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We love a park picnic. Even more, we love a park picnic during an outdoor movie night. And even more than that, we love a park picnic where we don’t have to do anything except sit back, relax and snack. Thankfully, a new collaboration between Talea Beer Co. and charcuterie company Kured is making that deliciously possible with new picnic-ready snack boxes for summer. 

RECOMMENDED: Pack a blanket and a basket for an alfresco feast at the best picnic spots NYC has to offer

The women-owned NYC brewery has partnered with the Boston-based charcuterie brand—which opened a build-your-own board shop in Greenwich Village in December 2022—on curated charcuterie boxes that will be available for purchase every weekend through summer. 

The boxes are sold every Friday through Sunday at Talea’s Williamsburg (87 Richardson Street) and Bryant Park locations (22 West 40th Street), which make them a great pick-up option before checking out those Paramount movie screenings at McCarren Park or the popular Bryant Park Free Movie Nights, especially when coupled with a refreshing four-pack from the brewery.

Each charcuterie box feeds two to three picnickers and includes a variety of both savory and sweet items that are a step up from your usual popcorn and Pepsi movie order. Options range from cured meats (salty prosciutto, spicy soppressata, wild boar salami) to cheese (nutty parmesan, creamy brie, lavender goat cheese) and crackers (like fennel taralli). You can jazz it up with sides like mixed berries, plucky cornichons and candied lemon peels. You can pick up an a la carte snack box for $25 or make it a true picnic combo with a Kured charcuterie box and your choice of Talea four-pack (we’re partial to their Sun Up Hazy IPAs!) for $45. 

* This article was originally published here

Whether enjoyed as an affordable takeout option or a pricey tasting-menu situation, sushi is on regular rotation in the New York diet, so it’s no surprise that some of the best sushi restaurants in NYC also double as some of the best sushi restaurants in America, full stop. And in a recent ranking by Yelp, several homegrown options have cracked the review aggregator’s Top 100 Sushi Spots in America list. 

RECOMMENDED: The 16 best Japanese restaurants in NYC include expertly skewered chicken and pristine sushi

For the list, the restaurant network “identified businesses in the Sushi category and then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews,” per Yelp. “All businesses were marked open on Yelp as of April 4, 2024. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of April 4, 2024.”

And among the top-five sushi venues in the country was one NYC spot: Omakase by Korami, an intimate, menu-free operation in Hell’s Kitchen (400 West 50th Street), came in fifth. Though options change at the chef’s will, selections might include super-fresh stuff like spotted prawn, strip jack, sea urchin and salmon roe. The midtown omakase spot was joined in the list’s top rankings by Kauai Sushi Station in Lihue, Hawaii, a pair of California spots (Imari in Upland and Hamachi Sushi Express in La Habra) and Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki in Seattle, Washington. 

But New York also popped up elsewhere throughout the list, from NYC sushi dens to Greater New York spots. Akanomi in Altamont up in Albany County ranked at number 28, while Sushi Lin—an NYC chain with locations in Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Soho, West Village and the Lower East Side—wasn’t far behind with its 335 Flatbush Avenue outpost, ranked at number 32. Out on Long Island, Kenko Asian Cuisine in Merrick clocked in at number 92, while Yasuda up in Kingston, NY followed directly behind at number 93. 

And rounding things out, Long Island City’s own Ooi Sushi & Bar (42-36 Crescent Street) snagged the final spot on the 100-venue restaurant list, popular for its make combos, bento boxes, poke bowls and more. 

“There’s no denying that Americans love sushi. The Japanese dish — made with perfectly seasoned and vinegared rice and fresh raw (or cooked) seafood, and sometimes vegetables or meat — is one of the top-growing U.S. dining categories, according to Yelp’s 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry Report,” Yelp shared in a blog post. “Yelp reviewers have identified the best places to find expertly made sushi all across the country, from a food truck in Hawaii to an intimate sushi bar in New York City.” Check out the brand’s full rankings of the Top 100 Sushi Spots in America below: 

* This article was originally published here

Just in time for a scorching heat dome to bring 101º temps to NYC and the first day of summer to arrive, Mayor Eric Adams has launched “Let’s Swim NYC” with over $1 billion in renovations to public pools across all five boroughs.

According to a press release, 39 public pools will receive major renovations over the course of the next five years, NYC’s “highest period of investment in swimming infrastructure since the 1970s.”

In addition to the pools receiving renovations, two brand new indoor pools were just unveiled at Harry S. Truman High School Campus in the Bronx. Seven other pools across six city campuses were also recently updated.

Of the more than $1 billion, approximately $85 million will go towards protecting aging infrastructure, including pool tub repairs, electrical and structural work, utility and ventilation upgrades, and new decks, lighting, and filtration systems.

Upgraded outdoor public pools that can be enjoyed as soon as this summer include:

• John Jay Pool, Manhattan
• Sheltering Arms Pool, Manhattan
• Highbridge Pool, Manhattan
• Jackie Robinson Pool, Manhattan
• Astoria Pool, Queens
• Betsy Head Pool, Brooklyn
• Edenwald Playground Pool, Bronx
• West Brighton Pool, Staten Island
• Lyons Pool, Staten Island

Moreover, a $147 million recreation center with an indoor pool is being built at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans, Queens, as well as an indoor pool at the $141 million Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, the first pools to be built in NYC parks since 2008.

As for who will be patrolling the pools, the Adams administration is battling a nationwide lifeguard shortage and taking necessary steps to ensure that as many of NYC’s pools and beaches as possible can be open for safe swimming this summer. This builds on the city’s agreement earlier this year to raise city lifeguard pay to $22 an hour and offer a $1,000 per year bonus for returning lifeguards.

Mayor Adams stated:

New York City’s pools and beaches are incredible places for New Yorkers to come together, learn to swim, and beat the heat—and as climate change makes heat waves like this week’s more common and more severe, the need for pools has never been greater. We’re making a splash with our billion-dollar investment over five years, which will open up more, better pools in all five boroughs for working-class New Yorkers to freely use. That’s how we make New York City a more livable place for everyone lucky enough to call the greatest city in the world home.

Beyond the city’s public pools, here are 10 best ways to stay cool this summer.

The post 35+ NYC Public Pools To Receive $1 Billion In Renovations appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here