Author: Site Adminstrator

Remember when your parents always told you to dress nicer for the airport? Well, they might have been right all along…

Spirit Airlines recently updated their contract of carriage, which defines the airline’s legal responsibilities of passengers and the carrier. Outlined in the contract, among the expected (ie. not permitting disorderly or violent passengers, those that are heavily intoxicated, or pose as a security threat, etc.) is a crackdown on passengers’ wardrobe and tattoos.

According to the contract, passengers might be asked to leave the aircraft or be denied boarding if their clothing is see-through, “not adequately” [covering] certain parts of the body, or they have “lewd” or “obscene” tattoos.

A video went viral last year on TikTok after a young woman and her friend were asked to deboard a Spirit flight for wearing a cropped top. The incident occurred in October 2024..

Though the restrictions around appropriate dress has been around for quite some time, people were outraged with that passenger’s experience. One angered user even commenting “I hope spirit fires all of these people because we will NEVER be flying with them because of all this.”

Moreover, Spirit’s contract of carriage states that “If a guest is not permitted to board and/or required to leave an aircraft for safety and/or regulatory reasons under paragraph 4.3 and its sub sections, the guest will not be eligible for a refund.”

You can learn more about Spirit’s rules online.

The post Your Airport Outfit & Tattoos Could Prevent You From Flying With This Airline appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

After the pandemic showed employers and employees that many jobs could be done remotely, there’s been a favorable shift for a hybrid work model (some days in office, other days spent working from home).

Many cities around the world have launched trials to track the productivity of employees and businesses as a result of a four-day workweek, spanning London, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Now, it’s NYC’s turn to deem if a shorter workweek is a good fit for NYC’s hustler spirit.

Mayor Eric Adams announced the compressed workweek pilot program last January for members of the city’s largest public employee union who cannot perform their job remotely. Under the pilot guidelines created in collaboration with the flexible work committee within the DC 37 contract agreement, NYC agencies offered eligible DC 37 employees a four-day workweek by extending their daily hours worked to make up for one less day in the workweek.

Therefore, by the end of a two-week period, those working the typical five days compared to those on a compressed workweek schedule have put in an equal amount of total hours. Thus, all employees are still meeting their agency’s operational needs.

“Now, city workers whose job responsibilities don’t allow them to work remotely will have the flexibility they deserve, all while ensuring that the best municipal workforce in the world can continue to deliver every day for New Yorkers,” said Mayor Eric Adams.

20,000 DC 37 members already participated in NYC’s remote work pilot program that was offered in 2023. This compressed workweek pilot program offered more flexibility to the remaining DC 37 employees whose role obligations couldn’t permit them to partake in the earlier pilot program.

“We have said all along that the world of work has changed. Our commitment during contract negotiations was to offer flexible arrangements for as many of our members as possible, the majority of whom are in positions that can’t be carried out remotely due to the nature of their work,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido.

The four-day workweek pilot program is about to end on May 2025, with an option for employees to extend it for an additional year. Find out more on the DC 37 website.

The post NYC’s 4-Day Workweek Pilot Program Nears Conclusion appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

With the average price of groceries at reportedly almost $500 a month in New York City, any discount we can get is much appreciated. That’s why we’re excited to announce that another Lidl is opening up shop in Brooklyn.

The new German discount grocery store is located at 459 Gateway Drive in East New York, Brooklyn and will officially open next week on Wednesday, January 29 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 7:40am.

If you don’t know, Lidl offers private label items, global imports and everyday name brands as well as imported cheeses, fresh meats and seafood—everything it’s known for in Europe.

Lidl’s been continuously expanding in NYC since it opened its first spot in the Bronx back in August 2023. Since then, it’s opened more shops in the Bronx, at the Fulton Street Mall, on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope,  at the Queens Place Mall and in Astoria.

This new Brooklyn store will be open from 8am to 10pm daily.

* This article was originally published here

What kind of New Yorkers would we be if we didn’t spend our year galavanting around the city eating all of the yummy food we could get our hands on?! And, well, we weren’t the only ones doing this. Part of the job for inspectors over at Forbes Travel Guide is dining out–a job we can certainly get behind–and their team visited 1,400+ of the world’s top restaurants and bars over the past year, incognito, and they have the receipts to prove it. Their mission: seeking out the best dishes in the world.

The inspectors dug into too many “amuse-bouches, appetizers, main courses, desserts, petit fours, wines, and other beverages” to count, and took note of which of those lingered on their minds long after digestion. And since Forbes Travel Guide has been doing this sorta thing since 1958, when they created America’s original hospitality Star Rating system, we’d say they know a thing or two about good food and drink.

And when it comes to the best things Forbes Travel Guide inspectors ate and drank in 2024, New York City obviously made the list–it is one of the best foodie cities in the world for a reason. No, the dish isn’t a slice of pizza, it’s not a bagel, and it’s not even a baconeggncheese. In fact, sweet tooths will love this one…

One of the best dishes in the world is none other than the Dark Chocolate Soufflé at Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown’s CUT. The Guide writes:

The delightful dark chocolate soufflé had a warm, airy interior with a crisp top that was artfully dusted with powdered sugar on one side and cocoa powder on the other. Dark chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and housemade whipped cream accompanied it. This classic, well-executed soufflé is now the standard upon which I will judge all future soufflés.

CUT is a Wolfgang Puck branded steakhouse that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, as well as Sunday brunch (featuring a roaming Bloody Mary trolley), in an 86-seat dining room and 32-seat lounge. With ruby colored chairs and dark walls accented with gold, the space has a supper club feel and is the perfect place for a classic New York cocktail or a glass of vino.

If you’re hopping on a flight this year in search of more good eats, our friends over in Miami also made the list; the Roasted Cauliflower at Faena Hotel Miami Beach’s Los Fuegos By Francis Mallmann is a must-try, and it’s also worth sipping on the Meiji Manhattan at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston’s Avery Bar if you visit our friends over in Boston.

Besides the above, the only other U.S. cities that made the list include Napa, California, Kennebunk, Maine, Paso Robles, California, and Farmington, Pennsylvania.

The post One Of The Best Dishes In The World Can Be Found At This NYC Steakhouse, & It’s Not Steak appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Did you know the New York City Public Library System offers free admission to places like the Brooklyn Museum, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the Museum of the Moving Image, and more?! No, this isn’t a joke, it’s Culture Pass!

What is Culture Pass?

If you have a library card from the Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, or New York Public Library (serving the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island), you can go online and download day-long Culture Passes for free entry into various cultural institutions across all five boroughs, including everything from children’s museums and public gardens to historical societies and heritage centers.

Who accepts Culture Pass?

Beyond the ones named above, 100+ participants accept NYC Culture Pass, including but not limited to:

• American Museum of Natural History
• Bronx Music Heritage Center
• Edgar Allen Poe Cottage
• MoMA PS1
• Staten Island Museum
• Whitney Museum of American Art

How do I get started with Culture Pass?

Anyone can input their library card number on the Culture Pass website to reserve a date at any of the participating venues. And the savings will certainly add up for those who take advantage of the program as some of these museums can cost upwards of $25 for entrance! So if you live in the city and want to finally experience some of our cultural gems, this is your best chance.

That said, only a certain number of passes may be available for a given date so you’ll need to reserve as early as possible, and a cardholder can have only four active reservations at a time; however, there is no limit as to how many times one can use Culture Pass.

The only limitation is that you can only access each museum for free once in the year, so make the most of every visit Reserve your Culture Pass today!

When are Culture Passes for a new month available?

Passes are released at midnight on the first of every month for the following month. For example, on October 1, passes for November will be released, on November 1, passes will be released for December, and so on.

What if I don’t have a library card?

Don’t have a library card? No problem! If you’re a resident of New York State or work for a company or go to school in NYC, you qualify for a free public library card. Simply visit your library’s website to get started:

• Brooklyn Public Library
• NYPL
• Queens Public Library

Can I visit NYC’s museums for free any other days?

Yes, you can! Many of NYC’s museums offer free admission days–here’s the full list.

What else should I know?

A full list of FAQs can be found on Culture Pass’ website.

The post Your New York Public Library Card Can Get You Into 100+ Local Museums For Free appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

NYC has done many things in its war to keep our streets clean–new trash rules were proposed back in October 2022 to curb the “all-you-can-eat rat buffet,” a rule went into effect in March 2024 mandating all NYC businesses to put their trash in secured containers, and new side-loading garbage trucks were introduced to make trash pickup a more seamless process.

But as thousands risk facing penalty fees for non-compliance with all city’s new trash rules, NYC’s sanitation department is considering introducing drones to its war on trash.

Joshua Goodman, spokesperson for the sanitation department, confirmed that the agency is exploring the use of drones to enforce the city’s trash rules by seeking out illegal dumping or trash placed out on sidewalks earlier than allowed (8 pm). Goodman stated:

How does it feel when there’s trash on the same street every single day?…Wouldn’t it be great if there was somebody holding people accountable who are hurting your quality of life, saying to them, ‘no, you don’t get away with dirtying these neighborhoods.’

An unnamed DSNY spokesperson told The Post, however, “This is extremely preliminary – really just in the early planning stages.”

This wouldn’t be the first time drones would be flying around NYC–the FDNY has used drones for years, and according to a report documenting the NYPD’s recent drone operations, the Department deployed drones on 3,810 instances between 2019 through the third quarter of 2024, with 2,871 of the deployments occurring in 2024 alone. Drones are also used to monitor shark activity near NY beaches.

There are, however, civil liberties concerns about the drones serving as “omnipresent eyes in the sky.” The Post writes that when asked about potential safeguards pertaining to residents’ privacy, the DSNY spokesperson noted “it’s really just too soon to tell.”

DSNY already has 200+ surveillance cameras in use catching illegal trash dumpers–last year, the department issued $1.5 million in fines. So the implementation of drones as well isn’t too far fetched of an idea. Beyond catching trash rule evaders, Goodman noted the sanitation department is also debating the use of drones for snowplowing and performing inspections of the department’s vehicles and infrastructure.

The post Drones May Soon Be Deployed To Enforce NYC Trash Rules appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here