Ned Hepburn

Looking for the perfect way to unwind with the family without taking the entire team on vacation? Desperately seeking the best places to chill out in NYC" href="http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-best-places-to-chill-out-in-nyc" target="_blank">best places to chill out in NYC? Here's where to find a sunset NYC tourists haven't already invaded and settle in for a half hour of just... well, enjoying nature. Hint: Some of these sweet spots can be found on our list of NYC's 13 best parks for families." href="http://www.timeout.com/new-york-kids/things-to-do/13-best-nyc-parks-for-families-that-arent-central-park" target="_blank">NYC's 13 best parks for families.

It's not every day that you get to watch the greatest player of all time. Heck, it's not every day that you get to watch the world's greatest at anything. But $80 and a subway ticket to Queens felt worth it to watch the best tennis players in the world do their thing. RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the U.S. Open in New York Most people who attended Tuesday's Federer match at the US Open with me seemed to be either recreational tennis players or armchair fanatics, which meant that the American Express Fan Experience—a warehouse sized room full of all things tennis—was teeming with people interested in how to better their swing, or play like their favorite players. Instead of a corporate sponsor bore-fest the whole Am Ex Fan Experience is actually really well put together. Highlights include a swing test—which gives you information on how well you hit the ball, as well as what you could be doing better—and the Rally Cam, which produces an animated gif of you jumping in the air with a tennis racquet. It might not sound like much, but it gives you a little takeaway from the event. Kids can also get in on the fun—they can take group lessons from some NYC tennis teachers at Am Ex's full size indoor court, and a pro even stops in to sign autographs on occasion.  At another stand, you can get your picture taken with tennis professional Sloane Stephens. Or we should say: you get an interactive video with her (without her being there). Watching people's confused faces as they interacted

It's no secret that the Gowanus canal is full of shit. Literally. It's one of the most polluted bodies of water in America; it even has gonorrhea! So, hey! Fancy a swim?  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Gowanus, Brooklyn Having said that, the neighborhood surrounding the canal is one of the toniest neighborhoods in New York City. Nearby Carroll Gardens boasts some of the most fancy real estate in the country, and the Gowanus neighborhood itself is transforming from an industrial place that you wouldn't want to walk around at night to a bourgeois paradise complete with high-price lofts and boutiques. But there's something bubbling back up, Ghostbusters 2-esque, into the neighborhood's conscience: that of the Gowanus Canal itself. It's starting to bubble up in drains and sewage systems after heavy rainfall, ruining the delicate noses of Gowanus's new inhabitants. Several business–including the popular Bell House–have been threatened by the brown goo and it's potentially poisonous after-effects.  Considering that there's going to be numerous high-rise buildings being constructed in the area, that brown sticky poo goo problem is about to get much, much worse. 

As bikers around the city are all too aware, we are in the middle of a two-week bike crackdown. That means cops are out in force to make sure you don't ride your bike the wrong way down the street, run red lights, or let your two-wheeler touch the sidewalk. The NYPD even seems to be using tactics such as blocking the bike lane with their squad cars so that they can give tickets to people that then ride outside the bike lane.   RECOMMENDED: The best ways to bike New York It all has something to with Operation Safe Cycle; a 2 week long "safety awareness" program for bikers. While that seems to have been the original initial intention, some bikers see it as an excuse for the NYPD to give out more tickets to cyclists. This isn't the first time the NYPD has muddled the point in terms of what it means by "bike safety." In 2012, there were nearly 3 times more tickets handed out for bicycling on the sidewalk (which is admittedly a shitty thing to do) than there were given out to all motorists in the NYC metropolitan area.  If you haven't already gotten a ticket, the easiest way to avoid one may simply be not to use your bike at all for the next week. But that would mean giving up your God/Allah/Taylor Swift given right to ride a bicycle where you please in this city (or just having to commute via subway...and we're still scared of the bed bugs on the N train). So here's some tips and tricks to NOT getting a ticket on your bike in NYC:  Don’t run red lights even if the pedestrian wa

Open House New York is opening the doors…to houses. Over 200 sites will allow visitors to come in and peruse the buildings. These include a 425 square-foot loft on top of an Upper West Side brownstone, a brand new event space inside of a bank in Williamsburg, the Kickstarter headquarters inside of an old pencil factory and even the United Nations building. This is a great oppurtuity for New Yorkers to see inside buildings they might not usually get the chance to peek into.  RECOMMENDED: Read more on Open House New York The event takes place on October 11th and 12th, with locations in each of the five boroughs. Walking tours of the buildings will be available, too, which promise to be both informative and fun for every type of New Yorker. You may think you know everything about the city, but did you know that the recent renovations of the UN building cost $2 billion? Or that the Barbarian Group's desk seats their entire staff (it's called a superdesk for a reason, folks)? You'll have to take a look for yourself that weekend, October 11th and 12th.  Wanna register? Click over to the OHNY website to do so. 

News is spreading like candlefire wildfire that there is now a Bushwick-scented candle on sale for $81 that allegedly smells like wood, artist lofts, paint thinner, incense, booze, and dust. Well, we at TONY have gone one step further and made a list of the scents we'd mix together to create candles for 8 other NYC neighborhoods. Ain't we good to you? RECOMMENDED: See the full Bushwick, Brooklyn guide Midtown– Tourists– More tourists– Chain restaurants– Your aunt from Iowa who thinks that this part of town is all New York has to offer because she's afraid to take the subway Park Slope– Strollers– The top of a baby's head– Eyerolling– Hummus  Cobble Hill– Pumpkin Spice Lattes– Yoga pants– Whatever Trader Joes has a free sample of– Frozen yogurt and a Parker Posey movie marathon Williamsburg – Trust fund money– A band– Mustache wax– A YouTube video of Bon Iver cover on a ukelele  Lower East Side– A $600 pre-weathered leather jacket– Katz's Deli pastrami– A lengthy bar tab– Models not talking to you Upper West Side– whatever the elevator smells like in Tina Fey's building– Lobster rolls– Seinfeld (the guy): musty but affluent– Seinfeld (the show): aged well but still prett-ay, prett-ay, prett-ay good Union Square– 1994– pot, as in pot you can smoke...or it could be cooking?– Chipotle? Is that smell Chipotle?- That guy over there who isn't even holding any food but smells like Chipotle  Crown Heights– Newly-opened coffee shops – Williamsburg 10 years ago– The LES 20 years ago– So

The Handsome Family—the stage name of the actually quite handsome married couple Brett and Rennie Sparks—have made a name for themselves the last few years with their intoxicating blend of dark Southern Gothic rock. It's only natural that one of their songs "Far From Any Road" ended up as the theme song to HBO's True Detective. The duo will play at Mercury Lounge on Houston Street this Saturday and this Friday in Brooklyn at Rough Trade. Our reporter Kaitlyn Mitchell sat down to talk with them. Brett, what type of music were you pursuing before you asked Rennie to try her hand at writing lyrics and formed The Handsome Family?Brett: I was working on a master's in music history. I studied "classical" music. At that point I was into a lot of avant garde art music, like John Cage, George Crumb, Elliot Carter, etc. I was at SUNY Stony Brook, and at the time the best teachers were focused on early music—Renaissance and medieval. I was also in a rockabilly band at the time. I was really getting into early rock and roll and country. Rennie, were you first a painter or a fiction writer? And did you play the ukelele before The Handsome Family?Rennie: It's actually a bass uke that I play—just like a regular bass, but easier to carry on a plane. I played bassoon as a kid. I have always wanted to make art and tell stories. In elementary school I wrote a long story with many drawings about a boy who lived in a cave of bears. I haven't changed much. You both lived in New York during the lat

Fri July 11 NYC Parks Summer Movie Series: Coraline 3D at Maria Hernandez ParkBring a blanket and venture into a secret world in this Neil Gaiman penned modern classic of a children’s movie. Prospect Heights Music Festival at The Way StationThis first annual indie fest will be like being given a live sample of some of the best up-and-coming artists to test out for your new playlist. Karaoke on the Boardwalk at Coney Island BoardwalkWhy not combine the awesomeness that is the Wonder Wheel with your love of belting at the top of your lungs to your favorite hits? Sat July 12 Huey Lewis & the News at Citi FieldHuey Lewis is playing at Citi Field directly after the Mets-versus-Marlins game, combining ’80s nostalgia with baseball. A Bikeable Feast in various locationsWhat could be better than biking around Brooklyn at sunset? How about a delicious locally-sourced meal made for you directly after? Coney Island on Tap at MCU ParkThis craft beer fest features over 100 of the finest libations. ‘Nuff said. 4Knot Festival After-Party at Webster HallLow Key hosts a night of hip-hop featuring California native Ab Soul. Sun July 13 Bastille Day on 60th Street at various locationsIndulge your inner Francophile during this celebration of French national pride. Oui oui! THE SALON: Pièce de Résistance at Rebel NYCThe Hot Sardines and Gordon Webster Blues Quartet provide the swinging tunes at this jazzy Bastille Day party. The Outsiders Screening at Habana OutpostWhat could top seeing a movie w

Get ready, folks. The Atlantic Antic is comin' for ya this Sunday the 28th. Taking place over a 10 block radius down Atlantic Avenue (in Brooklyn) with over 12 stages, there's no doubt the street fest has a lot going on. Get ready for (incredible) Vietnamese sandwiches from nearby Hancos on Smith, roasted corn, Mediterranean belly dancing, and dozens of booths from local artists and artisans selling their wares.   Here's some of our top picks:  Hanks Saloon Stage from 4pm (Le Sans Culottes) to 5pm (The Get It). Hanks is a real dive bar that harkens back to when Boerum Hill was a much more rough and tumble neighborhood. It's also the only actual venue that has live music on this list; most of the others are restaurants. Hanks knows music better than any of 'em so expect some raucous fun at the tail end of this family-friendly day.  An entire block is dedicated to kids activities, with pony rides and face painting and fun treats galore.  At the corner of Atlantic Ave and Clinton St is the Atlantic Antic Main Stage, which will give way to a whole host of local politicians come 2pm. There'll be a special address from Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, followed by a speech from New York Senator Daniel L. Squadron. At approximately 4pm, the Brooklyn Ballet will present a special dance piece choreographed just for the Atlantic Antic. Most people don't get to see ballet up close; this is a great way to see a beautiful art form. For fans of earnest cover songs, The Windsor Ter

Today in "Oh, Gosh, Really?" news, retail outlet Urban Outfitters claims that it sells more vinyl records than anywhere else.  For those of you unfamiliar with Urban Outfitters, they are a clothing store / lifestyle hub for the burgeoning hipster and are most usually found in or around college age in big and mid-sized cities. For those of you unfamiliar with vinyl records, they are those black flat things that your Dad has a few of somewhere in a box that contain music. Think of them like giant Spotify playlists that can scratch and break easily.  Urban Outfitters actually doesn't "sell records" but rather rents out the bins in the front of the store to around 100 different vendors, making vinyl part of the urban hipster lifestyle branding. It's not neccesarily a bad thing: the more people that buy Bob Dylan and Nas's "Illmatic" (not to mention Dave Brubeck's quite awesome "Time Out" LP) the better—but dropping serious coin on the $200 Pendleton x Crosley turntable might not be such a great idea.  New York City, being the hub of cool cultural activity long before Urban came along, naturally has a bunch of great record stores, such as: the fantastic Rough Trade records (pictured above), a massive store with it's very own performance and practice space. There's also the ubiquitous Other Music in Manhattan, which has been spoofed by Aziz Ansari.  Black Gold, in Cobble Hill, is a collectors paradise (if a little pricier than the other 2) and it doubles as a food and drink spot,

Clowns. The very name alone instills fear in the hearts of millions. Their overly happy demeanor and bright colored clothing are an especially hard pill for New Yorkers to swallow, what with their mindblowingly positive attitude and all those colors they wear to their day jobs. Fortunately, today there's one less of 'em on the streets. Unfortunately, they're going to be parading the clown funeral all over the streets of Williamsburg.  No, a clown didn't actually die—the funeral is really an event to mark the end of the 2014 NY Clown Theater Festival. In a press release, the clowns have stated:  Another year, and the sadness returns. Come join us in our mourning and remembrance of the good times and bad as we close down the 2014 Festival. Meet us near the corner of 7th Avenue and Bedford in Brooklyn as carry the coffin and we wail, moan and lose it all the way to The Brick. There we remember the festival and then will dance and party our sorrows away knowing we should live for the moment, and the festival would have wanted it that way. If you're interested in attending or joining the parade, OR simply want to stay as far away from the clowns as possible, they are meeting this Sunday at 6:30pm in Williamsburg off the L train at Bedford and 7th Ave. They'll then parade all the way to the Brick Theater (579 Metropolitan Ave) for a party celebrating the end of the festival. If you are going to attend, be sure to wear a lot of black (and good luck to you), because it is, after all,

The 100 Montaditos’ First Annual Running of the Bulls on Thursday, September 18th will be a good and true event and young men and women will walk to combat hunger. Hemingway once ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and he ran fast and honestly and then he drank and he was happy. You too can pretend to be like Hemingway as I am doing here. Meet at 176 Bleecker Street where you will be given a red t-shirt not disimilar to the red kercheifs that bullrunners wear in Pamplona. You will then walk a mile and it will be Autumn and cold yet you will be doing this for the Food Bank For New York City and the knowledge of that shall warm you. The walk itself is from 5:30pm to 6pm and it shall be good and true and you shall smile. You shall not be chased by bulls but led by a Harley Davidson made to look like a bull. After you are finished you shall eat tapas and you shall be full and happy and something something Paris in the '20s something something women something something hunting.  You can register at the 100 Montaditos website for ten American dollars and the sun shall rise on your fun time spent having fun with friends and perhaps family. 

Uber drivers are voicing frustrations this week that the company's recent discount offerings have lead to decreased wages, and are forcing drivers to work extra hours to compensate. According to Buzzfeed, SUV and black car drivers have complained that they've been forced to accept the rates of the regular UberX sedan drivers, meaning that while riders are getting a pretty sweet deal, the drivers of said cars are getting paid less than they'd usually make. Drivers staged a small protest at Uber's Long Island City headquarters earlier this week, and some have allegedly switched to rival Lyft. A larger group of drivers are planning a strike on Monday, so until that gets resolved, we've come up with five other transport companies we'd like to see in New York, with a list of the most important points in their business plans.   HipstUber Only work when they feel like it.  Have a hard time following directions. Or applying themselves, really.  Bottled water? Fuck that. These drivers have Crystal Pepsi.  Are the drivers hungover? What are they listening to? Will they take off their sunglasses?   Did they just pull over to tweet and left the meter running? All bad things aside, they totally know where to find good tacos.   Touristé Will drive you around the same block three times while talking on the phone.  Has no idea where Brooklyn is.  Bridge? What bridge?  Sorry I can't hear you.  Nope.  The car is emission free because it runs entirely on contempt and loud sighs.  Can be foun