Author: Site Adminstrator

It takes a lot to make an orchid thrive. The humidity, temperature, sunlight, soil and watering have to be absolutely perfect for blooms to appear and stick around. (I know because I’ve said “goodbye” to my fair share of orchids I’ve tried to propagate.) But the Queens Botanical Garden seems to have cracked the code—with some help from New York City’s thriving Taiwanese community. 

RECOMMENDED: It’s official—the NYC location of Din Tai Fung is finally open

The botanical garden has partnered with the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in New York (TECO-NY) to put on the gorgeous exhibit “Taiwan: A World of Orchids” for 11 years now. And now it’s back! For this weekend only, Friday, August 9, through Sunday, August 11, you can see hundreds of colorful blooms at the garden and take part in a packed schedule of cultural demonstrations and performances including Taiwanese calligraphy, diabolo juggling, 3D edible color flowers and dough figures, tourism consultation and even a chance to enjoy Taiwanese food.

And it’s holding a massive orchid sale.

Taiwan—which currently produces roughly one-third of the world’s orchids—is a major influence in Queens, where nearly 50% of Taiwanese New Yorkers live in Queens (mostly Elmhurst, Flushing, Oakland Gardens and Douglaston), according to Taiwan Matters for America/America Matters for Taiwan. We have Taiwanese New Yorkers to thank for well, a lot, including some of the best restaurants, bakeries and bubble tea shops in the city.

This year’s orchid show is called “Colors of Taiwan” because its design is inspired by the island’s hues—Formosan green, orange and deep red, according to Tom Chih-chiang Lee, the Ambassador and Director-General of TECO-NY.

“Orchid leaves reflect the lush landscapes and rich biodiversity unique to Taiwan’s mountains and forests,” he said in a statement. “Discover the bountiful orange orchids, evoking the island’s agricultural abundance and cultural wealth. Immerse yourself in the deep red blooms, symbolizing prosperity and celebration, echoing the lively spirit of Taiwanese festivals. Each blossom tells a story of Taiwan’s natural beauty and cultural heritage, inviting you to experience a kaleidoscope of colors that define this enchanting land.”

When you arrive to the garden and make your way to the terrace, you’ll find orchids hanging in the sky and decorating sculptural pieces that represent Taiwan in both color and shape. Head inside to see some incredible sculptures and paintings inspired by the plant as well as an entire room of orchids of all shapes, sizes and types, including the most commonly exported orchid from Taiwan, the Phalaenopsis, or Moth orchid. It’s the longest blooming orchid genera, producing flowers that last up to six months at a time!

See them for yourself this weekend, between 9am and 5pm—tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for seniors, students, disabled folks and $2 for children under 3.

Below, you’ll find the full schedule of events. 

Friday, August 9
9am to 5pm: Orchid sale at the QBG Store
10am to 5pm: Vendor Fair and Orchid Crafts at Allee Lawn
11am: Calligraphy demonstration by David Zheng in the Meeting Room
Noon: Orchid Basics with Chris Satch (President of the Manhattan Orchid Society) in the Meeting Room
2pm: Calligraphy demonstration by David Zheng in the Meeting Room
3pm: Yu-Chen Tseng Jazz trio performance on the Terrace
6pm to 8pm: Members-only orchid evening (for QBG members)

Saturday, August 10
9am to 5pm: Orchid sale at the QBG Store
10am to 5pm: Vendor Fair and Orchid Crafts at Allee Lawn
11am: Diabolo performance with Andrew Sun-Yan and Dough Modeling Figure with Ashley Ho
Noon: Orchid Basics with Chris Satch
2pm: Dough Modeling Figure with Ashley Ho
3pm: Yu-Chen Tseng Jazz trio performance on the Terrace

Saturday, August 10
9am to 5pm: Orchid sale at the QBG Store
10am to 5pm: Vendor Fair and Orchid Crafts at Allee Lawn
11am: 3D Edible Flowers with Belian Fan
Noon: Orchid Basics with Chris Satch
1pm: Yu-Chen Tseng Jazz trio performance on the Terrace
2pm: 3D Edible Flowers with Belian Fan
3pm: The orchid exhibit ends
4:30pm to 6:00pm: Post-exhibit orchid sale on the Terrace

* This article was originally published here

Barbie was so last summer. This year we’re remembering Mattel’s other superstar, Polly Pocket! And Airbnb is letting a few lucky fans live like her IRL with a fabulous stay at her life-sized ‘90s Slumber Party Fun compact.

The listing is located in Littleton, Massachusetts, a little over a four hour drive from NYC. Spanning two levels and 42 feet high, the once-in-a-lifetime experience is celebrating Polly Pocket’s 35th birthday.

The nostalgic 90’s pad will be available for three one-night stays (September 12-14th), sleeping up to four guests each. Booking requests will open at 6am PT August 21st online here through August 28th. Each night will cost $89 per person (commemorating the doll’s iconic launch year, 1989). Those selected for the stay will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Littleton, Massachusetts.

Lucky winners will get to live out their dollhouse dreams by stepping into Polly Pocket’s closet to try on her most iconic looks hanging on the rack (and yes, Airbnb promises they’ll have that same gummy texture).

Get all dolled up at Polly’s vanity, fully stocked with vintage hair and nail accessories for your choosing. Grab snacks from the retro fridge and stuff your face with popcorn as you get cozy in pillow heaven to watch a movie in the living room.

For sleeping arrangements, you can either catch some z’s on Polly’s pullout or in her Action Park Tent just a few steps away on the property.

“I can’t wait for you to visit and help celebrate my birthday in my most epic compact ever,” said Polly. “Let’s have some serious slumber party fun in my hometown of Littleton, where we make the ordinary extraordinary. There’s adventure to be had from my closet full of nostalgic fashion fun to the surprises I’ve left hidden around the compact. The fun is endless!”

Fans who don’t get to experience one of the three one-night stays at the compact will have another chance to live like a doll! The same Airbnb will reopen for 21 exciting experiences fit for 12 guest for a “daytime adventure” between September 16th to October 6th. This “play date” experience opens for booking on the same date, August 21st, at 6am PT here.

The post Live Like Polly Pocket IRL At Her Compact Airbnb Full Of 90s Nostalgia appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

NYC has been in full Olympic mode with a major activation transforming Rockefeller Center and tons of places showing the games.

And if you’ve been keeping up with the Paris Olympics watching legends like Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Noah Lyles, Gabby Thompson and more U.S. athletes dominate, you’ve surely wondered how much they’re getting for gold.

So we’re breaking down just how much the U.S. pays Olympians for medaling in comparison with other countries—you might be surprised at the difference!

How much do U.S. athletes make for medaling?

At the Paris Olympics, U.S. athletes will make $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The payments have remained unchanged since the Tokyo Olympic Games.

How else do Olympians make money?

Beyond prize money for medaling, many of the highly successful Olympic athletes make most of their money through sponsorship deals. However, sports governing body, World Athletics announced in April that they’d pay gold medalists at the Paris Olympics $50,000. It marks the first time in history an international federation has awarded prize money at the games. They intend to expand the prize reward to silver and bronze medalists at the 2028 LA Olympic Games.

How much do other countries pay for medals?

In countries like Serbia, Malaysia, and Morocco, athletes can get paid more than $200,000 for their gold medal from either their nation’s government or national Olympic committee, according to USA Today Sports.

U.S.A. pays below average for medals, with general payments coming out to $95,000 for gold, $55,000 for silver and $39,000 for bronze across 25 countries studied by USA Today Sports. That’s all to say the U.S. tends to have a high medal count by the end of the games, and even topped the Tokyo Olympic Games with a total of 113 medals.

Which country pays the most for gold medals?

Hong Kong, China and Singapore have previously offered upwards $700,000 for gold.

The post How Much Does USA Pay For Gold Medals? appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Back for the first time since 2019, Taste of Times Square, one of NYC’s longest running food festivals, will return to the city this September with neighborhood restaurants serving up flavors from around the world.

The annual festival prides itself on bringing together food and music in one central space to give New Yorkers and visitors alike a taste of global cuisines and diverse cultures you’ll find throughout NYC.

The festival will take place on Duffy Square and the Broadway Plazas between 45th and 48th Streets–returning to this location for the first time since 2011.

Along with delicious eats and drinks there will be entertainment to enjoy throughout the day! A full list of entertainment will be announced at a later date.

Expect to be blown away by an array of flavors, sounds, and cultural activities at this family-friendly experience. This year over 25 participating restaurants from the district will be representing cuisines from all over the world, offering everything from Mexican to Caribbean to Indian and beyond!

Some participating restaurants include:

• Barbetta
• Brooklyn Chop House Times Square
• Dim Sum Palace
• Ellen’s Stardust Diner
• Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine
• Lille’s Victorian Establishment
• Palermo Argentinian Steak House
• Pink Taco
• Spice Symphony
• Tony’s Di Napoli Restaurant
• and more!

Anyone interested in attending the festival can technically do so for free, but you’ll need a wristband to do any actual tasting. The wristband will allow you to purchase “tastes” at the participating restaurants onsite. All “tastes” will be under $10 with most between $3 and $6.

The festival will kick off a month-long promotion of all of Times Square’s restaurants celebrating the “happiest hour” with deals and promotions after 8pm when Broadway is in full swing. More details on this will be announced soon.

Learn more about Taste of Times Square online here.

Monday, September 9

5 pm to 9 pm

Duffy Square and the Broadway Plazas between 45th & 48th Streets

The post Taste Of Times Square Returns This September With Global Flavors From Local Restaurants appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

“Let Me Tell You” is a series of columns from our expert editors about NYC living, including the best things to do, where to eat and drink, and what to see at the theater. They publish each Wednesday so you’re hearing from us each week. Last month, Senior News Editor Anna Rahmanan ate at the only mushroom-centric restaurant in NYC and wrote about it. 

When our New York Editor Shaye Weaver asked which team member wanted to jet ski on the Hudson River and write about the experience before summer’s end, my hand flew up. 

A minute later, though, panic ensued: what, exactly, had I just volunteered to do? Would my husband get mad at me for potentially putting my life in danger? Would I be bringing home some strange bacteria that lives in what I thought was the Hudson River’s polluted waters? Would I survive? 

My husband’s reaction (“cool, do it”) helped turn my anxiety into excitement. A true devotee of all things New York on land, it was time I finally got to experience the city from its waters. And, so, I reached out to Sea the City, the most aptly named company I’ve ever heard of and one of the main ones offering jet ski tours in the area. My journey was booked. 

The only instructions I was given prior to my visit were to wear a bathing suit, to prepare to get wet and to expect the activity to be on despite cloudy weather (don’t worry: Sea the City staff is filled with pros constantly checking weather patterns before letting boats and jet skis out under their purview).

Sea the City is actually based out of New Jersey, a fact that, I must be honest, threw me for a loop: I never really dare venture out to our neighboring state unless catching a show at MetLife which, concert goers probably know, is actually the hardest venue to get to in the area. 

It took me an hour and a half to drive there from Long Island, where I live, but city dwellers can hop on a quick ferry from downtown Manhattan and get right to the marina. 

Once I actually got to the weather, my averseness to Jersey sudden evaporated: the view of the Manhattan skyline from our next door state will truly take your breath away. It is not often that we get to see our own Manhattan from a different perspective, truly taking it in in all of its glory from a distance that isn’t really distant after all. 

I also must admit that the portion of Jersey City that I had to traverse to get to the harbor felt like a mini Brooklyn, with families walking by the water and … smiling? That’s not something you see much of in New York.

While gazing at the view, Sea the City’s owner Adam Schwartz introduced himself and explained he’d be leading my private tour on his own jet ski.

“Oh, so I’m riding by myself?” I ask him.

“Yup,” he responds.

“Be cool, Anna” I say to myself.

Replying to my comments about Jersey (sorry, Adam, I had to!), the owner explains that dock space is generally hard to secure in Manhattan, which is why, although living in Brooklyn, he decided to set up his business on this side of the water. 

“Our location also affords easy transportation for Jersey residents by car and New York locals and tourists via ferry,” he says. “We are also in the only calm water port in the harbor, making for a much nicer experience overall.”

Adam’s attitude immediately puts me at easy, especially since he used that same nice but stern tone after I hopped on my own jet ski and felt anxiety pangs all through my legs. The first rule of jet skiing? Don’t panic. 

We kicked off our trip slowly, reaching a buoy before speeding off. 

Adam warned me to stay about 10 jet skis away from him but I quickly realized that meant going at a pretty fast speed that not only would get me wet—which I was obviously okay with—but could, perhaps, cause me to fall off the jet ski. Don’t panic, I kept saying out loud to the wind.

Here’s a tip: driving a jet ski is sort of like driving a car. You don’t want to look down but straight up and ahead, which is easy to say from the comfort of dry land but not as simple when being shoved up and down by waves in the middle of a body of water. 

But then I actually looked up and felt like the wind was knocked out of me, in a good way.

New York City, the beautiful, romantic, breathtaking city that we all see in the movies, was right in front of me with, virtually, nothing in-between us. 

I was by the Battery, with the World Trade Center right in front of me, the first stop of my tour, but was able to see a big portion of downtown Manhattan as a whole.

There are two main things that will catch your attention while looking at the skyline from the river. First, the immensity of the skyscraper, an aspect of our town that somehow gets lost while rushing from one neighborhood to the next, sometimes doing so while underground. Being able to look at the buildings all at once, in a single glance, is absolutely insane. 

The second thing that you may notice is the silence. The sounds of the city—the cars, ambulances, the people screaming, the loading and loading of things, the air conditioners, tourists shouting in different languages—are part and parcel of its character, what makes it special. They contribute to the very essence of New York, so being able to see the city without those sounds is pretty jarring. It almost feels like cheating before turning into an extraordinary experience. I felt like I was looking at a more polished version of New York, without any distractions. It almost felt fake but paradoxically let me appreciate parts of the town that I don’t get to dwell on often, like the amazing architecture. 

After taking it all in, Adam asked me to turn off the motor and position myself right across from the World Trade Center so that he could take a photo of me—a service that comes with your tour. 

Adam gave me the thumbs up and we proceeded down the coast, all the way down towards Brooklyn, passing Jane’s Carousel in Dumbo to take a picture of me by the Brooklyn Bridge. 

On my journey around the tip of Manhattan, it occurred to me that it took me a fraction of the time to get near Brooklyn than it would have had I opted for more “traditional” modes of transportation. There is a whole world of possibility outside terrestrial New York—Air! Water!—and I started wondering why we don’t take the time to explore the city in different ways more often. 

Next up: the Statue of Liberty. 

Here is a disclaimer, though: whether you’re a tourist, a lifelong New Yorker or a transplant, you should absolutely take the time to head to Liberty Island to visit Lady Liberty in the flesh.

That being said, you should also try to take in the landmark from nearby waters. It is not just about the view being awesome but the fact that seeing it from a different perspective will imbue you with the spirit of the statue. You’ll be reminded what this town stands for: liberty, the pursuit of joy and the creative, the ability to be the best humans we can be with access to some pretty awesome things to do around here. 

Not to wax too poetic or romantic, but that’s really what it is like to take control of your own jet ski in the middle of the river we live right next to but never truly explore: you will feel liberated, at ease, invincible. If you are able to glide on the Hudson—which, by the way, is really not dirty—on a jet ski on your own, who knows what else you are capable of? 

And just like that, Adam and I embark on the final leg of our maritime journey, heading back to Jersey. Suddenly imbued with the strength of a superhero, I decide that I can ride very fast back to the marina and, although about to fall head first into the water every few minutes, I realize that sometimes a little thrill goes a long way in reminding you that we live in a pretty fucking amazing city. 

Time Out tip: Book a Sea the City jet ski tour in the fall. Although the company operates from April through December, the fall season is the best time of the year to ride on a jet ski, when weather conditions out on the water are usually close to perfect.

* This article was originally published here