Jillian Anthony

The holiday season is full of joy and celebration, but it’s also a perfect time to pause, count our blessings, and think about what really matters. While we enjoy all the season has to offer, it’s also a great opportunity to give back. Volunteering is always valuable, but many organizations feel the extra pressure around the holidays as they work to support those in need across the city. If you're in NYC, there are plenty of ways to get involved during Thanksgiving and the holidays. Whether you're sorting meals, delivering food, or lending a hand at a pet shelter, even the smallest efforts can make a big difference this time of year. These organizations do amazing work year-round, but they’re especially busy during the holidays, and they could really use some extra hands. But don’t forget—the need for volunteers doesn’t end when the holidays do. Consider adding a regular volunteer shift to your routine, and keep that giving spirit going all year long!

Nightlife has been through a lot since the world (temporarily) shut down in 2020. It’s not all been positive: cities like London have seen the closure of thousands of clubs, bars and pubs. The cost-of-living crisis in the UK and around the world has had a huge impact on nightlife. And rumour has it young people just aren’t going out anymore. So, is nightlife dead? Not exactly, but it’s changed. Where superclubs have become passé, listening bars, word-of-mouth raves and outdoor events have taken their place. Sober clubbing is on the rise, while country music has people filling dancefloors in the US and, surprisingly, the UK. In our brand-new list of the world’s best cities for nightlife, two events discourage wearing shoes. At Time Out, we’ve been champions of nightlife since our foundation. That’s why we set out to find the world’s best cities for nightlife in 2024 by surveying thousands of people in hundreds of the world’s best cities. As well as being quizzed on their favourite venues and experiences, locals were asked to rate their city’s nightlife scene on both its quality and affordability – because nothing puts a downer on your night like a hefty entrance fee or an £8 pint. After crunching all that data, we then narrowed down the selection by excluding cities with lower overall scores, and only including the highest-scoring city for each country. To complete the list, we reached out to those who live and breathe nightlife – DJs – to nominate three nightlife capitals tha

The best things to do in Chelsea, NYC vary from lounging outdoors atop New York’s only elevated park, the High Line, to going on a gallery walk to see free art in NYC, from Gagosian to David Zwirner. But if there’s one thing you need to know about the neighborhood, it’s that Chelsea puts the art in the heart of New York. That’s right. Use this list as your starting point to discover some of the best New York attractions, eateries and drinkeries in this trendy ’hood. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Chelsea, NYC

Manhattan’s iconic green space (and one of the top New York attractions), Central Park has a lot of entertainment to offer, regardless of which season we’re experiencing. In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the best things to do in Central Park occur in fall and winter! While tourists and locals love to frequent one of the city’s best parks for its various lawns, fountains, walking paths, trees and picnic spots, Central Park also hosts major events from epic summer concerts and theater performances to the annual Winter Jam festival. There’s always an excuse to visit, but here are a few of our favorite happenings to get you started. We've broken down the list by season, so you won't miss a thing. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Central Park in New York

Being single in New York can be exhausting. At some point, we’ve all wondered if we might just be undateable. So it’s hardly surprising that Gothamites are outsourcing their love lives to professionals. If dating apps aren’t your thing, then you might want to consider a professional matchmaker. Check out the popular options below to see if one is right for you. (And if you need a first-date idea, we’ve got you covered.)

There are plenty of places in NYC that give us the willies any time of year, but we think Halloween is the best time of year to visit the spookiest places in NYC. From a historic cemetery to haunted mansions to a crumbling hospital that housed smallpox victims, these places are sure to chill you to the bone. When Halloween rolls around and our attention turns to the ghosts and goblins, it’s time to start thinking about costumes and decorations and where to go for some screams or a good old fashioned haunting. Some might go for NYC’s best haunted houses, designed to induce high levels of terror, while others seek out the real-life haunted places right in our own backyard. NYC’s best ghost tours will give you a first-hand look at scary spots around the city, complete with terrifying tales of true crimes, dastardly deaths and ghostly hauntings. If you’re brave, you can visit these spooky NYC places on your own. But once you learn where to find all these sites of horrors and paranormal activity, you may want to reconsider where you go after-hours in the future. Not into up-close-and-personal scares? Keep your screams at home with the best scary movies of all time. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Halloween in NYC

Jutting out from the southern edge of Queens, the scrappy Rockaway peninsula has transformed into one of the friendliest beach towns in New York, with an ever-changing lineup of cool things to do. Stretching from Far Rockaway to Breezy Point, the urban oasis offers some of NYC's best tacos, laid-back outdoor bars and awesome shops selling vintage and trendy surfer apparel. Aside from that, the Rockaways have a killer art and entertainment scene in addition to its supportive-community vibe. Check out the area’s art galleries at Fort Tilden as well as some of the restaurants and bars, which host live music every night of the week. Whether you go to hang ten, get a tan or stuff your face with grub from the boardwalk, there is undoubtedly something for everyone at "Rock-Rock, Rockaway Beach." It's as close as you'll get to paradise in New York City!  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Rockaway Beach, NY

It’s said that art imitates life, and for Brooklyn-set High Maintenance creators Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, that’s a gross understatement. Take the first episode of season two of the duo’s HBO show, which opens with the Guy, Sinclair’s weed-dealing everydude, receiving a phone alert that “something bad happened.” Viewers quickly understand (though it’s never explicitly said) that it’s November 9, 2016, when the city awoke to the presidential election results and seemed stuck in a fog of disbelief. The draw of High Maintenance is that—in a sea of series that claim to depict the “real” New York—it conjures up an awed feeling of déjà vu for locals, even when plotlines delve into the absurd. You leave scenes thinking, That’s my city. That’s my life. But the low-budget gem, which started as a web series in 2012 before making the leap to HBO in 2016, reflects reality even more sharply for Blichfeld and Sinclair: The pair had been married but split up on election night, and Blichfeld later came out as gay. (She Instagrammed a photo of herself overlaid with the words GAY AF on National Coming Out Day.) From their breakup through July, “it was probably 70 hours a week together,” says Sinclair. “Our relationship and the phases it’s gone through in the last year is very much represented in the show,” adds Blichfeld. Last season’s cliff-hanger revealed that the Guy, whose personal life was previously a mystery, lives down the hall from his ex-wife, who in turn lives with her girlf

It’s no secret that NYC is, arguably, the sex capital of the world. But exactly how are New Yorkers doing it these days? To find out, we go deep with five locals and see just how they’re doing the dirty these days. And if you’re looking for some saucy stimulation, be sure to check out our roundups of the city’s best sex shops, swingers clubs and sex songs that’ll get you in the mood.

Gothamites may loathe having to constantly dodge slow-moving tourists on the streets, but in the end, we love many of the same New York tourist attractions that sightseers do (admit it). We compiled our top must-visit spots below, and the good news is there are so many great things to do in NYC today that there’s plenty of the city to go around. And don’t worry, we can still keep the best art shows and best restaurants to ourselves…maybe. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best New York attractions

New York City boasts the finest museums in the world, devoted to all sorts of fields from art and design to science and history. They’re located in all five boroughs, including Brooklyn and Queens, and a visit to any of them—be it The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA or the American Museum of Natural History—is time well spent. There's only one hitch: They can be pricey to get into. That’s because unlike many other museums around the world, the ones here in New York are not subsidized by the government. True, at an average of about $25 a pop, museum admission in NYC is only a little more than the cost of a movie ticket, and certainly a bargain compared to what Broadway theater seats will set you back. And it is also the case that most museums that charge admission have free or pay-what-you-wish hours set aside at certain times of the week. Which is all well and good, but still, you should know that there are plenty of museums in NYC that are completely free, offering programs for all types of interests and tastes. You just have to know where to find them, which we are more than happy to help you do with our select list of the best free museums in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to all the free museums days in NYC you should know about

“Your hair looks fucking sick with that headband,” says Antoni Porowski to his Queer Eye castmate Tan France. At their photo shoot, the Fab Five are donning workout gear—rainbow-colored sweatbands, two-pound weights, a Chanel basketball—and setting a tone that’s familiar to fans of the Netflix reboot: Jonathan Van Ness points in awe at Karamo Brown’s exposed abs; Antoni sends a smoldering glance toward Tan and leans in to kiss him before turning away with a laugh; Bobby Berk packs his bike shorts with a little something extra, then asks each guy how he looks. I’m relieved to realize: They really do love each other. Photograph: Taylor Miller Queer Eye, which this year released two eight-episode seasons in just over four months, is the show you, your gay roommate, your tween niece and your 65-year-old Republican father are all watching, then rewatching. In this tumultuous time, it might be the show you can count on to bring pure joy back to the weary soul, if only for an episode or, more likely, an hours-long binge. Our experts—Antoni (food and wine), Bobby (design), Jonathan (grooming), Karamo (culture) and Tan (fashion)—march into the homes of diverse Georgians (a devoutly religious black woman in her sixties, a young trans man who recently had top surgery [a double mastectomy], an immigrant bartender worried about fitting in) with the promise to make each one their best self in just one week. Imagine if seven days could sweep away all your flaws to reveal who you were meant

Brooklyn as a brand is strongly represented in this stylish Downtown Brooklyn hotel. Packed with gold-accented furniture, jewel-toned walls and plenty of plants, in-the-know millennials would be quite happy to move in here permanently. Especially when the 3,000-square-foot bar, the Distillary, offers a large outdoor deck big enough to host a party as well as plenty of craft beers and German-inspired food like sausages and pretzels. The comfortably-sized rooms have a modern mid-century decor (as well the WiFi and built-in USB port the 21st century traveler needs). There's also a soon-to-open restaurant on the ground level and a ballroom to rent out for events in the basement. But most visitors just need to know that you're about ten minutes away from Dumbo (and that glorious view of the Manhattan skyline) and nearby subway stations on foot, and you're just one or two subway stops out of Manhattan. You're also walking distance from Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, and City Point, where you'll find the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a movie theater where you can order food and drinks to be brought directly to your seat. If you're seeking sleek and friendly and don't mind (or prefer) being a bit out of the center of it all, this spot's got cool kid vibes to spare.

For a certain traveler, the Luma Hotel is the perfect spot for a New York City stay. It's conveniently located in midtown very near Times Square and Bryant Park, yet it's on one of the quietest, low foot-traffic streets in the area. It's near about a dozen subway lines. It's clean, the staff is friendly and there's a delicious in-house Basque Country tapas resturant, Ortzi, that likely won't have a wait whenever you're ready to mosey downstairs to eat. (Get the four-course, $75 tasting tasting menu for a bit of a splurge, or try something baked in the wood-fired oven.) There's an individual coffee maker in your room and your bed is comfortable. Your bases are covered.  However, certain other travelers will find Luma bland, more like a hotel you might find in the next medium-sized town you visit rather than the cultural capital of the world. There's little personality to be found in the lobby, bar area or the rooms, except for the fun quirk of a robot who'll bring items up to your room upon request. And I found it odd to be charged for a cup of coffee on my way out in the morning.  But if simplicity and a good meal are all you need during your stay, this central hotel with some affordable rooms is an excellent pick. Besides, all the adventure you'll need is just around the block.

If you find yourself needing to stay in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Times Square (or simply prefer it that way), the Moxy can make it fun. You'll find a splash of whimsy throughout the hotel, especially in the rooftop bar Magic Hour, which has a sort of sexy carnival theme and an excellent view of the Empire State Building. You can mini-golf in the midst of bosomed bunnies and drink a cocktail for six out of a mini gas pump, and take a selfie in front of shrubs cut just so to look like mid-coitus bears. If that's a bit much, or you'd rather avoid the inevitably rowdy late-night crowd, you can dine at seafood spot Legesea (go for the shellfish tower) or head to the second floor Bar Moxy, where you can grab a casual lunch or a drink and overlook the guests checking in below. Speaking of checking in, you'll approach one of the standing desks arranged in a row, kind of like approaching the counter at an airport...in the future. Your room could easily be a magazine ad for a microapartment: These industrial-chic small-space solutions—pull-out nooks and crannies, hooks galore and hanging chairs, a mini-sink—are ones you'll want to take home with you. With free Wi-fi, a gym and pet-friendly rooms, you can go about life much as usual—just with a bit less square footage.    

If you want to be as centralized as possible during your time in New York without the fervent hustle and bustle of Times Square, Union Square is a great area to camp out in. And the W provides a calm oasis in the madness. Steps away from the nearest subway, the hotel features a restaurant, gym and pet-friendly amenities. Both the lobby and the rooms give off a lounge-y vibe, with leather banquettes, jewel-tones throw pillows and walls with primary stripes of blue and orange. You can begin a nice evening at first-floor eatery Irvington, serving perfectly moist duck, a $19 burger that’s hefty indeed and ceviche and oysters for lighter fare. The daily happy hour from 5–7pm offers draught beers for $6, glasses of wine for $9 and cocktails for $12—not a bad deal in these parts. Upstairs in your room, you can have a lovely view of the park below and the city stretching out around you in the distance—you only need go up a few floors to see above the treetops, and it’s a lovely sight indeed, especially at sunrise. When you’re ready to venture into the night, both the East Village and the West Village—perfect for whatever adventure you’re looking for—are just a 15- to 30-minute walk away. For New Yorkers, that’s no time at all.

A trip down to sleepy Battery Park is the closest to “getting away from it all” you can achieve on the isle of Manhattan, and the Ritz-Carlton provides the perfect escape hatch. The building sits villa-like on the lower tip of Manhattan, steps away from the Staten Island Ferry with a gorgeous view of the Statue of Liberty from many of the bedrooms (take a peek through your in-room telescope to see it up close). Ritz-Carltons are synonymous with luxury, and for the most part, this location lives up to the hype. A sprawling and inviting lobby, outfitted with friendly staff members to open doors or hand you a water bottle at every turn, gives way to 2West, the hotel’s bistro-style restaurant with illuminating floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the park. Choose your meal from an iPad menu that plays short videos of some of the best choices on the menu. The hearty food—like cheesy French onion soup, pork chop and evenly-cooked steak—is excellent, and the hushed atmosphere is a rare and pleasant find. The bar program, however, leaves something to be desired—a gin gimlet order was met with confusion, and when the drink arrived, it was clearly made with Rose’s Lime. The well-heeled bedrooms are airy, with bathrooms the size of bodegas and tubs fit for two. But the highlight of my stay was downstairs at the spa, where I had the singular most enjoyable Swedish massage of my life. Luxe still lives here.

If silence is golden, in New York City, the Chatwal is priceless. In a recent stay in a spacious suite—with all the luxury accoutrements you’d expect from a hotel that brands itself as such—you’d never know thousands of people making their way to and from the heart of Times Square were even there. And it sure is nice to imagine solitude, if only for a few hours. Stepping inside the Chatwal is an instant reminder of the sophistication of Old New York. Pass through the Art Deco lobby and bar (the building was designed in 1905 by prestigious American architect Stanford White) into The Lambs Club, a modern American restaurant from chef Geoffrey Zakarian, formerly of The Country. Originally a hangout for artists like Charlie Chaplin, Spencer Tracy and Fred Astaire, the restaurant now serves up excellent steaks and seafood, and a perfectly balanced gin gimlet. Upstairs, the luxe mode continues: The room comes with a full-wall closet designed to emulate the trunks of Louis Vuitton, and a personal butler knocks on the door to see if you need anything at the moment. Your stay includes access to a 24-hour center, small but adequate with a small lap pool, and you can book a relaxing appointment at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa—where you can lounge in your own personal dressing room. You can even book a consultation with a Krigler perfume expert to create your own fragrance or candle. If you’re ready to splurge, the Chatwal is ready to treat you.

After a multi-year renovation, Hotel on Rivington took a step up in style, much like the blossoming Lower East Side neighborhood around it. With chic interiors, creative artists-in-residence and new, upscale dining and drinking experiences, this luxury boutique hotel lives up to its unique category. The building itself is a sight to behold, with floor-to-ceiling windows from which you can take in illuminating views of the city, scanning the sky from One World Trade to the Chrysler Building. The hotel’s lounge-y lobby area is painted with original work from artist-in-residence Domingo Zapata—each piece is for sale, and featured artists will continue to change with time. The lobby scene, while quiet on a Friday night, is about to change with a bar opening in 2017. For now, make your way to the floor level to head to Cafe Medi for a Mediterranean-inspired meal. Opened in summer 2016, the ample space has high ceilings and tiled walls adorned with what look like ancient Greek drawn figures of humans and birds. Start with creamy burrata and bits of the cast iron skillet-served bread before dipping into truffle polenta with mushrooms and perfectly runny eggs. Keep the party going with a stop-in next door to the recently opened (hotel-owned) Jia Lounge, a cocktail lounge that looks like your stylish grandmother’s dressed-up living room (in a good way), complete with plush furniture and walls, all in varying velvet floral patterns.   Back upstairs in your hotel room you’ll find wall-t

Before Ariana Grande released Christmas & Chill and that child from Love Actually immortalized “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey was claiming her throne as the queen of the season. Celebrate the diva’s 1994 album, Merry Christmas, at this rager, along with the catchiest pop, hip-hop and R&B songs of the ’90s as spun by DJ Steve. Better warm up your vocal cords if you want to keep up with Mimi.

Ah, the holidays. They're perfect for ice-skating, drunk Santas and getting tipsy on rooftops! That's why Greenpoint's Northern Territory is turning its three-floor bar and rooftop into a twisted holiday wonderland. Non-traditional Santas will be onhand for some lap-sitting photo shoots, including hunky Santa, Sexy Mrs. Claus, the Jewish Santa Hanukklaus, and Elvis Santa. On the roof, there will be plush snowball fights, a mistletoe grotto (come with or without someone to kiss) and a Christmas tree forest where the Krampus lurks. 

If you want to experience Brooklyn (the brand) without ever leaving the isle of Manhattan, this is where you should hang your hat. The hotel, once a millinery factory has charming industrial touches to lend a nostalgic vibe, from milliner tools hanging in the lobby to wooden floors in the rooms—and a hip crowd follows. Evening lends itself to chic thirty-somethings spilling into Winnie's Jazz Lounge, adjacent to the lobby. The same goes for those in the hotel's restaurant, Parker & Quinn, and rooftop bar, Refinery Rooftop. An exceptionally attentive concierge hand over a glass of wine and a room key, which opens a hotel room (in this case, a truly spacious suite with a king bed, couch and two flat-screen TVs) that looks, and possibly smells (sandalwood?) dramatically different than hotel norms. The interior is minimalistic, featuring the aforementioned oak floors and furniture, tan couch, oversized Art Deco lamp and a painting on the wall giving a moody splash of color. Heading out for a bite or a nightcap? Don't miss the Brussels sprouts dripping in sauce at Parker & Quinn (trust me, you haven't tasted them like this before), and head up to Refinery Rooftop for more rustic vibes. Strings of bulbs hang from the ceiling for a picnic-after-dark atmosphere, while a retractable roof shields partiers from whatever weather may come. This may be a mid-Manhattan spot, but it's far from the type of clubby scene most New Yorkers avoid; lounge in booths, gab by the bar or get a view of

For most New Yorkers, walking around Midtown is more of a crowd-induced nightmare than a dream, but the original Dream Hotel location does its best to combat this limbo-of-Manhattan stigma. Conveniently located (for tourism and business trips) on 55th Street and Broadway, the hotel is just a ten-minute walk from most Broadway theaters and Theater District restaurants, as well as the blindingly brilliant Times Square—but the Dream’s aura is all downtown chic. The first thing you spot in the hotel lobby—besides a line of people waiting for the elevator up to the hotel bar and lounge, PHD Terrace—is a cylindrical fish tank stretching from floor to ceiling brimming with saltwater fish that looked like they were plucked from Finding Nemo. The walls and furniture throughout the hotel maintain a plush green and purple color scheme, reminiscent of the colors of The Wizard of Oz on speed. After a friendly check-in you’ll be taken to your room, which is decidely bigger than the majority of bedrooms you’ll find in miniscule New York City apartments. Take a load off and stare at the psychadelically-patterned canopy-style headboards while sinking into the comfy beds (do bring earplugs: New York City never sleeps, as they say), then freshen up to hit the scene. At dinner at downstairs Serafina, you’ll hear a lot of Italian spoken from both dining guests and your waiters while drinking wine and devouring delicious dishes like rich lobster ravioli, pizza and white wine branzino (get extra

Team Dutch Kills, which lured serious drinkers all the way out to Long Island City, Queens, when its cocktail saloon opened in 2009, opted for a far more bustling backdrop—right off Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue—for its follow-up: But despite such a crushingly hip setting, Richard Boccato and his crew don’t fall prey to the preciousness or pretensions of its Brooklyn-bar brethren. A handful of nautical touches (a pirate painting hangs on the wall, the concave curves of which themselves resemble the inside of a ship) add character to the modest room, but any swashbuckling kitsch is curtailed by sleek finishings (leather booths, glazed walls), a crowd made up of thirtysomething loungers (on a recent night, one bargoer looked like the impeccably dressed love child of Carrie Brownstein and Björk) and, of course, some formidable cocktails. ORDER THIS: The pink-hued Inimitable Cocktail ($13) is a worthy summer sipper with Old Tom gin, Peychaud’s bitters, fresh lemon juice and cherries forging a tart, crisp palate. The Dragon’s Breath ($13) is another meticulously made—but no-frills—drink: Served in a Nick and Nora glass, it packs in a lot of flavor; fruity calvados, dry vermouth and apricot liqueur offset the vinegary heat of hot sauce and pickled walnut.GOOD FOR: A second date you want to impress without being overbearing. Small tables up front, perfect for two, are ripe for subtle knee bumps and getting-to-know-you gab, especially around 9pm when the lights dim and candles are li

It's not Monday, but it sure is gloomy. A sickening mix of freezing ice rain has descended upon us, and it's not likely to let up till 10pm tonight, according to Accuweather. So your commute home will be even less pleasant than usual! But as of now, all subway lines are up and running just fine. Winds can blow up to 58 mph today, so hold on to your broomsticks tight. The rain will lighten up overnight, and then tomorrow you can wake up and expect—yep, more rain! And Thursday too! Grab those umbrellas, find some fun things to do on a rainy day, and remember, at least it's still warm(ish) out! Just think... every soaked day is one step closer to spring.

New York, we have a delicious announcement to share with you. Time Out Group is launching a new hotspot for food and culture lovers right here in Gotham. Time Out Market will bring the best of New York City's restaurants, bars and cultural experiences—all handpicked by expert Time Out editors—together under one roof in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood. The market is set to open later this year at 55 Water Street within Empire Stores, complete with two floors, three bars, an outdoor rooftop area and a fantastic view of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan's iconic skyline. Check out the concept our editors are currently curating for you.   It's true: You'll eat meals from award-winning chefs, sip on refreshing cocktails, and take in breathtaking waterfront views and artistic performances all in one place. Feeling hungry and not sure what you want? No worries: The market will have 20 eats to choose from, plus three bars, a stage for performances and exhibition space. Want room to breathe in the busy city? Our space will occupy 21,000 square feet over two floors, with around 520 seats indoors and outdoors. Just want to gaze out over this great city? The rooftop on the fifth floor will offer great views of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the skyline of Lower Manhattan. The Market will be one of several that Time Out will launch globally. The hugely popular Time Out Market Lisbon opened in 2014, Time Out Market Miami, Boston, Montreal and Chicago market

UPDATE: Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade has been saved! The original title of this post was "The Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade is canceled"  There was a great disturbance in the force felt by all members of the Very Good Boy Allegiance yesterday: The 2018 Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is canceled.  The announcement of the cancellation of one of NYC's most cherished events was posted on Facebook, and people instantly went into mourning mode, then crisis mode. A GoFundMe page has already been set up, accumulating $860 of its $15,000 goal as of publish time. "The Parks Dept is asking for a large insurance & liability policy in order to hold the event this year — and we simply don’t have the funds or sponsor willing to provide it," the post says. "Having a means to fundraise (or a park conservancy which Tompkins Square does not) was a pre-requisite to renovating our dog park. Over the years the parade has raised more than $200,000.00 for the park — and secured twice that amount in matching funds. We are also leaving the dog park with an endowment at City Parks Foundation for it’s maintenance and upkeep for the next 10 years." The parade annually draws more than 10,000 people, some of whom travel from out of country with their pets for the event, and the parade lasts for hours. (I know because I was lucky enough to be an honorary judge at the 2015 parade, one of the greatest privileges of my dog-gone life.) Photograph: Jena Cumbo Ada Nieves, Dog Para

Last night, some of the best burgers in New York City gathered to feed the hungry masses at LIC Landing at the 2018 Time Out New York Battle of the Burger. More than 1,250 people attended our event (#TOBURGERBATTLE) to taste test their way through 10 meaty creations and a bottomless supply of ice-cold Budweiser, and they didn’t let any sort of limited stomach size stand in their way. Reppin' their patties this year were 5 Napkin Burger, BarKogi, The Baroness, The Dram Shop Bar, Eats on Lex, GENUINE Roadside, Harlem Shake, Peter McManus Cafe, P.J. Clarke's and Strip House. While scouring the best patties, attendees also got to dig into wings from Hooters, fries from FryGuys, frozen snacks at the My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream Mochi Bar™ and refreshments from Brooklyn Crafted, Essentia Water and Spindrift sparkling water.  Photograph: Rebecca Smeyne   Photograph: Rebecca Smeyne   Photograph: Rebecca Smeyne Our guest judges (the burgeratti) dug into each burger in a blind taste test. Katie Lee Harman (@tastesofny), Mike Puma and Ben Davis (@gothamburgersocialclub), Jackie Freiberg (@bon_nappetit), Rev Ciancio (@revciancio, @theburgeratti) as well as Time Out's own staff writer Will Gleason tried 'em all, and the winner of the Judge’s Choice Award went to Harlem Shake's Hot Mess burger, a Pat LaFrieda beef patty smothered with American cheese, onions, pickles, bacon relish, pickled cherry peppers and chipotle mayo. Psst, you’re drooling. Photograph: Rebecca Smeyne Attendees also c

Mysterious, gorgeous flower designs have been showing up unannounced around the city, only to be stumbled upon by New Yorkers delighted by their arrival. Slowly, the flowers are picked off by passersby until the city streets return to themselves, barely a trace of the abundant blossoms remaining. The creative team behind the phenomenon known as the Flower Flash is Lewis Miller Design, a floral and event design group led by Lewis Miller. Miller first came up with the idea last year after searching for a way to feel more deeply connected to his craft, says Irini Arakas, the firm's director of special projects. After many long, therapy-like discussions, Arakas noted that no one had ever done guerrilla or street art with flowers. Soon after, five members from Lewis' team were up at 5am to make it to Central Park before dawn, flowers in hand. They reused dahlias and carnations from a previous event to create a psychedelic halo around the mosaic that reads "Imagine" at the John Lennon memorial. Soon, the internet erupted with joy, and the Miller team has been Flower Flashing us ever since. Gifting flowers to the people of New York City. It's a simple idea that I've been knocking around in my brain for years... Read the full blog of how team LMD achieved it's first public installation of "Flowers for The People" (and this adorable pup!!) now on our website. Link in profile. #lmdblog #lewismillerdesign #randomactsofflowers #flowersforthepeople #giveback #peace #flowerflash A pos

Good news! Soon it should be easier than ever for readers to get their biweekly copy of Time Out New York. Beginning August 8, 2018, the magazine's distribution will stretch much wider. On Wednesdays, the distribution will go from 150 people handing out magazines on a single day to 300 boxes and 3,700 newsstands throughout NYC, Long Island, Westchester County and Dutchess County. That means you'll be able to get Time Out New York at thousands of more locations, in more boroughs and even outside city lines. We'll also continue to offer the magazine in hotels, cultural institutions, cafés, stores and more for you to pick up. Now, the magazine won’t just be available on a single day for a few hours—every issue will be available for two weeks at a time, 365 days a year (until, of course, all the copies at a location have been picked up, though we will be refilling boxes frequently). You can find a full map of venue distribution locations here, where our red pickup boxes will be stationed here, and the answers to all your questions about where to find Time Out New York here. You can also send an email to TOnewsstand@timeout.com to find a newsstand location near you. Time Out New York is always completely free, no matter where you pick the magazine up. And we will continue to curate and write about the best things to do and inspire you to make the most of the city. In 2018, we'll publish issues on August 8 and 22, September 5 and 19, October 3, 17 and 31, November 14 and 28 and Dec

On Monday, the New York Daily News cut its newsroom staff in half, gutting one of New York City's remaining three daily newspapers. Forty newsroom staffers were dismissed, including editor-in-chief Jim Rich, launching a national conversation on the state of journalism and the industry’s dire financial struggles. (The paper also plans to raise its daily price from $1 to $1.50 on August 6.) Many New Yorkers, former Daily News staffers, journalists and government officials around the country took to social media to lament the loss of another important journalistic institution, one that's been around since 1919 and has broken countless stories, including the brutal assault of Abner Louima by NYPD officers in 1997 and, earlier this year, the exposure of widespread dangerous levels of lead in public housing. “This will undoubtedly devastate many households and hurt an important New York institution and one of our nation’s journalism giants,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. Time Out New York asked reporters, including former Daily News staffers, to share their thoughts on why local news is so important to New York City, the nation and the world. Read their collected thoughts below.   You may know us for our provocative front pages. But there's a reason the Daily News is known as "New York's Hometown Newspaper."Here are just a few examples why we believe local journalism is so important. #SupportLocalJournalism pic.twitter.com/PGKYemDDpu — New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) Jul

It’s not just the subway that terrorizes New Yorkers daily; the public bus system has its own set of very special frustrations and delays. And the slowest bus in the city was given an official award Tuesday. The Straphangers Campaign, a public transit-user advocacy group, brought back its "Pokey" and "Schleppie" awards to formally recognize the slowest and most screwed-up bus routes NYC has to offer, according to NY1. The information on crawling bus routes comes from the MTA's Bus Time data. And the winner of the most sluggish bus of the year is... the M42! Congratulations to all involved! The M42, which runs across 42nd Street, runs at an average speed of 3.2mph. That's "slower than a chicken, which runs at up to nine miles an hour," says Straphangers Campaign member Jaqi Cohen. It's also slower than:-Turtles, which can go as fast as 20mph in water-Cows, which can run 25mph-Manatees—basically cows suspended in water—which manage about 5mph-The brisk pace most New Yorkers walk at-The slowest racers at a 5K race-The line at Trader Joe's This is the fifth time since the awards' conception 15 years ago that the M42 has won the "Pokey" distinction. That's one slow bus! The "Schleppie" award went to Brooklyn's B12, which has 21.4% of its buses running bunched, more than any other in the city. "It's that phenomenon of when you wait forever for a bus to show up and two to three show up at the same time," Cohen told NY1. The point of the awards is to highlight problem areas with publ

Sing us a song you're a... government-recognized day of celebration? Today Governor Cuomo officially announced that July 18, 2018 is Billy Joel Day in the state of New York. (Just check out this fancy proclamation that looks like a prop from Hamilton!) Cuomo bestowed the honor on Joel to commemorate his 100th performance at Madison Square Garden, where his personal piano will be displayed. He first performed there in 1978. "Billy Joel is not only one of the greatest entertainers of our time, but also a leading advocate for protecting the environment, honoring first responders and improving the lives of New Yorkers," Governor Cuomo said. "I am proud to proclaim Billy Joel Day to congratulate Billy on this milestone, and I look forward to seeing him perform for many years to come."  Joel, who is a six-time Grammy winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and the cause for regular outbursts of singalongs in bars across the nation, joins good company in those who have also been awarded honorary days of their own in New York, including Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony and Thurgood Marshall. Well Billy, we didn't start the fire, but we're still happy for you. We love you just the way you are, and this certainly put us in a New York State of Mind. Excuse me, I need to go see about an uptown girl. Subscribe for just $25 and enjoy an entire year of Time Out New York.

It's Monday, and it's Amazon Prime Day, which makes it an unbeatable day to surreptitiously online shop at your desk. We gathered some of the best items on sale that New Yorkers will actually want to buy. The sale, exclusively for Prime members, starts at 3pm EST July 16 and goes for 36 hours. Get 'em while you can! Kindle E-reader—$49.99 (38% off)For the bookworms that are already lugging enough heavy things around the city without that new 600-page hardback novel. Fire TV stick and Echo Dot combo—$44.98 (50% off)Because none of us have cable and you've been wanting to talk to Alexa anyways. The Fire TV stick itself is $15 and the Dot is $30, if you'd rather buy them separately. Petcube Play Pet camera with interactive laser toy—$150.97 (24% off)So you can stalk your pet and even run it around the room with a laser even when you're not around. S'well vacuum insulated stainless steel water bottle—$29.50 (16% off)Help banish single-use plastics and carry this bottle that will keep your liquids hot or cold for hours wherever you go. Ooh, and the color's called "Supernova." Anker portable charger—$30.79 (36% off)Charges iPhones, iPads, Galaxies and more multiple times from a single charge up. Aren't you sick of having to beg bartenders to let you plug in? Game of Thrones seasons 1-7 on Blu-Ray—$74.99 (67% off)As far as I know I'm the only New Yorker who doesn't watch this show. You're welcome! Keurig K-Cafe coffe, latte, cappuccino and espresso maker with 24 K-pods—$119.19 (60%

Ready to do some navel gazing this summer? The artist who created the social media sensation art exhibit "Infinity Mirrors" has a new installation of reflective spheres on view right now—and it's a short walk from the beach. Famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's "Narcissus Garden" is a garden of 1,500 celestial silver orbs in an abandoned train garage in the Rockaways. You can check it out for free through September 3 at Gateway National Recreation Area (next to the Rockaway Artists Alliance sTudio 7 Gallery) in Fort Tilden.The installation is part of MoMA PS1's free public art festival, Rockaway!, which seeks to highlight continuing restoration efforts in the area after the damage done there by Hurricane Sandy. The past two iterations of the festival exhibited work by Katharina Gross (2016) and Rockaways local Patti Smith (2014). Photograph: Jillian Anthony The spheres were first displayed by Kusama in 1966 (she's 89, y'all!) as part of the 33rd Venice Biennale, which she was not invited to. She stood it the center of them with signs that said "Your Narcissism for Sale" and selling them for $2 each. Could she have been predicting the selfie generation? Kusama, also known as the "Princess of Polka Dots," went on to create art throughout New York, including painting dots on naked bodies in Central Park and on the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, her work returns to the city right by the beach at Fort Tilden. You can take the ferry, take a ten-minute walk to check out the exhibit, then

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old, Bronx-born Latina and Democratic Socialist, had the ultimate New York come-up Tuesday night when she beat 10-term Congressman Joe Crowley in a huge primary election upset. Crowley, who went unchallenged as representative of New York's 14th district for 14 years, is the fourth most-powerful sitting Congressman and raised 10 times more funds than Ocasio-Cortez, who largely ran a grassroots campaign, according to CNN. Is your jaw dropping too? This is the moment Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old Latina running her first campaign, discovered she had ousted 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's 14th congressional district https://t.co/Q7namRbcEk pic.twitter.com/D4lzJZo1z3 — CNN (@CNN) June 27, 2018 "This is not an end, this is the beginning," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters at her victory party at Park Billiards in the Bronx last night. "This is the beginning because the message that we sent the world tonight is that it's not OK to put donors before your community. You have given this country hope, you have given this country proof that when you knock on your neighbor's door, when you come to them with love, when you let them know that no matter your stance, you are there for them—that we can make change." Crowley was apparently so unflustered by Ocasio-Cortez' status as a legitimate challenger that he didn't show up to a Bronx debate against her (he cited scheduling issues), sending former city councilwoman Annabel Palma