Jenna Marotta

Homelessness is a serious issue around the country, especially in NYC. As temperatures drop, the situation becomes even more dire. Fortunately there are organizations working tirelessly to help the homeless, and you can get involved. Whether you want to give back through a holiday volunteer opportunity or, even better, commit to volunteering regularly, here are some amazing non-profit organizations that help the homeless in NYC. These organizations offer shelter and counseling, advocate for fair housing, provide job training, serve meals and more, all to benefit the homeless. Contact each organization directly to find out what kind of volunteer work they need most. Some may need people with a particular skill set, others just need donations, and others need hands-on help. Volunteering is an incredibly rewarding thing to do, and helping the homeless is an urgent and constant need. If you wish to include homeless animals in your volunteer search, check out these pet adoption organizations in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Where to volunteer in NYC

Hungarian architect Marcel Breuer (1902–1981) completed a four-story modernist marvel of an art museum at 75th Street and Madison Avenue 50 years ago, where the Whitney stood until it relocated to the Meatpacking District last year. And another city institution is now borrowing the keys: Per an eight-year agreement, the Met is rechristening the building the Met Breuer and devoting the landmark to its stellar collection of 20th- and 21st-century art. In March, it debuts with “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible,” which includes incomplete works by masters ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Andy Warhol, as well as a show by Indian modernist Nasreen Mohamedi. Beatrice Galilee, associate curator of architecture and design for the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Met, showed us around the place. (It’s not too shabby.)

How many times have you heard—while drinking beers or brunching or walking down the street with a friend—that NYC used to be so much better back in the day? A lot, right? It’s a constant conversational lament that New Yorkers can’t seem to shake. So let’s get those obvious downers about modern-day NYC out of the way. Yes, it really sucks that CBGB is now home to a designer shop that sells $98 tees memorializing the punk bastion. It’s terrible that your favorite cool spot closed. It’s the worst that a lot of the mom-and-pop shops in your neighborhood have given way to banks and chain stores. And it’s really horrible that you can barely afford to live here anymore. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see there are ways in which New York has gotten a whole lot better. Here are just 20 of them. So stop your complaining. Now. 

News flash: Millennials aren’t all selfish, bratty, Instagram-addled Bedford Stop wanna-bes. Meet the creative NYC upstarts—from the world of TV, hip-hop, fashion, theater, cuisine and more—who are going against type and absolutely killing it. Go get ’em, kids.Photographs by David Williams

Eager to put red cup-gate behind them, Starbucks' marketing team will be very happy with the results of a new study about coffee drinkers. Published by Harvard scientists in Circulation, the findings show that coffee enthusiasts who indulge in three to five cups per day are approximately 15 percent less likely to die prematurely. "Compared to non-drinkers, coffee consumption one to five cups [per day] was associated with lower risk of mortality, while coffee consumption more than five cups [per day] was not associated with risk of mortality," wrote the authors, who tracked data for 207,000 individuals. Interestingly, the same held true for decaf drinkers, leading the scientists to believe that the life-extending elixir is not merely caffeine but "many different nutrients and phytochemicals" contained in coffee beans.  Other studies have recently shown that coffee may lower the risk of certain cancers, diabetes and even heart disease. If only eggnog did the same.  h/t NPR     

Oxford Dictionaries' 2015 word of the year will never be used in a spelling bee. In fact, the Oxford University Press selected a entry better suited for Urban Dictionary: its first-ever pictograph. That's right—the word of 2015 is no word at all but rather the modern hieroglyphic officially known as the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji. You know the one—the yellow guy is laughing so hard he's crying, or perhaps emitting tears of pure happiness. For the past several years, OD have skewed very young with its word-of-the-year choices. 2010's was "frequently asked questions," followed by "squeezed middle" in 2011, "GIF" in 2012, "selfie" in 2013 and "vape" in 2014, which is almost worse than picking an emoji.  Why this particular emoji? Oxford Dictionaries gathered data about the frequency with which various emojis are used around the world, and apparently tears of joy is the most universally popular. Okay, it's true that those little faces have totally changed how we communicate, but an emoji being dubbed the word of the year?!? There's only one way to react: 😂😂😂 h/t Oxford Dictionaries

New Yorkers have an infinite range of perspectives and interests. But there are a few beautiful things about the city (its skyline, a perfect pizza, beautiful fall foliage) that none of us can resist, no matter how jaded we might be. Transplants and locals alike have probably posted some variation on these photos at some point since the birth of Instagram.    Street Art in Bushwick   FTP A photo posted by 🚄 ArtRush🚈 (@artrush) on Nov 16, 2015 at 12:17am PST   The sculptures at Storm King (especially during the fall)   #stormking#nature#art#beauty#sculpture A photo posted by Gigi Yung (@gigisyung) on Nov 15, 2015 at 7:44pm PST   Your shoes in fall leaves   Hello autumn 🍁🍂@dior @kurtgeiger #details#diorsunglasses#kurtgeiger#trainers#fallnyc A photo posted by Karolina Antoniades (@thesecretstop) on Nov 9, 2015 at 6:17am PST   Funny chalkboard signs outside bars or cafes   We're serving brunch today! #chalkart #chalksignnyc #manhattan # brunch #mileenddeli #eggs A photo posted by Mile End Delicatessen (@mileenddeli) on Jun 7, 2014 at 9:44am PDT   The sights at Coney Island   Look close, the "Cyclone" is getting a fresh coat of Red paint! #coneyislandcyclone #ConeyIsland #brooklyn #NYC #lunaparknyc A photo posted by @dutchmazz on Nov 8, 2015 at 12:33pm PST   A pizza cooked to cheesy perfection   The ultimate NY #🍕 institution. Finally made it to Di Fara's with @p1foodbox 😍 @pizza #difaras #brooklyneats #brooklynpizza #pizzapilgrims #daily