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This gorgeous 7,500-square-foot street mural is now in Union Square
It’s always exciting when a piece of art becomes part and parcel of the city’s streets. Case in point: the mural installation that takes over Union Square every year.
In 2024, the 7,500-square-foot mural unveiled in partnership with Union Square and the New York City Department of Transportation Art Program (NYC DOT Art) is the work of New York artist Talisa Almonte, who was selected among almost 30 total submissions received in 2024 only.
“Flowing Together,” as the piece is called, “recognizes [Union Square’s] legacy as an iconic space for people to come together, from all walks of life, in the name of self-expression – whether to make their voices heard or to celebrate life, joy, art, music and dance,” reads an official press release.
Flowing Together – a new street mural at Union Square
This is the new 7,500-square-foot street mural along the pedestrian areas of the 14th Street Busway, between Broadway and University Place. Designed by Queens-based visual artist Talisa Almonte. pic.twitter.com/DVNTwbozdM
— Noel Y. Calingasan • NYC (@nyclovesnyc) May 18, 2024
Brightly multicolored, the mural abstractly showcases the flow of people into and out of the legendary neighborhood. More specifically, according to the release, “the southern portion of the street mural is filled with organic shapes of diverse colors, representing the constant flow of people passing through Union Square, while the northern portion showcases those same shapes joining into a spiral, representing the unification of people for a specific cause.”
The artwork debuted late last week and will stay put on site indefinitely, but we suggest you head to 14th Street between Broadway and Union Square West this week to catch it in all of its glory before the crowds.
If the visit has got you craving more outdoor art, feel free to consult our own list of the best that’s currently out there, including the trippy sculptures of cut-off looking people in Manhattan that are sure to make you do a double take, the gigantic hot dog that’s currently sitting pretty in Times Square and pastel-hued floral mural with a feminist message that is one of the newest additions to the High Line.
NYC beaches are opening this weekend!
Summer technically starts on June 20, but every New Yorker knows that the real start of the season coincides with beach reopening day.
Lucky for us, that time of year is here: starting this weekend, NYC Parks is officially re-opening its 14 miles of shoreline.
RECOMMENDED: The best beaches in NYC for fun in the sun
The beaches reopening on Memorial Day weekend include Coney Island and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, Cedar Grove Beach in Staten Island, and Orchard Beach in the Bronx.
The other piece of good news is that the weather this weekend looks pretty promising.
We’re starting off strong on Friday with sun and a high of 80 degrees. While we might get some rain on Saturday, Sunday is going to be sunny again with a high of 78 degrees. If you want to catch the sunset, which you should, keep in mind that it is scheduled to happen around 8:15pm this weekend.
Back to the beaches: there are a lot of great ones to visit, but our favorites in the NYC area include Jacob Riis, which is LGBTQ-friendly; Fort Tilden Beach in the Rockaways; and Jones Beach in Long Island, which boasts some of the whitest sands around.
NYC outdoor pools, on the other hand, will open towards the end of June. If you can’t wait until then, though, there are plenty of outdoor hotel and rooftop pools that are opening sooner. Some of our favorites include the pool at the William Vale, The Rockaway Hotel and Spa and the Hotel Indigo pool in Williamsburg. Make sure to contact the hotels before you go to verify that their pools are open for the season.
NYC beaches are going to be accessible through September 8, although the city has been considering keeping them open for a few months longer in the future. If a proposed bill by City Councilman Shekar Krishnan actually goes through, New York City pools and beaches could stay open until the second Sunday of October, effectively extending the season by several weeks.
If you plan on dipping your toes in the water this weekend, keep in mind that lifeguards are only on duty from 10am until 6pm and, of course, make sure to wear lots and lots of sunscreen.
NYCEDC Executive Committee Approves First Two NYC Catalyst Fund Investments: Harlem Capital and Maycomb – New York City Economic Development Corporation
NYCEDC Executive Committee Approves First Two NYC Catalyst Fund Investments: Harlem Capital and Maycomb New York City Economic Development Corporation
Vampire Weekend MetroCards are now available at two NYC subway stations
Although the MTA is currently asking New Yorkers to create the final limited-edition MetroCards as the form fades out to give way to the system’s tap-and-go technology, the agency still has a few surprises up its sleeves: a little over a week after breaking the Internet with the special-edition Ice Spice passes, the MTA has announced that it will produce 60,000 MetroCards featuring Grammy Award-winning indie rock band Vampire Weekend.
Available at select subway stations in Manhattan only, the tickets are a collaboration with Columbia Records in support of the band’s latest studio album, Only God Was Above Us.
As of yesterday, the special Vampire Weekend MetroCards are only available at the 14th Street–Union Square station and the Grand Central–42nd Street station. Given how much traffic passes through each destination daily, we suggest heading there ASAP to get your hands on one of the few limited-edition cards.
If the team-up has got you scratching your head in confusion, here’s a bit of a Vampire Weekend crash course: the rock band was founded right here in New York back in 2006, while all three members were still students at Columbia University.
In the less than two decades since, the trio has won two Grammy Awards and earned five nominations, turning their origin story into a real New York-like fairytale.
The MTA is only releasing two more limited-edition MetroCards—something to keep in mind if you’re trying to collect them all!