Planning a winter getaway? We know of the perfect place! Picture river-carved walls coated in fluffy white snow and crystallized waterfalls straight out of a storybook. Ausable Chasm, primarily known as a summer destination in the Adirondacks, is actually a breathtaking wonderland during the wintertime.
During the summer, its trails and river are crowded with visitors. Yet, a trip in the winter reimagines the attraction in a state of solitude. Though you can’t float down the lazy river or hear the roar of the rushing waterfalls, visitors will have the unique opportunity to listen to the crunch under their snowshoes as they journey towards waterfalls frozen in midair.
Shutterstock / Vincent Taczynski
Ausable Chasm offers special winter tours, both self-guided and guided. Those interested in a guided snowshoe or ice cleat tour can learn all about the history of the chasm as they travel through the trail system on a two-hour trip.
Meanwhile, self-guided tours let visitors explore the two mile Rim Walk Trail on their own. If you choose the guided tour, snowshoes or cleats are required. Don’t have your own? No stress! You can rent some for $5 when you get there.
Furthermore, the 25 miles of mountain biking transforms into a path for cross-county skiing.
Again, visiting in the winter offers the chance to see what’s been deemed “the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks” on a more intimate level and without all of the crowds.
While you’re in the area, be sure to stop by Keeseville and explore the Ausable River bridges and stone masonry.
The Lunar New Year is almost upon us (Wednesday, January 29th, 2025), marking the beginning of a new year according to the lunisolar Chinese calendar. This year marks the Year of the Snake.
The holiday is often celebrated by spending time with family, gifting red-envelopes (hóngbāo) full of money, and partaking in traditional activities such as watching lion and dragon dances and setting off fireworks.
Source / Shutterstock
However, this year, might we suggest feasting on a 6oz soup dumpling advertised to be the size of your face? Yes, this soup dumpling is so massive it’s served with straws for sharing.
Tribeca’s Upon The Palace is offering the Tang Bao (large soup dumpling) to customers for Lunar New Year.
Upon The Palace is also offering a special Lunar New Year menu, including entree options from Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet to Spicy Creamy Lobster and Black Pepper Roasted Duck Fried Rice. Rather have sushi? You can order their Crazy or Dynamite Rolls. Plus, don’t forget to finish off with dessert like a Tangerine Red Bean Soup or assorted flavors of Mochi Ice Cream.
The typical daily menu spans a variety of Asian fusion, Chinese dishes and sushi and sashimi. You can explore the menu and more information on Upon The Palace’s website.
The survey, carried out by hotel booking engine Vio.com, specifically looks at “the dynamics of American couples’ travel, including destinations that deepen connections (or spark conflict), financial disagreements and the unexpected events that shape their journeys.” In addition to that, the study dives into generational preferences and planning habits, analyzing their influence on budgets, itineraries and more.
“The findings shed light on how couples handle the highs and lows of travel—and what it says about their relationships,” reads the study.
All in all, New York topped the list of most popular travel destinations for couples in the world, with Las Vegas and Orlando rounding out the top three list.
However, when analyzing go-to cities “to feel the most romantically connected,” the majority of respondents selected Yosemite, California. Maui and Savannah follow at number two and three, respectively. Interestingly enough, New York doesn’t even make it on that list. That might be because a trip to the Big Apple almost always ends up becoming a romantic love affair with the city itself—something we know really well.
As for the destinations that are most likely going to lead to breakups, that would be Amsterdam in the Netherlands, followed by Athens in Greece and Kansas City in Missouri. We will not be planning a trip to any of those towns any time soon, it seems.
On a frigid winter afternoon, I escaped New York City’s chill by slipping into a decadent bath experience at the Lush Lexington Spa on the Upper East Side. As the bathwater turned pinkish green around me, I realized it was the first time I’d felt truly warm—and gloriously disconnected—in days.
But this isn’t any ordinary soak. Lush collaborated with Universal Pictures to make a Wicked-themed bath experience complete with products inspired by the movie, a soundtrack and even an Oz-influenced drink. It’s bookable now for $75 with appointments through late 2025. I left feeling almost like I could defy gravity.
Let’s start at the beginning: When Lush reached out to ask if I’d be interested in trying the Wicked-themed book-a-bath experience, it was an immediate yes. I’d written about the spa when it opened in fall 2023 but had yet to try it myself. Considering Lush invented the bath bomb, I had a feeling they were going to take this bath experience to the next level—and I was not wrong about that.
When I arrived at Lush Lexington Spa, I had a few minutes to walk around the sales floor and sniff all the products. I spotted several Wicked-specific items, like the Glinda’s Wand bubble bar, the Shiz University massage bar and a green shower elixir, to name a few.
Photograph: Courtesy of Lush
When it was my turn for the bath, I headed upstairs to the cozy spa. Unlike a lot of other spas in the city that keep the design stark and white, this oasis felt more like a beautifully designed home with its green walls, farmhouse-style kitchen sink, plants in the windowsill, plush chairs and a large wooden table. I grabbed a chair at the table to meet with an expert who asked me questions about my skin as she determined the best cleanser and moisturizer for me. She then scooped a bit of each one into a jar for me to enjoy in the bathtub.
She also showed me the other products I’d get to use in the bath. First, there was the Pink Fizzes Good With Green bath bomb, which combines pink and green colors representing Ginda and Elphaba. Expect a bright rosy scent with rich woody vanilla notes. It’s packed with coarse sea salt, almond essential oil, rose oil, cedarwood oil and vanilla absolute, which made my skin feel soft and nourished. The second product was the Emerald City soap, which is actually shaped to look like the Emerald City. With its cinnamon and lime notes, the soap shockingly smells like cola!
Photograph: By Rossilynne Skena Culgan for Time Out New York
Finally, I read an invitation on a fancy piece of parchment: “You are summoned to the totally Ozmopolitan Lush Spa in the wonderful city of New York. Indulge in the most uniquely magical bathing experience.” I already felt pampered and relaxed, and it was now time for the main event.
My spa expert Melissa led me to the bathtub room, where warm water was waiting in the gorgeous clawfoot tub. A golden metal bath caddy extended across the tub with my cleanser, bath bomb, soap, terrycloth mitts to wash off my cleanser and a cozy fabric headband to keep my hair dry. The counter across from the tub was stocked with the moisturizer I’d chosen, a Wicked-themed body spray, hair ties, bobby pins, toner and body lotion. A fresh mint water perched on a tiny table next to the tub. The room is stocked with towels, and there’s a bathroom attached in case you need it. It was clear that the space had been meticulously cleaned before I arrived.
Photograph: Courtesy of Lush | Another bather takes a dip.
The design of the room evoked the magic of Oz with glimmering greens and golden accents. If you look closely enough at the ceiling wallpaper, you’ll see it actually says “Oz” on repeat in an intricate design. My personal favorite part, though, was the real taper candles flickering away in wall-mounted sconces.
The spa technician explained that the Wicked-themed music would soon begin. When my 30-minute session in the tub was over, a bell would ring indicating that it was time to dry off and get back to the real world. She left the room and closed the door, leaving me in a bathroom fit for the Wizard. You’ll be in complete privacy during your session, and birthday suits or bathing suits are welcome.
At last, it was time to remove layer after layer of clothing and slip into the warm water. I dropped the bath bomb into the water and watched transfixed as it fizzed and turned the clear water colorful. I sank into the experience, listening to instrumental versions of Wicked songs. The staff assured me that I could sing along if I wanted to and that nobody would hear me, but I refrained, instead just enjoying the peace and quiet. I realized I forgot to silence my phone (rookie mistake!), but thankfully I was too blissed out to care about the notifications buzzing away across the room.
Photograph: By Rossilynne Skena Culgan for Time Out New York
The experience fills a niche for New Yorkers. Many New York City apartments don’t have workable bathtubs—or bathtubs at all. I’ve heard tales of NYC bathtubs that are only a few inches deep or ones that are too grody to use or others where you have to keep your foot on the stopper to keep the water in. For all of those folks, the book-a-bath experience is a welcome treat. It felt like an escape where you can truly be pampered.
After 30 minutes of gently splashing around, sudsing up and ultimately ignoring the world outside of these four walls, I heard a bell ring. Though I wish I could have stayed in the tub for a bit longer, it was time to dry off. I slathered on my facial moisturizer and bundled back up into my winter gear.
But another surprise awaited me! Back in the main room, I sat down on a couch with my spa advisor to chit-chat and was presented with an unexpected and refreshing Wicked-themed beverage. I sipped slowly, enjoying all the flavors before heading back out into the city feeling revitalized—and practically ready to defy gravity.
If you’ve reached the point where you’re ready to give up bagels, pizza, and baconeggncheeses, pack your bags, and take the plunge to move abroad, you’ve likely already considered where you’re headed. If not, we’re here to help.
Health insurance experts over at Compare the Market conducted research to find the most social cities around the world, aka the easiest cities to make friends as an expat. So if you were looking to leave NYC’s endlessly rising rent behind and fly across the pond to Europe–so long as you have this special travel authorization–here’s where to go:
1. Dublin, Ireland
2. Porto, Portugal
3. Lisbon, Portugal
4. Ljubljana, Slovenia
5. Manchester, United Kingdom
Unsplash / Diogo Palhais
Taking the crown as the easiest city to make friends as an expat in Europe is Dublin, Ireland. Forbes writes:
The Irish capital takes the crown…scoring 69.73 out of 100 overall in the survey. It’s also the most populous city to land in the top five. Dublin offers some of the highest concentrations of meetup groups and social locations across the continent, making it a fantastic area to socialize for outgoing people.
Sure, we have our very own Little Ireland in the Bronx, where there’s a ton of smashing things to do, and we got a bit of a peek into Dublin when The Portal was open in Flatiron, connecting NYC to the Irish city, but nothing compares to the real thing!
Porto, Portugal, Portugal’s second biggest city, takes second place in the top five, tying with Warsaw, Poland as Europe’s most inclusive city, with a 77.66 Inclusiveness Index Ranking. Porto’s rich history is evident through its beautiful architecture, so it is a hot tourist destination, but it’s also fabulous year-round for anyone looking to make friends with the locals.
Unsplash / Nick Karvounis
Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, follows closely behind Porto, ranking in the top five for inclusiveness and meetup group numbers.
As for Ljubljana, Slovenia, they’re big on friendship apps over there–when it comes to Google searches for friendship apps, it’s the only city to have a four-digit score per 100,000 people. The Slovenian capital has an overall score of 58.54 out of 100.
And finally, Manchester. This big city is a popular night-out destination and scores especially particularly high on meetup groups, with 112 per 100,000 people in the city. Though, if none of the above cities pique your interest, runner ups include Amsterdam, Glasgow, and Zurich.
If you’re not ready to commit to a move and would rather dip your toes in the water first, this home swapping network allows you to live like a local in various cities around the world!
If you don’t get the chance to catch the electric chemistry between Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor in Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, set to close on February 16th, 2025, you’ll have another chance to see more celebrity stars take the Broadway stage in an adaptation of the great playwright’s Othello, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
Gyllenhaal will assume the role of lieutenant lago. He will be joined by co-star and Broadway alum, Denzel Washington, who will portray Othello, the Moor of Venice. Broadway’s production of the classic story will be directed by Tony award-winner, Kenny Leon.
Shutterstock / Andrey Bayda
The story of Othello follows one of vengeance as lago tricks Othello into thinking his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful. His trickery has devastating consequences that unfold in this tragic epic tale.
Performances of Othello will begin on February 24th, 2025. The production will only run for a limited 15-week engagement. Each performance will last for a duration of 2 hours and 35 minutes, including the intermission. It’s all happening at the Barrymore Theatre.
Beginning February 24th, 2025 (15-week run)
Barrymore Theatre (243 W 47th Street, New York)