide, a pillow fort, tons of toys and shopping opportunities) but also look for the characters, listen to a story and try to cook some food in the kitchen.

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