Although we’re still over a decade away from its potential grand opening (if all goes as planned, that is), we’re delighted to tell you about the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project, a plan that includes the debut of a new rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey.
Earlier this week, officials announced that the Biden-Harris administration pledged tens of billions of dollars in grants to help move the project forward.
“For decades, Americans watched one of the most heavily-used train tunnels in the hemisphere deteriorate and become a bottleneck that affected travelers from New England to the Mid-Atlantic and beyond,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in an official statement. “Today, President Biden is making good on his promise to fix that and build the Hudson Tunnel Project. Using funds from the President’s infrastructure law, we are building a new tunnel that improves train travel for millions of Americans and revitalizes a rail corridor that is essential to so much of the nation’s economy.”
The 110-year-old tunnels that are currently connecting the two states were damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The plan is to renovate them and also build new, more modern routes alongside them. So there will be a total of four tunnels for Amtrak and NJ Transit trains once the bulk of the scheme is accomplished.
According to NBC New York, equipment is currently set up on West 30th Street in Manhattan, with massive digging scheduled to kick off at the end of 2024 or early 2025. The building of the New Jersey side of the tunnel will likely take through 2027 and the new rail is supposedly going to open by 2035.
But the project involves a variety of other design and infrastructure elements, including, according to an official press release, “building resiliency and safeguarding rail operations against future extreme weather events, managing floods on both sides of the Hudson River, and creating a safer environment for first responders, maintenance workers, and the public, especially in the event of an evacuation.”
Although New Yorkers are renownedly allergic to all things New Jersey, there is just something about ease of travel that gets us giddy with excitement when it comes to these latest transit updates.
The Foo Fighters are back in New York for their “Everything or Nothing At All” tour. This will be their second summer in a row of touring, which last year was in the wake of their 11th album But Here We Are. The Citi Field baseball stadium will house this legendary band whose members consist of Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, Rami Jaffee, and Josh Freese. The rock group will take to the stage this July and play their alternative grunge hearts out.
The rock ’n’ roll band is entering the big city not once but twice: Wednesday, July 17, and Friday, July 19.
What time will the rock band grace the stage?
The show is set to begin at 5:30pm (doors at 4pm), but the beginning time will be taken up by two openers. The Foo Fighters will then come on around the 7:30-8pm mark. The six-man band is renowned for their long concerts so the set could last up to and over two hours, might as well get your bucks worth!
Can I still get tickets?
Yes! Fear not, there are still plenty of tickets up for grabs. Because of their doubleheader schedule there are a range of seats still available.
Will the price break my bank?
Citi Field has a whopping capacity of over 41,000 and so with all these different seats come varying price tags. The tickets have a starting charge of $80 and work their way up until around the $500 mark. The seats in the heavens are on the “cheaper” end and the standing General Admissions golden tickets reside on the opposite side.
Who are the openers?
The two NYC dates have different openers, so keep this in mind when choosing a day! On Wednesday the Foo Fighters will be accompanied by The Pretenders and Mammoth WVH. On Friday the stage will be graced by The Hives and Amyl and The Sniffers.
Will they play my favorite song?
Well, hopefully seeing how long their set is. Although the official setlist will not be released before the concert, we can get the gist of it by looking at their previous shows, which went as follows:
All My Life No Son of Mine The Pretender Walk Times Like These Generator La Dee Da Breakout Stairway to Heaven / Sabotage / Blitzkrieg Bop / March of the Pigs My Hero The Sky Is a Neighborhood Learn to Fly Arlandria These Days Nothing At All This Is a Call Monkey Wrench Aurora Best of You The Teacher Everlong
Good luck and if you can’t catch them here worry not they will be traversing the States until late September.
We know NYC is expensive, and when it comes to free things to do, it can be hard to scout out the best activities! Add in a kid (regardless of age) and it can be even more difficult to find inexpensive ways to entertain your kid. To make things a little easier, we’ve put together a list of the best things to do, from sprawling parks to interactive museums, that are gratis and guaranteed fun.
Without further ado, here are our favorite hidden gems and popular spots that promise fun and education, all without spending a dime.
New York City’s beaches are fully open for summer and spending a day at the shore is the perfect free way to make the most out of the heat wave! Bring your kids to any of the city’s sandy oases and let them build sandcastles, splash in the water, and pick seashells to their heart’s desire.
Some of our favorites include Coney Island Beach (amusement park next door for paid fun), Jones Beach (mini golf, ball courts, paid concerts at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater), and more. See the full list of NYC’s best beaches here.
It’s no secret that NYC is home to many museums–and some specifically just for kids–and they’re a great place to spend hours or even a whole day exploring with the little ones. Many of them even offer free admission days, allowing visitors of all ages complimentary access to exhibits across the city. Check out some of our favorite free museum days we recommend taking your kids to:
Children’s Museum of the Arts: Free admission on Thursdays from 4 – 6 pm
Brooklyn Children’s Museum: Free admission on Thursdays from 2 – 5 pm
American Museum of Natural History: Suggested donation for entry at all times
New York Hall of Science: Free admission on Fridays from 2 – 5 pm
Museum of the Moving Image: Free admission on Thursdays from 2 – 6 pm
Source / Dan Levin, provided by Two Trees Management
Tire out your children at one of NYC’s awesome playgrounds, which are full of swings, teeter-totters, splash zones, and so much more. These jungle gyms are the perfect free way to keep your kids active, and a great way to meet other kids too! They can slide down the famous slides at Slide Hill on Governors Island, conquer the monkey bars at Pier 25 playground, and so much more. See the full list of the best playgrounds for kids in NYC here.
Grab a blanket, some snacks, and catch a flick with your kid at one of NYC’s free movie nights. Plenty of parks around the city are hosting free screenings all summer long…showing both children’s and grown up movies. Some of the major event series include Bryant Park Movie Nights and Movies with a View in Brooklyn Bridge Park, but there’s also the ongoing “Movies Under the Stars” series which brings smaller-scale pop-up screens to places around NYC. See all of the free movies in NYC to bring your kids to here!
5. See animals at The Bronx Zoo
Source / Julie Larsen Maher & WCS
Get up close and personal with The Bronx Zoo’s animals on Wednesdays, when admission fees are waived all day! Kids can adventure through the park free of charge, seeing their favorite animals and exploring zoo exhibits for hours on end. To gain access to free Bronx Zoo tickets, they are required to be reserved online in advance of your visit. The Wednesday Ticket Store opens for these tickets on Mondays at 5 pm. Reserve them here!
6. See fish at New York Aquarium
Source / New York Aquarium
Similarly to the zoos, the New York Aquarium grants free access to all on Wednesdays after 3 pm. Advance timed tickets are required to take advantage of this deal, and the Wednesday Afternoon Ticket Store opens on Mondays at 3 pm. In terms of things to do here there’s plenty for kids, including both indoor and outdoor exhibits, a 4-D movie theater, animal experiences, and so much more. Reserve your Wednesday tickets for the aquarium here.
7. Ride the Staten Island Ferry
Source / Shutterstock
Grab picturesque views of Lady Liberty with your children as you go on a free boat trip around NYC waters! The Staten Island Ferry is a scenic ride that is completely free, and can make for a fun adventure to take photos together and sightsee the Manhattan skyline. It runs several times per day from Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan to St.George Terminal on Staten Island!
8. Take a trip to Governors Island
Source / Julienne Schaer
Our love for Governors Island is no longer a secret, and bringing your kid here for a quick little day trip is such a great idea! Just a stone’s throw away from the city, it’s a perfect little getaway that can keep the kids busy (and offer great views of Manhattan). There’s so many free activities to do on the island for the little ones, including The Yard (a kids-only adventure playground stewarded by trained playworkers), free bike rentals from Blazing Saddles from 9 am – 12 pm on weekdays, and Hammock Grove (a lounge area of bright red hammocks to relax on). Learn more about Governors Island here!
Summer Streets are returning to NYC this July and August and it’s a great free way to get some exercise with your kids! Once again, miles of NYC across the five boroughs will closed off to cars, allowing the kiddos to go biking, rollerblading, and walking all around the city. There’s also plenty of other free activities and performances in store throughout this year’s edition so be sure to keep your eyes peeled! You can learn more about Summer Streets and see the dates here.
NYC’s public pools are officially open for the 2024 summer, and they’re free to take kids to! Get the floaties ready and gather your towels because there’s plenty of pools around the city to cool off during the heat wave. These family-friendly pools are open from 11 am – 7 pm daily with an hour long break from 3 – 4 pm for cleaning through September. Plus, many of them offer ample seating, lockers, and food stands. See a full list of the best public pools to bring your kids to here.
11. Stroll the Brooklyn Bridge
Source / Shutterstock
You simply can’t go wrong with taking a stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge with your kid. It’s not only one of the city’s most eye-catching bridges but it has incredible views of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan that you can snap photos of. We highly recommend starting on the Manhattan side and ending at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where kids can then ride Jane’s Carousel (for a small price), play on the playground, and walk along the pier.
12. Take in the Coney Island Fireworks
Source / Shutterstock
Bring your kids to Coney Island on Fridays throughout the summer, where they’re hosting a family-friendly fireworks show every Friday starting at 9:30 pm! The show is completely free to attend and it’s only steps away from Luna Park (where you could spend some money on rides if you want). It’s happening through August 30!
13. Splash at Pier 6 in Brooklyn
Source / Alexa Hoyer
Pier 6 is the ultimate summer splash zone for children, more specifically the “Water Lab Splash Pad.” This aquatic adventure spot features all kinds of fountains and water-jet fields that kids can frolic through for hours. There’s also plenty of green areas, flower fields, and dry playgrounds to explore while you’re on Pier 6! It’s a whole day’s worth of family-friendly fun.
14. Smell the flowers at New York Botanical Garden
Source / Marlon Co, courtesy of The New York Botanical Garden
Introduce your kids to the natural world at New York Botanical Garden, where every Wednesday grounds admission is free all day to NYC residents, and for other visitors free from 10 – 11 am. The ticket grants you and your kids access to NYBG’s outdoor gardens and collections, including seasonal children’s pop-up programming. Also for a small price, you can check out their Alice in Wonderland-themed exhibit Wonderland: Curious Nature which recently opened. Reserve you and your kid’s tickets to NYBG here.
15. Strut The High Line
Source / Shutterstock
The High Line is an elevated park along NYC’s west side that makes for a great walking route with kids. The free-to-walk path is full of green space, public art, and beautiful views that make for a great urban adventure. There’s always incredible children’s programming happening here too, like free art classes, music performances, and more! Learn more about all of the great children’s events happening at The High Line here.
For a ninth consecutive year, New York City leads the rankings in America’s Best Cities from advisor tourism company, Resonance. And though we try to be humble, we can’t help but say we’re not surprised.
You may first think NYC is too expensive to be ranked the best city in America, but as Resonance put it, the “Big Apple is always worth the price of admission, especially in these glory days.”
The report analyzed statistics from more than 400 global cities looking through the lenses of livability, lovability and prosperity.
Shutterstock / TTstudio
So how come New York City ended up on top? Well, with tourism on the rebound after devastating impacts of Covid-19, New York City Tourism + Conventions projects 64.5 million in tourist numbers for 2024. At that rate, NYC is on track to see a 97% recovery of visitation levels pre-pandemic. Moreover, $74 billion in economic impact was generated from tourism alone in 2023. As Resonance stated, “This city is back.”
Even after facing a dramatic change to short-term rentals in NYC with the implementation of Local Law 18, NYC continues to open new hotels to accommodate its influx of travelers.
Beyond a booming tourism industry, NYC’s dedication to the modernization of its public transport hubs, like construction on JFK Airport or increasing accessibility to Moynihan Train Hall, and improvements to its cultural institutions, such as a $500 million renovation to the Met‘s modern and contemporary wing, were all taken into account.
Source / Shutterstock
Moreover, NYC’s highlighted rankings in the report were sights & landmarks, along with shopping. And though we’re known for monuments and attractions like the Empire State Building and Central Park, there are plenty of hidden gems all around the city worth exploring. Not sure where to find them? Lucky for you, you’re on just the right page! Find all of our recommendations for the city’s best everything here.
You can look through the remainder of the report here. Spoiler alert: Chicago came in second, highlighting its convention center and nightlife. As for our rivals, LA placed third with notable mentions of its restaurants and museums.
That context imbues this year’s Manhattanhenge with extra emotion. During the rare phenomenon, the streets of Manhattan line up perfectly with the sunset, making for a stunning sight. In honor of the last Manhattanhenge of 2024, the American Museum of Natural History is throwing a party on Friday, July 12, and everyone’s invited.
Manhattanhenge happens four nights per year. The first two already happened back in May, so if you missed it, you won’t want to miss the July dates. The full sun will be perched on the grid on Friday, July 12, at 8:20 pm, and the half Sun will be visible on Saturday, July 13, at 8:21pm.
If you want to not just see the phenomenon but also learn about it, head to the American Museum of Natural History on Friday, July 12 for a viewing party with special programming. Dr. Jackie Faherty, AMNH’s senior scientist and education manager, will lead a ticketed 3D presentation about the science and history behind Manhattanhenge using the museum’s powerful OpenSpace visualization software. Tickets are $20 and for sale here.
Photograph: ShutterstockPhotograph: Shutterstock
After you learn some cool facts inside the museum, head outside to the free viewing event where you’ll get to see the mesmerizing solar alignment while listening to music from the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra.
“Manhattanhenge has become a part of the NYC summer experience. With so many people in the city realizing it is happening including a large number of people coming from out of town to witness it, the event ends up injecting a large amount of energy into the day. From an astronomy perspective, it’s really special to have the Sun—our host star—line up so perfectly with the concrete jungle of the city. Sunsets provide — arguably—the best light of the day, the golden hour light so it makes for an all around spectacular immersive astronomical experience,” Faherty tells Time Out New York.
It makes for an all around spectacular immersive astronomical experience.
Even if you can’t make it to the Upper West Side party, you can see Manhattanhenge on your own. The best cross streets are 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th, as they’re all wide blocks with interesting buildings for framing your photos. It is recommended to go farther east for the best views. Be sure to stay safe by following walk/don’t walk signs and paying attention to traffic.
Faherty also recommends finding a place where you can safely watch the event without cars, like the overpass at Tudor City on 42nd Street as well as the overpass for taxis at Grand Central. (Though both of these spots often get very crowded!)
As for eye safety, Faherty says: “Manhattanhenge is a sunset viewing event so it’s the ‘safest’ time to look toward the sun. The reason you can look toward the sun when it is on the horizon is because you are staring at it through a large amount of atmosphere which serves as a protective layer for your eyes.”
