There’s just nothing quite like playing a game of pick up basketball in the city. And, in one part of town, the game just got a little more interesting—courtesy of a brand new “smart hoop” that uses cutting-edge technology to elevate the popular sport.
The modern basketball hoop, which was unveiled on August 27, was created by the tech company huupe, which was founded by friends Paul Anton and Lyth Saeed, who wanted to bridge the gap between real life sports and massively popular online versions of the games.
The smart basketball hoop incorporates several cool features, including a waterproof backboard boasting a video screen that delivers expert training content and a webcam that gives live feedback on shot accuracy, trajectory and court positioning, essentially giving players free live coaching to up their game.
Arguably the coolest feature, though, is one that enables real-time shooting contests with players from around the world, with 99% accuracy in tracking remote competitions so you can engage in a match-up with folks in another country, just as you’d be able to do in a video game.
“We’re donating this huupe to the city of New York to create opportunities for more kids to fall in love with the game, see a new type of innovation and to bring more people into the family of basketball,” said huuper founder Paul Anton in an official statement. “We want to see people, especially kids, experience the same excitement and innovation that inspired us to create huupe.”
Tompkins Square Park in the East Village seemed like the perfect place to pilot the hoop, considering it serves as a crossroads for local residents, tourists and students.
Technology like this will continue to change the way we play sports and allow players to engage with a wider community of athletes. As we all experienced with the recent Olympics in Paris, the spirit of competition really can bring people from different walks of life together, and hopefully the new hoop at Tomkins Square will become a shining example of that for years to come.
Fall is the season for the best restaurant openings. Last year, we dove in, hands first, to an all-out Kamayan feast, ducked underground for omakase and said “cheers” with fried chicken nuggets topped with bumps of caviar.
This year’s restaurant radar includes a revived diner turned Tex Mex to the latest and greatest from culinary hard hitters, including Daniel Boulud and Daniel Humm. Here is a sneak preview of what’s coming down the line this fall.
Established in 1928, Kellogg’s Diner was long a hotspot for the late-night crowd and even served up “good soup” on HBO’s Girls. After closing last year due to bankruptcy, the doors will soon open once again under new ownership. Thanks to restaurateur Louis Skibar and chef Jackie Carnesi, the latest iteration of the 24/7 diner will spin Tex-Mex favorites (think huevos rancheros and guajillo hash) with diner classics sprinkled in.
With a career that has spanned kitchens of Sweden, Italy, Denmark and South Korea, chef Daniel Garwood has made his mark on NYC, cooking in the two Michelin-starred kitchen, Atomix. For his solo venture, he will touch on his Australian roots with influences from his global upbringing.
With a resume that includes Milk Bar and running the pastry program at Gabriel Stulman’s Freehand Hotel, Zoë Kanan is a master of all things baked and all things bread. Backed by Court Street Grocers and S&P team, her coming bakery will include challah in several forms, lady-finger lined creamed cakes, known as Charlotte Russe, and an item that is most likely to go viral: a focaccia-like bread with melted onions and poppy seeds known as the “pletzel.”
The crew at Unapologetic Foods is back at it again, this time adding to their roster of fast-casual eats. Bringing the energy of Delhi’s night market energy to the East Village, Kebabwala is all about kebabs (think chicken, goat and bison) over an open fire. With only 10 seats inside, their latest restaurant is sure to be booked and busy for the foreseeable future.
Photograph: Laurent Hisa| NIN HAO
5. NIN HAO, Prospect Heights Opening: September
Nin Hao sets to highlight the contributions of Fujianese immigrants to the culinary scene. The menu will feature Fujianese Immigrant Oyster Seafood Pancake and Ban Ban Rice Noodle, alongside twists on the classics such as General Tso’s Whole Chicken. Formerly of Olmstead, wine director Zwann Grays will curate the wines here, pulling from an index of diverse winemakers, including women, people of color and makers from the LGBTQ+ community.
6. Pasta Night, Prospect Heights Opening: September
Any night involving pasta is bound to be a good one. James Beard Award-nominated restaurateur and pastry chef Renato Poliafito seems to agree, as evidenced by his coming restaurant. Featuring a “fine casual” pasta concept, the menu will feature a selection of classic pasta with a twist, pastries and desserts, and an Italian aperitivo hour to rival the best of them. The front of the restaurant will also feature a bevy of imported Italian goods like oils, olives, and, naturally, pasta.
Photograph: John Valls| Salt & Straw
7. Salt & Straw, West Village and Upper West Side Opening: September
We’ve long been asking: when is Salt & Straw going to open already? It seems the ice cream gods have heard us. This September, the beloved Portland ice cream shop is finally set to land, rolling out two Manhattan scoop shop locations: the West Village (540 Hudson Street) and the Upper West Side (360 Amsterdam Avenue). We see scoops of Double Fold Vanilla and Sea Salt Caramel Ribbons in your future.
8. Cafe Zaffri, Union Square Opening: October
Curated by the renowned all-female team from Raf’s and the Michelin-starred The Musket Room comes Cafe Zaffri. Diving into chef Mary Attea’s Lebanese heritage, the all-day eatery will span the likes of Shakshuka and a Jerusalem Bagel with all the accoutrements for breakfast and a dinner Skewer Service with rice, lamb tartare and grilled octopus. Plus, the pastries we’ve all come to know and love will be on order here. The dining concept will be a part of The Twenty Two, a luxury hotel and members club set to land this fall.
Since 2011, chef Daniel Humm has continued to surprise us at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. This year, Humm is introducing a new bar concept overlooking it all. Perched on the upper level on EMP, Clemente Bar bills itself as a one-of-a-kind cocktail experience. The plant-based theme carries over with a four-course tasting menu paired with a selection of cocktails from beverage director Sebastian Tollius. A work of art in its own right, the space will feature art from neo-expressionist artist Francesco Clemente.
10. Golden Hof and NY Kimchi Opening: October
Sam Yoo has won us over his version of a greasy spoon, Golden Diner. His next act will be a two-in-one concept, housed in his family’s previous restaurant space. First up is Golden Hof, a Korean pub centered around Asian beers, soju and makgeolli. Bearing the same name as his family’s shuttered restaurant, New York Kimchi will also live under the same roof, bringing steakhouse sensibilities with a Korean raw bar to match.
Photograph: La Tête d’Or| Rendering of La Tête d’Or
11. La Tête d’Or, Flatiron Opening: November
Daniel Boulud is back with another restaurant to add to his empire. Named after a historic park in Boulud’s hometown of Lyon, France, La Tête d’Or will call back to the Gatsby-era of New York. The first steakhouse from Boulud, fine cuts of meat and fresh seafood is the name of the game here, all of which will be kissed by the flames of the wood-fire grill.
12. Seahorse, Union Square Opening: September 2024
Lure Fishbar is getting a seafaring little sister. Under the Mercer Street Hospitality umbrella, Seahorse will soon be swimming at the W New York – Union Square Hotel. Mastering the tides is chef Paul Hargrove, formerly of Daniel and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The French-inspired restaurant will specialize in all things seafood with a full raw bar. But sourcing seasonal is key, as a fresh line up of produce sourced from Union Square Greenmarket will also be on order.
There’s nothing like that drop in your stomach when your bag gets pulled aside for inspection at airport security. Maybe you weren’t aware you packed a liquid over the 3.4 oz liquid limit, nonetheless, it can still be simultaneously embarrassing and intimidating.
Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
But have you ever wondered where your confiscated or lost TSA items really go—especially as an average of 90,000-100,000 items are left behind at security checkpoints monthly? Well, according to the official TSA website, any lost and found items left behind at an airport checkpoint that have been unclaimed for 30 days are either destroyed, given to the state as surplus property, or sold by TSA.
In fact, there’s even a website you can go on to search for various items acquired by TSA. Known as GovDeals.com, this website is used as an online auctioning site for government surplus items. The site has more than 15,000 sellers and more than one million registered buyers. New York State even has its own page specific to the state’s surplus assets, ranging from consumer goods to real estate and beyond.
Shutterstock / Tom Eversley
To filter your search on GovDeals to surplus items from TSA, just type “TSA” in the website’s search function. From there, you’ll see a page populate with various chargers, pocket knives, watches, tools, sunglasses and more. According to the TSA website, all of the profits from sold items that have been retained by TSA go towards the state.
Of course more illegal items such as drugs and firearms get directed to local law enforcement.
Not interested in purchasing your lost item back or lost something more important like a passport? You can attempt to retrieve it within the 30 days by contacting the lost and found and going to pick it up at the airport.
After a scorching-hot summer, we’re already scoping out NYC winter predictions. Will it be a snow-covered season, or one that’s fairly tame? It depends who you ask.
Magical holiday events in NYC seem incomplete without at least a few flakes, and winter date ideas are all the more romantic when the season is actually cold. So, which route will Mother Nature take?
What will Winter weather in NYC be like this year?
The Farmer’s Almanac
New York City seems to be in for as chaotic of a winter according to The Farmer’s Almanac’s2024-25 Winter Outlook. The periodical warns the country of a “wet winter whirlwind” that will consist of little respite from falling rain and snow. And for the first time in years, The Farmer’s Almanac and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) mostly agree.
Farmer’s Almanac
For the Northeast, The Farmer’s Almanac foresees stormy conditions with above average precipitation. As for temperatures, it predicts near-to-above normal temperatures. The NOAA doesn’t disagree, with graphics indicating precipitation primarily above or leaning above and temperatures leaning above average for the Northeast.
Overall, the resource indicates that the country as a whole is in for “rapid-fire storms that will bring both rain and snow.”
NOAANOAA
Winter’s most frigid temperatures are expected to reach the Northern Plains and Great Lakes region, according to The Farmers Almanac. However, all will need to bundle up the last week of January entering the start of February as that’s estimated to be the coldest outbreak for most of the nation with Arctic air presumed to drop temperatures.
As for the time in between now and winter, The Farmer’s Almanac predicts an unseasonable chill through fall. We don’t mind that, right? Especially with great things to do in fall in NYC!
The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Then, we have The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s 2024-2025 Winter Forecast which is…well, slightly different. It takes a look at the country as a whole from 18 different vantage points, but the predictions insist things aren’t going to be too unmanageable (at least in most areas).
“This winter, temperatures will be up and snowfall down throughout most of the United States,” Carol Connare, the Almanac’s editor in chief said in a statement. “While there will still be plenty of chilly temperatures and snow for most slopes, the high heating costs associated with the season shouldn’t hit so hard. We’re predicting a temperate, uneventful winter — potentially a welcome reprieve from the extremes of recent years.”
So, as far as where NYC stands — a welcome reprieve or rapid-fire storms — we’ll just have to wait and see.
