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A drone show will light up the NYC skyline this weekend
You’ll want to look up to the sky tonight in NYC.
Global collective Projecting Change will put on a light show above the East River with 1,000 drones on Friday and Saturday nights to kick off Climate Week.
RECOMMENDED: Catch the Empire State Building sparkle in red, white and green after sunset tonight
You can see the series of drone shows after sunset along the East River near the UN building, viewable from either side of the river, depending on the weather. You can monitor any changes to the shows on social media (X, formerly Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).
The drones are meant to “inspire, educate, unify, and activate” about the climate crisis and other important environmental campaigns, according to the Projecting Change. The shows coincide with the 78th United Nations General Assembly and the UN-Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit and SDG Summit and are meant to send “a strong message to world leaders.”
“Art has the power to shift cultures. We urgently need to drive change at scale—to redesign our human systems to be in alignment with nature, and respect all life,” said Projecting Change CEO Christopher Lejeune. “Our children’s survival and all future generations of life on Earth depend on it.”
At the end of each show, you can scan a QR code in the sky to see the Drone Show’s associated campaigns and take part in a unique contest hosted by TMRW, an initiative that aims to empower humanity towards an inclusive and sustainable future through the use of AI to imagine what that future could look like. (If you enter, you can pitch your creative ideas for objects, inventions, places and environments that could contribute to a sustainable future). The AI system developed by TMRW could then generate visuals of your ideas.
You May Love Your PSL, But You Sure Won’t Love This Pumpkin Spice Tax
If you haven’t had your first pumpkin spice latte of the year, first off, what are you doing? Secondly, you actually might want to hold onto your wallet until you hear this…
A new study from MagnifyMoney shows that pumpkin spice products have increased in price, with an average tax of 14.5%. More specifically, for iconic annual pumpkin spice products like a Starbucks PSL, coffee drinkers can expect to pay an 18% pumpkin spice tax. The Seattle-born coffee company charges $1 more for the seasonal drink in comparison to its Caffe Latte.
To calculate the average pumpkin spice tax, MagnifyMoney collected data from 62 grocery products (31 pumpkin and 31 non-pumpkin) across Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Target. In terms of coffee retailers, they gathered numbers on 18 products (nine pumpkin and nine non-pumpkin) from Blank Street, Starbucks and Dunkin.
MagnifyMoney has been researching the topic since 2017, and this is the first year the tax is in the double digits. Between 2017-2020 the pumpkin spice tax increased by 10%. The average pumpkin spice tax was 8.8% in 2020.
Interestingly enough, the largest markup for pumpkin spice-related products is for pumpkin spice pretzels. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels cost 50 cents an ounce, yet their Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks cost 19 cents an ounce. That’s a 161.1% difference!
And though it seems pumpkin spice products launch earlier each year, Google Trends data shows that people’s interest in the seasonal flavor hasn’t reached its peak in years. Searches for a pumpkin spice latte in August 2022 were 18% lower than they had been in their peak, which was August 2018. MagnifyMoney suggests that its early release and accessibility may be cause for its drop in interest.
When comparing which states were most interested in pumpkin spice lattes, the West coast had significantly more searches than the East coast. The study believes this could be credited to seasonal FOMO since much of the West coast states like Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico don’t have an actual fall season in terms of temperatures.
So with this tax, does it mean we need to give up on our love for the seasonal flavor? Hell no! There are many ways to still enjoy your pumpkin spice fix. MagnifyMoney encourages you to comparison shop, budget for your fall preferences, and keep an eye out on discounts.
Discover more findings from the study here.
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A 33,000-Square-Foot Target Is Coming To Union Square
October brings with it autumn breezes, fall foliage and this year, a brand new target location!
The massive retailer announced the grand opening of a Union Square location set for October 22, 2023. Shoppers will be able to find it at 10 Union Square East. It will take over former pub, SideBar.
News about the opening first came about in 2020, when The New York Post reported that a lease had been signed for the store space.
“As we get closer to opening the store, we’ll have more specific details to share – including how the shopping experience will be tailored to serve local guests,” said a Target spokesperson.
Target most recently opened a gigantic location in SoHo last summer. Beyond the Union Square store, Target is expected to open more than five additional locations across NYC. Those locations include a store in the Bronx Bruckner Commons (139,000 sq. ft.), Brooklyn Kings Plaza (90,160 sq. ft.), Chelsea (28,000 sq. ft.), Harlem (44,000 sq. ft.), Astoria (47,000 sq. ft.), and Yonkers (132,000 sq. ft.)
In other news: Gramercy Park Hotel To Welcome Back Guests After Two Years
The post A 33,000-Square-Foot Target Is Coming To Union Square appeared first on Secret NYC.