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If you’re looking to travel anywhere domestically within the next year, it’s going to be very important to ensure you have the right form of identification. According to the Department of Homeland Security, all Americans will need a Real ID by May 7, 2025 to board a domestic flight. Nonetheless, a new proposal suggests pushing the deadline back, as only 56% of state-issued IDs were Real ID-compliant as of January 2024.

What do I need to fly in the U.S.?

All Americans will be required to have a REAL ID in order to fly anywhere domestically by May 7, 2025. However just recently, TSA is proposing a phased approach that could extend the enforcement of the REAL ID after the May 7, 2025 date.

What is a REAL ID?

REAL IDs are a security standard for state-issued driver’s licenses following the Congressional passing of the Real ID Act in 2005 to strengthen national security, while setting a minimum standard for proving identification across each state in the U.S.

How do I know if I have a REAL ID?

A REAL ID is a federally compliant identification card that is most easily identifiable by the star in the right hand corner. Though both a REAL ID and standard license let you drive in the U.S., only a REAL ID or REAL ID-compliant documents will let you board a domestic flight or enter various federal facilities upon a certain date.

How do I get a REAL ID?

1. Gather your documents: minimum documentation includes full legal name, DOB, social security number, two proofs of address and lawful status (necessary documentation may vary by state so check your local driver’s licensing agency website)
2. Schedule a DMV appointment
3. Submit your application at the DMV

A REAL ID takes about two weeks to come in the mail. Note that a REAL ID in New York does not cost more than the normal transaction fees that apply.

Will the REAL ID deadline be pushed back?

For now, the deadline remains at May 7, 2025. However, the proposed rule asks for “appropriate flexibility” by “permitting agencies to implement card-based enforcement in phases” in coordination with DHS.

Since 44% of Americans still need to make the switch as of January 2024, DHS fears that there will be an overwhelming demand for REAL IDs as the deadline nears that could lead to issuance delays. Thus, travelers hoping to get their REAL ID in time to travel by the May 7, 2025 deadline might be out of luck in receiving their ID on time. In that case, these individuals would be denied entry on a federally regulated aircraft.

To mitigate this and provide a “swift transition,” the proposed rule could provide agencies with an extra two years to implement REAL ID compliance in a phased approach. This would give some Americans until 2027 to get a REAL ID. If the deadline is pushed back, it would be the REAL ID’s fourth delay since Covid-19.

What are REAL ID-compliant documents?

Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDL) will be accepted as a REAL ID alternative if issued from Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, or Vermont, shared the DHS. Passports are also another REAL ID-compliant document. TSA has listed additional acceptable forms of identification online.

What else should I know?

More info on REAL IDs can be found on the DHS website.

A similar initiative is being implemented for international travel, which will soon require all U.S. passport holders to obtain an ETIAS to enter into about 30 European countries.

The post REAL ID Deadline May Be Extended, Giving Travelers More Time appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

A beloved travel tradition is coming to an end as the EU plans to scrap passport stamps in lieu of the new Entry/Exit System (EES), a self-service system to track non-EU nationals at border crossings. Though a step in the future for travel security innovation, many visitors will surely be disheartened to end their collection of passport stamps.

Here’s everything you need to know about the EU implementing the EES, and what that means for your passport stamp collection…

What is the EES?

EES is an automated IT system that will register non-EU nationals traveling to the EU for short stays (90 days in a 180-day period).

How does the EES work?

If you’re at border crossing for the first time with EES, passport control officers will collect personal data on you by taking a photo of your face and scanning your fingerprint to be stored in a digital file. Those who have already gone through the EES before will only be asked to verify their photo and fingerprints. Therefore, passports will no longer need to be stamped to record traveler’s entry and exit.

EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings, and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers – European Commission’s Department for Migration and Home Affairs

Can you refuse to have your photo taken or fingerprints scanned?

Refusal would deny you entry to EU territories that use the EES.

Why switch from passport stamps to the EES?

The EES intends to modernize the management of the EU’s external borders, improve efficiency, detect overstayers, fight identity fraud, strengthen security and promote accessible, real-time information for border authorities.

When will the EES launch?

EU airports will begin using the EES by November 2024. This comes just a few months ahead of the ETIAS implementation that will be required by non-EU nationals to travel to around 30 European countries.

Do travelers still need a passport?

Yes. To use this new self-service system, travelers will need a biometric passport or e-passport. This essentially is a passport with an electronic chip (looks like a camera icon on the bottom of a passport cover) that holds biometric data, such as your name, date of birth, etc.

The United States has been issuing these for over a decade. Those with a non-biometric passport will still be allowed to cross borders. They simply cannot use the EES.

Which countries will no longer stamp passports?

29 European countries will use the EES and forgo passport stamps.

• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Luthuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Will any EU countries still stamp passports?

According to the European Union, despite Ireland and Cyprus being a part of the EU, both countries will still utilize manual stamps.

The post Say Goodbye To Collecting Passport Stamps On Your European Travels appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

On the heels of the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, developer Silverstein Properties unveiled a series of models showcasing the latest designs of 2 and 5 World Trade Center, buildings that have yet to properly secure financing and begin construction.

According to New York YIMBY, 2 World Trade Center will be 1,348 feet tall upon completion, which is about 20 feet shorter than 1 World Trade Center. Planned to be an office space, the building will be 80 stories high. 

Although originally meant to be an office skyscraper as well, the outlet reports that 5 World Trade Center will now be a residential destination standing tall at 920 feet into the air. 

“The 1.3 million square-foot structure will yield 1,325 rental units with 40 percent dedicated to affordable housing, as well as lower-level retail space, and office space on a smaller scale,” reports YIMBY. “The building rises from a large multi-story podium into a T-shaped massing for the bulk of its height, and culminates in flat parapet. Setbacks on the northern and southern wings of the western volume will likely serve as terrace space.”

As mentioned above, officials have yet to speak up about specific timelines but the models are currently on display on the 80th floor of 3 World Trade Center in a private exhibit showcasing the efforts behind re-buliding the World Trade Center after the atrocities of 9/11.

* This article was originally published here

Dua Lipa is finally going to perform in New York again—but there’s a catch: her tour will not stop by the Big Apple until September of 2025. Yes, we know, that’s in one full year.

The superstar recently announced the dates for her new tour, Radical Optimism, in support of her eponymous studio album. The shows will kick off in Europe and then continue on to North America. 

RECOMMENDED: Here are all the art exhibits coming to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this fall 2024

Dua Lipa released her much anticipated album Radical Optimism on May 3, 2024, and fans have been eagerly anticipating a tour annoucement. 

Finally, late last week, the artist shared some answers. Her North America leg will start in Toronto on September 1 and then proceed going on to Chicago, Boston and Atlanta. It will finally reach New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18.

Tickets to her New York concert are expected to be in high demand and pre-sale registration is already open on Ticketmaster here. Once you select the concert you want to attend, you’ll be sent a link to buy tickets on September 19 at 10am. You’re going to want to set up an alarm for that one. 

You can, also, already snag tickets through second-party ticketing platforms like SeatGeek and StubHub, where prices start at roughly $230 per seat and go as high as $800.  

If you’re trying to save some cash it might be worth it to check out ticket prices in other cities, including Miami and Dallas, perhaps. 

The last time Dua Lipa came to New York was in May, when she staged a surprise pop up performance during the middle of a storm in Times Square and sang some of her top hits from Radical Optimism, including “Houdini” and “Happy for You.” The vibes were great back then and are sure to be just as awesome next year.

* This article was originally published here

JFK’s ongoing $19 billion transformation project continues to bring one of the nation’s busiest airports into the 21st-century, with two new terminals, a new ground transportation center, and a simplified roadway network.

But that’s not to say The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has forgotten about the airport’s existing terminals. In fact, JFK’s Terminal 7 just got a brand new public art exhibit to impress the 2,000 travelers who pass through daily.

Brooklyn artist, Ron Bass, has put together the terminal’s first major art installation with the help of JFK Millennium Partners. His creations span four wall murals in both the departures and arrivals area to create a connection between domestic and international passengers with New York’s irresistible spirit. When explaining his exhibit, Bass said:

I wanted to create a free-flowing and abstract New York story. A story that is vibrant, engaging, fun, and representative of the diverse cultures, art, sound, taste, and feel of my beloved city. I’m approaching this body of work as a first line of defense for the many travelers arriving to visit NYC, as well as paying homage to all the employees and staff, residents, and natives returning home. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the word ‘LOVE’ will be present physically and emotionally, and that is my gift to everyone who comes across this four-piece collection.

The four murals are titled below:

• “Dear NY” ( Arrivals)
• “Unified” – ( Gates 7/8)
• “I (really) LOVE NY” – ( Currency Exchange near Gates 5/6)
• “Destination: New Heights” – ( Gate 9)

They will remain on view until 2026. By then, the 54-year-old terminal will be decommissioned to make room for the second construction phase of Terminal 6. To continue Port Authority and JMP’s efforts to create world-class terminals, 18 artists (10 of them local to NYC) will be commissioned to create suspended installations, sculptures, glass mosaics and more in the new Terminal 6.

“New York is the cultural capital of the nation, so there is no better way to create a unique sense of place at the nation’s busiest international gateway than by including original, inspiring works of public art at Kennedy Airport,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Whether at our existing terminals or soon at the new terminals that are currently under construction, we are elevating the passenger experience with stunning works of public art that enhance the journey from curb to gate.”

The post JFK’s Terminal 7 Gets An Artistic Makeover With 4 New Vibrant Wall Murals appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Fifteen years ago, chef Andrew Carmellini opened Italian taverna Locanda Verde inside Robert de Niro’s renowned Greenwich Hotel, making a splash in the city’s culinary scene that people still talk about today.

The restaurateur hopes to make a similar kind of impact later this year, when debuting the second-ever Locanda Verde location, this one at 50 Hudson Yards, by Hudson Boulevard East and 34th Street. According to Eater, the new restaurant, launched in partnership with Luke Ostrom, Josh Pickard and De Niro, will officially open in November.

The outlet also reports that the 6,000-square-foot space will feature two bars, an outdoor terrace overlooking the Hudson River and a menu filled with new items, seasonal offerings and, of course, some of the original eatery’s best dishes—like the grandmother’s ravioli and the fire-roasted garlic chicken.

As for the Romans and Williams-designed space itself, which will apparently be a departure from the “clubby” destinations that call the neighborhood home, expect “neutrals, woods and mid-century accents to lend warmth.”

Although home to a pretty solid array of eateries—including a new Eataly set to open in the spring of 2025—Hudson Yards has yet to really gain its footing in terms of New York neighborhoods (it probably doesn’t help that a recent study has deemed it the most expensive area in NYC). 

Perhaps, the opening of Locanda Verde, a stalwart of the city’s gastronomic world and the epitome of an “old New York” restaurant that does things right, will change things for the better.

* This article was originally published here