First we had an earthquake, then we had an eclipse and now the Knicks are actually good at basketball.

They say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice but, this year, New York has been pulsing with electricity, and the Knicks’ latest winning streak has every New Yorker, whether a basketball fan or not, in a chokehold.

If you haven’t been following, here’s why tomorrow night’s game is such a big deal: if the Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers, it will be the first time in 24 years that the team will qualify to go to the Eastern conference finals, bringing them one step closer to the playoffs.

That is all to say: tomorrow night’s game, which kicks off at 8:30pm, is something to be experienced alongside fellow New Yorkers… which is why we’ve put together a list of the best places around the city to watch it all unfold:

Manhattan 

• Madison Square Garden, Midtown: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza

What better place to watch the game than on the Knicks’ home turf? Madison Square Garden will be hosting a giant watch party and you can snag tickets, which start at $27, right here here. 

• Slate NY, Midtown: 54 West 21st Street

Enjoy the game on a big screen at an event hosted by Knicks Fan TV, the online sports news channel and social media account dedicated to the team. Doors open at 6:30pm and you have the option to reserve a table. Get your tickets here. 

• Pennsylvania 6 NYC, Midtown: 132 West 31st Street

Produced by The Roommates Show and presented by Tommy John, tickets to the watch party at Pennsylvania 6 NYC will include an open bar, pizza and giveaways. You can get your tickets here. 

• T Squared Social, Midtown: 7 East 42nd Street

This Midtown bar will start with a pregame party at 8pm and blast the match’s audio chronicle through its in-house speakers. 

• Amity Hall, Greenwich Village: 80 West 3rd Street

This is an official Knicks Bar Takeover location, which means that the entire bar will be watching the game. There will be flatscreen TVs on every wall and the menu will be filled with a healthy selection of craft beers and classic American food. If you’re looking to experience the game alongside a younger energetic crowd, this is a great option (you’ll be smack dab in the middle of the NYU campus, after all).

• Stout, Midtown: 133 West 33rd Street

If the Knicks win, you’ll want to be at Stout’s 33rd Street location, which is just half a block away from Madison Square Garden—where Knicks fans gather every time the team scores a victory. 

Queens

• Alewife Brewing, Sunnyside: 41-11 39th Street

Founded in 2021, Alewife is a spacious, Irish brewery with an outdoor area (we’re expected to hit the high 60s tomorrow night). Founded by the people behind other iconic breweries like Rattle N Hum, The Jeffrey and Fools Gold, expect a fun viewing experience in a social beer hall setting. 

• Pig Beach, Astoria: 35-37 36th Street, ground floor

If BBQ with a side of basketball sounds like your vibe, Pig Beach BBQ should be your go-to. 

• Lost in Paradise Rooftop, Long Island City: 11-01 43rd Avenue

If a rooftop party with a view is more your speed, Lost in Paradise’s space, food and hookah is for you. You can reserve your table here. 

Brooklyn

• Fulton Hall, Downtown Brooklyn: 250 Ashland Place

Located in a spacious industrial space in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, Fulton Hall boasts plenty of comfortable seats, with a mixture of booths, bar seating and tables. The vibe is festive and there’s a pool table on site. 

• Emblem, Williamsburg: 187 Graham Avenue

Decked out with a staggering 15 high-definition flat screens, Emblem is not only a great place to watch the game, but also a great place to try out some local brews.  

• Time Out Market New York: 55 Water Street

Watch the game with sound on at Time Out Market with your pick of incredible NYC favorites, from comfort food at Jacob’s Pickles to delicious pizza from Fornino. You can wash it all down with a cold brew or specialty cocktail—all with a view of the NYC skyline.

Bronx

• Brewsky Bar and Grill, Throgs Neck: 3718 East Tremont Avenue

Brewksy’s large outdoor area and picnic tables are perfect for a pre-summer vibe with a wide selection of food: think hard shell tacos, robust nacho plates and mac and cheese.

* This article was originally published here

Stretching from Far Rockaway to Breezy Point, there are plenty of things to do in Rockaway Beach, that urban oasis that gives New Yorkers the opportunity to for swimming, sunbathing, and sports like volleyball, with only a subway swipe or scenic ferry ride. But one of our favorite ways to spend time in the summertime spot is by eating, at the many burger joints, taco stands and beach bars in the area. And thankfully there will be plenty of grub and guzzles to enjoy at Rockaway Beach and nearby boardwalks this summer in NYC. 

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Beach 106th Street

Both Caracas Arepa Bar and the health-minded Brothers—which sells stuff like pesto breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit juices and smoothies, and “energy cookies”—will be back at Beach 106th for the summer 2024 season. 

Beach 97th Street

The largest concession at Rockaway Beach is back for summer with an all-star lineup of food vendors, including Seany Pizza, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Hook Burger, Odd Fellows Ice Cream, Wise Clock Cafe, ChickWreck, Amor Fresco, La Cevicheria, Washed Up and Edible Island. The Sand Shark Bar will be pouring draft beers, wines and frozen cocktails, as well as a brand-new selection of beach-inspired cocktails. All vendors will open on Memorial Day Weekend and will run daily between 9am and 8pm. 

Beach 86th Street

The beloved boardwalk snack shop Rippers will return with burgers, hot dogs and breakfast items, as well as beer, wine and vintage beach decor.

Beach 73rd Street

Signorina Food will be making its boardwalk debut this summer, specializing in empanadas and baked sweets.

Beach 67th Street

A new beer garden and Slutty Sammys—known for its sandwiches like the “I Like Chicks” (sesame pan-fried chicken, quick-pickled turnip, tahini chili crisp) and the “Fat Daddy” (prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, pesto)—will be popping up at this surfer haven on weekends and holidays.

Beach 59th Street

After a hiatus, Colombian restaurant Palenque will be returning to the Rockaways with this Arverne Boardwalk outpost on weekends to showcase their delicious arepas, empanadas and more. 

Jacob Riis Park Bars and Concessions

Officially opening for the season on Saturday, May 18, the Riis Beach will have food-and-drink vendors at both Bay 9 and Bay 2. At the former, you’ll find burgers and fries from Space Burgers; cooling scoops from Davey’s Ice Cream; Peruvian ceviche from La Cevicheria; fried fish and poke bowls from Shanty’s; and a beach bar pouring frozen cocktails, mixed drinks, canned beers and more. And Spectro will be returning over at Bay 2, griddling up hot dogs, cheeseburgers and more. 

Mobile vendors

There will also be beachside ice cream carts rolling along the sand, as well as Mr. Softee parked along Shore Front Parkway. (That means you won’t have to download an app to find some soft serve!)

* This article was originally published here

Sometimes you’ll feel very tall, sometimes very small, and sometimes in awe of it all at this new New York Botanical Garden exhibit that celebrates the magic of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. With a variety of botanical and artistic exhibitions throughout the Bronx garden’s 250 acres, “Wonderland: Curious Nature” encourages visitors to get “curiouser and curiouser” around every turn. 

See a massive white (well, actually green) rabbit made entirely of plants; explore an enchanting English garden with delightfully weird flora; climb through a rabbit hole; hang out in a house made of mycelium bricks; and much more at this sprawling exhibition. Wonderland: Curious Nature runs from May 18 through October 27, 2024, and will evolve with each season.

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In addition to dazzling with gorgeous flower displays, the exhibition also tips its hat to the era in which Lewis Carroll wrote about Alice’s adventures. In the 1800s, Victorians were fascinated by nature, and it’s worth trying to see the exhibit as they would have—agape with wonderment. The show is inspired by real-life plantings of the Oxford Botanic Garden, which Carroll was known to visit.

Begin the journey in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory where you’ll see a pond with giant tropical water lilies that will grow even larger over the next few months. Over time, some can even stretch to six or seven feet in diameter—and they’re strong enough to balance 50-60 pounds of weight! These water lilies were the “horticultural big game of their day,” the botanical garden’s Marc Hachadourian explains. “People were fascinated by them.” Around the pond, soaring palms draw the gaze to the glass house above.

Next, meander through winding paths packed with wondrous plants like pastel-colored larkspur and the otherworldly tower of jewels with its delicate pink flowers and tentacle-like arms. These tall plants in neat arrangements evoke the traditional Victorian garden setting that Alice sought to enter. 

Eventually, the formal garden gives way to a more rugged greenspace packed with softer meadow plantings like Alice would’ve played in before meeting the White Rabbit. Rocks and stumps harvested from the botanical garden decorate the area around the flowers. At first, you’ll notice the stumps seem small, but then (as a nod to the story) they grow bigger and bigger. Eventually, you’ll get a chance to climb through a larger-than-life stump and down the metaphorical rabbit hole into a land where plants devour insects and some even serve as a home to colonies of ants.

The garden’s curators wanted to give the “impression of growing and shrinking,” Hachadourian said.

On the way out of the conservatory, take a peek at two giant kinetic mushroom sculptures that move at random as if they’re breathing. At night, they light up with colorful LED hues adding to the magical dreamscape. The sculptures dazzled audiences at the Burning Man festival and have traveled around the globe before landing here in New York City.

Even after exploring the conservatory displays, the exhibition is far from over. Head to the Mertz Library Building to dig into the scientific aspects of mind-altering plants and fungi. Plus, get a chance to experience some pretty trippy art. The library exhibition also explores how Alice’s story has grown from a symbol of the countercultural movement to a global phenomenon. It even includes some of the most iconic quotes from the tales, like this one when Alice was asked, “Who are you?” She replied, “I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another!”

After the library, it’s time for an adventure to the rose garden (don’t miss Yoko Ono’s oversized chess display while you’re there) and into the far reaches of the on-site forest to see a spectacular mirrored installation. Also step inside a fun-size house made entirely of mycelium bricks; it’s inspired by Alice’s uncanny growth spurt that sends her catapulting through the roof of a garden cottage. The garden’s free tram can help you get from place to place as you navigate the massive exhibition.

Before you go, don’t be “late” for a “very important date” with the White Rabbit. This 12-foot creature, entirely made of plants, stands near the visitor center greeting all with his pocket watch on his chest.

You might notice one thing missing at the garden: Alice herself. That’s intentional. Just as Alice was the heroine of her own adventure, curators want you to find yourself in Alice’s transformative journey of curiosity in the garden and beyond.

Activities, from an opening weekend garden party to a fungi weekend in the fall to 21+ nighttime events, there are so many ways to experience the new exhibition. Also be sure to schedule time for a whimsical tea party.

Though it’s now more than 150 years since the first publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the delightful story with its heroic protagonist feels just as fresh as ever—especially at New York Botanical Garden with its enchanting scientific and artistic twist on the story. 

* This article was originally published here

Rainbow cookie croissants, Kinder chocolate croissants, even more Cronuts—there’s been a lot of recent developments in the world of New York croissants, so, it’s only fitting that Raf’s is introducing an entire club devoted to those flaky, buttery baked goods.

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The Noho hotspot, which serves a daily rotation of French and Italian-inspired baked goods during the day and intimate dinner service by night, is officially launching the Raf’s Croissant Club for all of you fans of the lush, laminated pastry. The cafe-restaurant’s Executive Pastry Chef Camari Mick has partnered with a lineup of notable, talented cooks, including James Beard Award-winning chef-writer Sophia Roe, YouTube personality Sohla El-Waylly, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Jon & Vinny’s fame, and more to develop unique croissant recipes that will be released throughout the summer. 

Starting on Tuesday, May 21st, Raf’s will be offer weekly specialty croissants in collaboration with a new chef. “Each croissant takes creative direction from the featured chef’s roots, culinary cuisine, and favorite flavors, inevitably producing a one-of-a-kind treat,” the team said in a press release. For example, the inaugural croissant will be a collaboration between Chef Mick and Sohla El-Waylly: together, they developed a Spiced Potato “Dosa” croissant, inspired by the savory pancakes of southern India, which will be priced at $14 a pop. 

It’s not a surprise that Raf’s is down to get inventive when it comes to baked goods: on the bakery’s regular menu, you’ll find newfanged items like croissants flavored with prosciutto and Taleggio ($12), scones inspired by cacio e pepe pasta bowls ($5) and Danishes loaded with sweet, caramelized onions ($6.50). 

There will be limited quantities of each croissant available daily as part of Raf’s Croissant Club—however, the first 100 Croissant Club customers will receive a frequent-buyer “Croissant Punch Card” to use for every specialty croissant purchased. Customers that fill out their entire punch card for every collaboration will get to take home a free, limited-edition Raf’s hat. 

* This article was originally published here