Evelyn Derico

NYC has loads of kid-friendly restaurants that are fun for the whole family, but when the forecast calls for amazing weather, these kid-friendly outdoor restaurants in NYC are the place to be. Here you can enjoy fresh air, the kids are free to play, and most importantly, the food is fantastic. There’s no need to sacrifice quality when you’re looking to dine out with the kids — these spots are welcoming to families and serve up delicious bites, from pizza and barbecue to tacos and fried chicken. After a day of chasing the little ones around (with so many things to do with kids in New York, it’s easy to end up with a jam-packed schedule), or an exhausting day hitting the family-friendly hiking trails and biking trails nearby, it’s nice to know that these welcoming, kid-friendly outdoor restaurants in NYC are set up for you to unwind and enjoy the breeze with the whole family.

When it comes to dining out in New York, the view is just as important as the food. Why not enjoy great scenes and fantastic dishes at the best rooftop restaurants NYC has to offer? When it comes to these locations, everyone in your family will find a dish to devour—fresh seafood, classic sandwiches, fan-favorites like mac n' cheese. What else is on the menu? Park views, mini golf and so much more. Thanks to the best rooftop restaurants, NYC will certainly keep busy all season long.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to outdoor activities for kids in NYC Looking for more things to do in NYC? We have plenty of ideas for a family outing. Enjoy these kids attractions, get the whole crew involved in some fun summer activities or watch one of these family movies.   

If you loved our pics from the Puppy Bowl and the Algonquin's cat fashion show, you won’t want to miss our choice selection from the 139th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Madison Square Garden was packed with spectators, members of the Westminster Kennel Club from across the globe and, of course, the stars of the show—all the purebred pooches. Scroll to the end to see this year’s winner of the prestigious purple rosette! RECOMMENDED: Complete Westminster Dog Show guide

One of the things that makes our city so great is its plethora of diversity. You never know what you might see as you walk down the street and explore New York neighborhoods, but you don't have to look far to see beautiful images of daily life thanks to photographer Ruben Natal-San Miguel's work. Take a look at his stunning shots of the fashion, tattoos, graffiti and, of course, the people, who make up our amazing city.

Though New York may not be the birthplace of the skyscraper, we sure do make 'em look good. (Take a gander at our list of the most beautiful buildings to see for yourself!) We named the iconic skyline as the No. 1 reason why NYC is the greatest city in the world, and here are the beautiful skyline photos to prove it. Can’t get enough of that gorgeous city skyline? Take a longer look while you relax at the best rooftop bars in NYC. RECOMMENDED: See more New York photo galleries

There are few New York attractions as iconic and close to the hearts of New Yorkers as Coney Island USA. This year’s featured guest Mat Fraser (of American Horror Story: Freak Show) helped get the party started at the annual Spring Gala, which is held to benefit the organization's innovative arts programming—including the Coney Island Museum, the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, and the Coney Island Film Festival. The king and queen of the 2015 Mermaid Parade were also announced. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Coney Island in NY

It’s Labor Day Weekend and that means the eighth annual Coney Island Beard and Mustache Competition took place. Contestants were judged on a variety of “Coney-centric” categories such as the Coney Island Curl for best-styled mustache and Man or Beast for best natural beard. You don’t need to stake out a barbershop or the L train to peep some luscious facial hair, just scroll through our snaps and see who took home the coveted Coney Island Fez. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Coney Island in NY

We're having the best summer ever in New York! One of the best beaches, Coney Island, was bustling as spectators flocked to the boardwalk to see all the spectacular sand art. Contestants were divied up by age group and all the participants brought their creativity and A-game. See the finalists and the crowned sand champion, and check out the photos from last year's contest! RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Coney Island in NY

This year marks the 27th annual Fleet Week in NYC, where the city honors sailors, the Marines and the Coast Guard. Not only does this mean you’re likely to see a sailor strolling through Times Square, but the city also holds other cool events like the Parade of Ships (consisting of Navy ships and Coast Guard vessels) on the Hudson River, which kicked off the weeklong celebration. Bryant Park hosted Marine Day, where the Marines held a special showcase to display their capabilities and to meet with the general public. Enjoy our photos of all the action, and be sure to check out our full coverage of events. Fleet Week runs until May 26.RECOMMENDED: See the full Fleet Week NYC guide

Think you've seen every type of person on the subway? You might be mistaken. If you're always a good commuter then watch out, because every January anyone who wants to can let their freak flag fly and don their undies only on the NYC subway. Check out the hilarious (and sometimes awkward) photos of the No Pants Subway Ride 2016!RECOMMENDED: See the full No Pants Subway Ride guide

Contrary to what we see on the streets of New York every day, we're really just scratching the surface of all the spaces in the city. Want to take a sneek peek at secret New York, like hidden subways that are no longer in use? Take a step into NYC's impressive, eerie, and oddly relaxing underworld with these photographs of the rarely seen.

If you look up in Times Square, you might notice the colorful ball awaiting New Year’s Eve. If you were ever curious about the Times Square ball drop history, man, it's been a colorful one (And things will only get more colorful when those New Year's Eve fireworks go off!) We are currently on our seventh incarnation of the famed ball—the very first was made of iron and wood. My how the ball has changed, not to mention you can now tweet at the ball with #NYCballdrop! The current glistening gem is six tons of Waterford Crystals and LED lights. Take a look through these photos and see all of the kaledoscopic incernations of one of NYC's biggest New Year's Eve events.RECOMMENDED: See the full guide to New Year’s Eve in NYC

The Heidelberg Project, founded in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton, is an outdoor art project consisting of decorated, painted houses and found-art sculptures on Detroit’s Heidelberg Street. The project was created as a personal response to the Detroit Riots of 1967, and is in part a political protest. Guyton purchased many of the houses on this street (his childhood neighborhood) in attempts to transform it through art and community programs. The Heidelberg Project revolutionized the neighborhood, turning it into a safer environment, and has been the talk of the Detroit and national art scenes for decades.

Ladies and gents, step right up to see the eighth wonder of the world, "the pizza box pizza," brought to you by Vinnie's Pizzeria! With this pie you'll never have to worry about throwing out that pesky pizza box. You can just eat it! Better for the environment and our souls. You can actually order this marvelous creation for about $40 and, while they prefer you pick it up in store, they will deliver the pizza box pizza to you (though that could get a little messy.) We're looking forward to your next pizza innovation, Vinnie's!   A photo posted by Vinnie's Pizzeria (@vinniesbrooklyn) on Apr 27, 2016 at 2:48pm PDT And let us never forget last June when they created a media firestorm with one of NYC's craziest pies, the pizza topped pizza!   A photo posted by Vinnies Pizzeria (@vinniesbrooklyn) on Jul 6, 2015 at 8:14pm PDT

Annoyed with having to take a ferry to Governors Island? Just want to spend more time there? Artist Nancy Nowacek may have a solution. She has created a Kickstarter to fund a floating pedestrian bridge called "Citizen Bridge" which will span the Buttermilk Channel, connecting Governors Island to Red Hook.    For just $25,000 this project could become a reality. But the group will need permits to build it, of course, and there will no doubt be public safety concerns. The "risks and challenges" section on the Kickstarter page even warns that due to unforeseen issues with permits and insurance could delay the project indefinitely. Despite the potential roadblocks, however, Nowacek, community members, students and marine architects have already built various prototypes of the bridge. If funded, this would be the first floating pedestrian bridge in NYC history. Watch a video about it below:   h/t Metro

Bodega cats. They're the adorable unofficial mascots of New York. Lucky for us cat-lovers, freelance artist Sunny Eckerle of BedStuy has been drawing the felines since 2014. Eckerle recently launched an Instagram account to showcase her illustrations. Each one gives the name of the kitty, a fun fact about it and the location of its bodega home (which is also depicted in the image). Check out some of her posts below, and go to Eckerle's website Brooklyn Bodega Cats for more.     A photo posted by Brooklyn Bodega Cats (@bklynbodegacats) on Aug 10, 2015 at 8:41am PDT   A photo posted by Brooklyn Bodega Cats (@bklynbodegacats) on Mar 30, 2015 at 6:36am PDT   A photo posted by Brooklyn Bodega Cats (@bklynbodegacats) on Mar 30, 2015 at 6:31am PDT   Thanksgiving // Crown Heights, Brooklyn A photo posted by Brooklyn Bodega Cats (@bklynbodegacats) on Feb 21, 2016 at 8:01am PST   Ketchup // Bed-Stuy #brooklynbodegacats #brooklyn #bodegacats #bodegacatsofinstagram #catsofinstagram A photo posted by Brooklyn Bodega Cats (@bklynbodegacats) on Jul 28, 2015 at 9:15am PDT h/t DNAinfo

The hottest Broadway musical right now is the multi-Award winning Hamilton, all about the life of Founding Father and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who actually used to live right here in NYC. Unless you've seen the musical, or are just a regular history buff, you might not know that Hamilton's life had an untimely, tragic end. Pretty much no political figure, even today, is without enemies. Hamilton had a long time rivalry with Vice President Aaron Burr that reflected the tensions in the nation at the time. The feud began when Burr took a Senate seat over Hamilton's father-in-law in 1804. The final straw between them was when Hamilton publicly defamed Burr, so Burr proposed a duel. At dawn on July 11, 1804, both men rowed across the Hudson River over to a popular dueling ground in Weehawken, where laws weren't as enforced. By the cliffs of the Palisades Burr and Hamilton dueled. There are numerous accounts on what actually happened that day, some say that Hamilton intentionally missed Burr, which was a common practice at the time, duels were more about bravado than actually killing someone. It was then that Burr made a fatal whoopsies and mortally wounded Hamilton. Hamilton later passed away later that day from his wound and was buried at Trinity Cemetery. Burr was charged with murder in New York and New Jersey but neither charge made it to trial. The dueling pistols are currently housed at the JP Morgan Chase headquarters, but are unfortunately not open to t

Are you ready to party like it's 1999? These cicadas are!!! That's the year they were born and they've been chillin' underground ever since. Just waiting to emerge and do what cicadas do best, get loud! This particular species of cicada emerge every seventeen years. When the soil temperatures reach a solid 64 degrees they'll come out and get this party going in Upstate New York, Long Island, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virgina and Virginia. The bugaboos are expected to rise in June and bring the noise for several following weeks. Their unique sound essentially serve as loud buggy slow jams and acts as their mating call. In China and Japan cicadas are even considered good luck, so maybe this summer will be extra lucky! H/T: NY Mag

The second season of the show about everyone's favorite "mole woman" is set to be just as spit-take hilarious as the original. How do we know? We were at a special sneak peek of the first two episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 2, held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, just for Kimmy Schmidt super fans! After the screening, Refinery29 held a special QA with stars Carol Kane (Lillian Kaushtupper) and Titus Burgess (Titus Andromedon) where they gave us fans the scoop on what's to come this season. Be warned—and freakin' excited—minor spoilers below! Expect flash backs!  There will be lots of flash backs, including a look into Lillian's sordid past. Expect love...and not just for Kimmy. We're introduced to major love interests for both Lillian and Titus! We'll get to see a depth to Titus's character not seen before with the blossoming of his new romance. Expect original songs! There are also lots of musical numbers headed our way (with a full musical number between Lillian and a character played by Fred Armisen at the end of episode one). Carol and Titus were particularly excited to mention a special duet we'll be hearing between their characters. Expect big-name guest stars! Fans can expect a myriad of other guest stars coming our way for season two, including Jeff Goldblum, Amy Sedaris and none other than show co-creator Tina Fey in a very "Kimmy-related" role! Titus Burgess even had a special something to add...   A video posted by Evelyn Derico (@evio_dorito) on

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the Whitney Museum in NYC On Friday evening, a group of young artists smuggled their paintings into a stairwell at the Whitney Museum. The artists are all affiliated with Apostrophe, an NYC-based gallery and performance space. The installation, part of a project called Base 12, seeks to create a unique roving gallery experience. To do that, artists in the group created extensions of their own work on identically sized canvases, which were then hung on the windows of the stairwell with suction cups. The idea behind the guerrilla show was to bring recognition to the fact that getting work exhibited can be a lengthily, tedious process that involves lots of bureaucracy. Apostrophe co-founder Sei Smith says the group planned this surprise exhibition as the first in a series. "We're doing 12 pop-up shows throughout the course of a year, one each month," Smith says. "Three will be in museums, three will be on subway platforms, three will be in public parks and three at international galleries." The next show will be in April, exact date TBA. (The museum shows will be surprises and remain unannounced.) "We wanted to use the locations to bring in people who wouldn't necessarily be drawn to an art gallery," Smith says. "We want to bring that excitement and curiosity and just involve as many people as we can in a discussion about the boundaries of curating shows, especially the art world as a whole." "The more people can get excited about art, the more they mi

We have some clawsome news for cat lovers in Brooklyn: The borough's first permanent cat cafe is opening next month. We've been waiting for this meowment! The cafe will be located in Brooklyn Heights at 149 Atlantic Ave. (between Clinton and Henry), and will be operated by the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition. All the kitties will be adoptable. There will be a grand opening party May 6 (tickets available here) and after that the regular cost will be $5 per half hour to hang out with the felines. There will also be snacks and drinks available for purrrchase. We're pawsitive this cafe will be a hit with animal lovers. Check out the official announcemewnt below: Tickets for our Grand Opening Party are on sale now! https://t.co/ZwQoPNFWcq pic.twitter.com/nSGWhJC6Re — Brooklyn Cat Cafe (@CatCafeBK) April 4, 2016 h/t DNAinfo

We all know that the Port Authority Bus Terminal blows. Thankfully, major progress is being made on the plan to bring New Yorkers a brand new one. Yesterday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners voted to approve the funding plan for the new terminal, as well as for the LaGuardia Airport revamp and upgrades for Newark Liberty Airport. The Authority's executive director, Patrick J. Foye, called the vote "the most important board meeting in Port Authority history," according to the New York Times.  The LaGuardia overhaul will include a new grand entrance, updated security measures, connectivity between the four terminals, new shops and public transportation access (finally!). The new bus terminal will be located on Manhattan's West Side near the current 42nd St spot. What will it look like, you ask? Well, you could create it. The Port Authority has launched a design contest for the terminal that will pay $1 million to the winner (check out the contest info here.) We don't know when either project will actually be completed, but at least we have a shiny new airport and bus terminal to look forward to!

To commemorate yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels, NYC showed its solidarity by changing the lights on two of our most recognized buildings. The Empire State Building remained unlit, which was a haunting sight to see, and One World Trade lit up with the colors of the Belgian Flag (black, yellow and red, though the colors looked like blue, white and red.)  Check out the photos below. The Empire State Building is dark tonight in honor of Brussels 🇧🇪 #PrayForBrussels pic.twitter.com/luWNsVh5SM — Chy Davin (@chydavin) March 23, 2016   A photo posted by Brandon Taoka (@brandontaoka) on Mar 22, 2016 at 9:56pm PDT   A photo posted by Kelsie Maddock (@ksmaddock) on Mar 22, 2016 at 7:56pm PDT   A photo posted by p0p's ♈ (@goldenboy_rob) on Mar 22, 2016 at 5:10pm PDT Recommended feature See the 21 things New Yorkers say and what they really mean

Are you an L train commuter who's noticed that things have smelled pretty rank during the past few months? You're not alone. The MTA has recently admitted that a clogged sewer pipe in the Myrtle-Wyckoff L station is to blame for the havoc wreaked on our noses. The odor appears to be emulating from the Canarsie-bound side of the tunnel, where a stream of what we can only guess to be sewer water can often be seen flowing part-way down the platform (yum!). The smell is so horrible that it's not uncommon to see people holding their noses at the station. Workers have been spotted on Wyckoff Ave—hopefully they're there to resolve the leak—and the city Department of Environmental Protection has stated that they are currently working to fix the issue. No word yet on when this problem is expected to be solved.   Recommended feature See more on the Blog

Remember when the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station first opened and it was all shiny and new and clean? Yup, that sure was nice for three days! If you've used the station at all recently you have no doubt noticed the very leaky ceilings, standing water on the walkways and the constantly out of commission escalators (which are also due in part to leaks.) The bathrooms have also had to close due to water leaks. The station opened in September to the tune of $2.4 billion dollars, and was the first new subway station to open in over 25 years. The MTA just announced they will be paying a contractor $3 million to do repairs on the station which will take eight to twelve weeks to complete. Hopefully, they'll be able to keep it functional for a a few weeks after that. Recommended feature See more on the Blog