A well-trodden escape from the heat of the concrete jungle, Niagara Falls is almost as much a part of New York City’s summertime narrative as the Mr Softee jingle. An Amtrak journey away, New Yorkers have made the trip to see the thundering waters time and time again – for everything from elopements to weekends away from sizzling sidewalks. America-in-Play […]

Think you know Las Vegas? Think again. Thankfully for us lower-rollers, there’s more to Sin City than the hangovers, showgirls and blackjack. If you’ve done the Strip (or need to rejuvenate from your own daily sins) there’s just the place: Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada – about 25 minutes from the buzz of downtown LV. Here you’ll find peace […]

It’s an established fact that people are weird. And sometimes, just sometimes, you feel like the weirdest in the bunch. (Mostly when social interactions are involved.) Anyone who’s ever felt awkward at a house party, had an embarrassing run-in with an unrequited crush or made uncertain eye-contact with that weird guy on the subway (don’t deny that that’s all of […]

Jennifer, Cynthia and Heather Flood are three sisters on a mission. In 2008 their father was diagnosed with kidney failure and given six months to live. So they used what resources they had and turned to the internet. Through Craig’s List they were able to find their father a kidney (100 potential donors responded) and soon set out to do […]

Perfume and mystery are partners in crime. Certain smells have the power to conjure long-forgotten memories, stirring up stagnant, intangible feelings that we can’t quite explain. Science backs this up. A 2012 study found the mere whiff of scents like cake batter or an old flame’s signature perfume can bring on emotional memories. They can also leave us baffled – […]

            The beauty of a pop-up is in its chaotic, slap-dash spontaneity, and if rolling with culinary punches is your thang, then Alex Mitow’s All-American Diner: A Pop Up!, which took place at the now-closed Noah’s Ark deli on the Lower East Side over the Easter weekend, was the event for you. The hot dog […]

If you mention the Donner Party to most Americans, you’ll probably be met with a wrinkled nose, uncomfortable fidgeting or a look of vague revulsion. Whether or not they remember the details: they’ll remember the cannibalism. It’s undeniable that this tragic tale of snowbound pioneers, who resorted to eating each other to survive the vicious winter of 1846-47, is permanently […]

Everything’s popping up these days: Books. Kardashians. Your in-laws. But it’s undeniable that the pop-up du jour is in the form of the fly-by-night seat-of-its-pants restaurant. The latest candidate to the craze will be Alex Mitow’s All-American Diner: A Pop Up!, which will run April 17-20th in the the now-defunct Noah’s Ark deli (399 Grand Street). Once the home of […]

There are some neighborhood joints that are just for the neighborhood. They’re go-to spots where locals-only can expect familiar food and faces, and, when all else fails, they’ll be there for you. Like suppertime security blankets. Then there are those community gems that deserve more than just the usual folk. These outstanding holes-in-the-wall start as best-kept-secrets that eventually, by sheer […]

When James Bond ordered his martinis shaken, not stirred, it goes without saying they were made from gin. Vodka martinis would have done little to sustain the affable spy’s image as a pop cultural weapon in the West’s Cold War arsenal. (Though, to be fair, the Wall came down despite Reagan’s love of the Russian eau de vie in his martinis. […]