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If you want to make the most out of your autumnal adventures, a visit to the best fall New England Towns is practically mandatory.

From scenic hikes in national parks to pumpkin patches and fall festivals, these cozy spots are ready to school visitors in all things autumn. Find your best flannel, grab a PSL for the road, and venture to these stunning locations to revel in the best of the season.

Before you head out, have a little looksie at our guide to the 5-4-3-2-1 packing method — a space saver and game changer when scarves and heavy sweaters enter the mix.

1. Stowe, Vermont

Burlington might hog the spotlight, but its neighbor one hour away, Stowe, Vermont, is equally deserving of a visit.

Ideal for the adventurous, “fall’s color capital” boasts picture-worthy foliage from unique vantage points, like the cabins on the Gondola SkyRide at Stowe Mountain Resort. Should you want to get the adrenaline pumping, flickers of red, orange, and gold leaves dazzle while soaring on the ArbortTrek Canopy Adventures’ zip line.

Once it’s time to get back on the ground, grab a bite at one of the 25+ spots in town — including American Flatbread or Harrison’s — or sip dark and pale ales at von Trapp Brewing Bierhall. Don’t forget to enjoy window shopping at mom and pop stores, including Stowe Mercantile and The Boutique on Main Street, to name just a few.

Approximately six hours from NYC

2. Bar Harbor, Maine

While Bar Harbor might conjure up images of summertime and lobster rolls, the Maine destination is a must during the fall, particularly if you’re planning on visiting Acadia National Park, a.k.a. the “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast.” Throughout the park’s 47,000 acres, glimmers of fall colors stand out at Otter Cliff Overlook, Cadillac Mountain, and Jordan Pond. Stay around once the sun goes down to take in the stars without distractions and city lights, particularly along Ocean Path.

Mexican, Asian, Italian, and Cuban cuisine are all on the menu at this Maine town, but you’d be remiss to skip out on seafood from the likes of Stewman’s Lobster Pound or Beal’s Lobster Pier.

Approximately eight hours from NYC

3. Woodstock, Vermont

Not to be confused with the town in Upstate, New York, Woodstock, Vermont makes for a picture-perfect autumn escape.

Venture through Ottauquechee River Trail to take in the beautiful scenes, grab the best of the crop while pumpkin and apple picking at Sherburne Farm/Moore’s Orchard, and take in all that nature has to offer at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.

Regardless of where you end up stopping for a bite to eat — The Red Rooster at the Woodstock Inn or the Ransom Tavern at the Kedron Valley Inn — expect farm-fresh dishes throughout your stay.

Approximately five hours from NYC

4. Essex, Connecticut

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For a quick autumnal fix near NYC, Essex, Connecticut delivers, particularly thanks to the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat. The vintage steam locomotives venture through Deep River and Chester highlighting the best scenes of the season. Plus, there are themed experiences, including an aura workshop for the spiritually inclined and The Salem Express Brunch: Revenge of the Sanderson Sisters.

Roaming about town proves plenty of fun as well, as you’ll encounter local mom and pop shops, most notably The Griswold Inn Store — Goods & Curiosities, and great places to refuel, like Surfridge Brewing Company East.

Approximately two hours from NYC

5. Great Barrington, Massachusetts

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What New England town roundup would be complete without a spot in the Berkshires? Great Barrington is beloved for its theater and arts community, and there’s plenty to see, eat, and shop while venturing through the town’s Main Street.

Plus, mid-October is peak foliage season, so you know you’re in for a kaleidoscope of color. (Looking at you, Monument Mountain.)

Approximately three hours from NYC

So, which locales are on your list this fall? Don’t forget to also make a pitstop to our favorite Halloween towns near NYC this season, should you be craving something spooky!

The post The Best Fall New England Towns That Embrace The Season appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Though NYC’s iconic Katz’s Delicatessen has been serving up its legendary pastrami on rye since 1888, for the past 136 years vegetarians all around the city have unfortunately had to ignore their watering mouths and admire the sandwich from afar. But guess what–that’s all about to come to an end! Well…for one day, at least.

This weekend Katz’s Delicatessen will team up with seed-to-table pioneer Row 7 for a one-day-only event that will reimagine Katz’s classic pastrami sandwich in a groundbreaking way: with a meatless version!

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Katz’s and Row 7 have been experimenting with crafting an unexpected new take on pastrami for quite some time, preserving all the smoky, complex flavors pastrami eaters have come to know and love minus the cow! Instead, they’re using the Badger Flame beet, a vibrant type of beet bred to express the vegetable’s sweetness sans its typical earthy flavor.

Renowned Chef Dan Barber, who created the sandwich in collaboration with Katz’s owner Jake Dell, will step behind Katz’s legendary counter to serve up the vegetarian pastrami sandwich for one day only on Saturday, September 28th. The Row 7 truck will also be parked outside of Katz’s where Irwin Goldman, the visionary plant breeder behind the Badger Flame beet, will be offering samples of the vegetable for the public to try for themselves.

While we certainly wish this would have happened sooner, we’re stoked it’s happening now! Though who knows if it’ll happen again, so if you need us this weekend you know where we’ll be.

Katz’s Delicatessen – 205 E Houston St.

Saturday, September 28

12 pm – 4 pm

The post Katz’s Deli Launches A Vegetarian Pastrami Sandwich For One Day Only appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

As we say goodbye to summer and dive into the depths of fall the tricks and treats of the season begin to come to life–and that means Halloween costume planning is in full swing! The day after Halloween is almost just as fun as the day itself as photos and videos of costumes begin to flood our social media feeds, and whether you’d like to join in on all of the trendy Halloween costumes for 2024 or just be aware of them so you can not dress the same as everyone else, there’s a lineup of costumes we’re bound to see this October 31st.

Searches for “Halloween costumes” have risen a whopping 85% over the last month alone, and fashion experts over at Boohoo gathered together a list of characters and themes that are bound to dominate this year, whether they reflect significant cultural moments of the year or pay tribute to iconic movies and TV shows that went viral throughout the year.

Here are the top Halloween costumes for 2024:

Deadpool and Wolverine

With Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel’s summer 2024 hit, on track to slash its way into comic fans’ homes soon along with the much-anticipated release of Deadpool 3, it’s no surprise that many are itching to dress up as both characters. And who can blame them–the outfits are pretty badass!

Beetlejuice

With his wild green hair, striped suit, moss-covered face, and rowdy demeanor, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice has been a Halloween staple for decades, and this season isn’t any different! The release of Beetlejuice 2 earlier this month has resurged a wave of nostalgia and excitement, and the character is certainly on track to haunt the streets once again on Halloween night.

P.S. did you know NYC’s only Tim Burton-themed bar and restaurant is open year round?! And for anyone heading to Los Angeles this spooky season, be sure to check out Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: The Afterlife Experience! More on this here.

Dune characters

With the release of Dune: Part Two in March of this year, fans are dying to don their best desert duds to recreate the looks from the epic sci-fi saga. Be on the lookout not only for Paul Atreides and Chani doppelgängers, but also sandworms as searches for “sandworm costume” have surged by 270% on Google Trends over the last month.

Barbie and Ken

Last year NYC’s most popular Halloween costume was Barbie, and despite the movie now being a year old the iconic duo isn’t going anywhere! Expect to see a variety of Barbie and Ken costumes this year, reflecting the different versions and outfits that have made the characters timeless–most of all the iconic Barbie pink!

And be sure to check out the new Barbie exhibit heading to NYC this October!

Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked

Wicked has been captivating audiences since first premiering on Broadway October 8, 2003, and with the upcoming movie adaptation generating endless buzz you’ll want to be on the lookout this Halloween for green-skinned Elphaba and pink-clad Glinda looking to cast a spell over you!

Taylor Swift’s eras

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour sure has left a lasting impact on many, and fans are looking to embrace Swift’s many distinct musical eras. Whether it be the country charm of her early days or the edgy style of Reputation, you’re bound to see endless Taylor Swift clones walking around this Halloween.

The Bear characters

Be prepared to “yes chef” it up this Halloween as The Bear, the gritty portrayal of life in a high-pressure kitchen, has made chef and kitchen staff outfits popular among the adult Halloween costumes section of party stores. And considering you really only need to get your hands on the iconic blue apron to pull off this look, it’s an easy costume that even the biggest of costume haters can pull off.

And speaking of Jeremy Allen White, here’s his favorite NYC restaurant!

Pennywise

Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s IT remains a perennial (yet incredible unsettling) Halloween favorite as one of horror’s most iconic characters. According to Google Trends data searches for “Pennywise costume” have surged 138% over the last 30 days, a clear indication that many are planning to recreate the iconic character this Halloween. Our advice: stay farrrrr away from any and all sewer grates!

Lucky for us, New York City is filled to the brim with spooky stores to grab your costume, and there are tons of Halloween events and parties going on around the city perfect for kids and adults alike.

The post The Top Halloween Costumes For 2024 Have Been Revealed, & They Include This Iconic NYC Duo appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Save room for some of NYC’s finest fare: the Manhattan West Food Fest is returning for a second year, and the October event promises to satisfy all palettes.

Fall festivals are certainly in full swing — the city’s first-ever soup dumpling festival is garnering attention, as is the return of the return of the Columbus Circle Night Market — and you’d be remiss to pass up this celebration with its espresso martinis, carnitas tacos, and Moroccan fried chicken, among other tasty delights.

All about the Manhattan West Food Fest

Head to the Manhattan West Plaza on October 16th and 17th beginning at 4pm to start sampling the local cuisine. Stop for a bite at vendors like Citizens Market Hall, Zou Zou’s, Midnight By Navarro’s, Daily Provisions, Katsuya, Casa Dani, and Black Forest Coffee. What’s more, each location is adding a bit of flair to the event by preparing exclusive bites that are not available on their regular menus, so there’s even more reason to make a pitstop to the event.

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While it is free to enter and registration is not required, do be mindful that each vendor is charging for their offerings. But you’ll be munching and sipping for a good cause, as Manhattan West is donating all drink proceeds to Rethink Food, its nonprofit partner that works to fight food waste and food insecurity.

The event is family-friendly, and a DJ will perform both nights, providing entertainment while you sample different eateries. Should you not want to leave Fido alone at your apartment, you’re in luck: pets are welcome, too.

So: What’s on your tasting menu at the Manhattan West Food Fest? If you need us, we’ll be over at Daily Provisions.

Manhattan West Plaza, 385 9th Ave.

October 16th and 17th from 4-8pm

Free to enter; food available for purchase

The post The Manhattan West Food Fest Returns With Exclusive Dishes From Favorites Like Ci Siamo And Zou Zou’s appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

If we’re anything alike, it’s about right now when you’re clinging to the last remaining days of PTO before the year’s up. And though living in the country with the least amount of PTO definitely has its downfalls, there are ways to double, triple and even quadruple your vacation days—you just need to know how to maximize them!

Scheduling your trips or time off around National Holidays is a wonderful way to maximize your days off. So let’s take a glimpse at the 2025 National Holiday calendar:

• New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 20th, 2025
• Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 17th, 2025
• Memorial Day: Monday, May 26th, 2025
• Juneteenth: Thursday, June 19th, 2025
• Independence Day: Friday, July 4th, 2025
• Labor Day: Monday, September 1st, 2025
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Monday, October 13th, 2025
• Veteran’s Day: Tuesday, November 11th, 2025
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 27th, 2025
• Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25th, 2025

By utilizing days you will already have off, such as holidays and weekends, you can create more time for yourself away from work.

Take off these dates in 2025 to maximize PTO

• December 30th, 2025 & December 31st, 2025 – supplemented with the weekend before and New Year’s Day for 5 consecutive days off
• January 21st, 2025 – supplemented with the weekend before and Martin Luther King Jr. Day for 4 consecutive days off
• February 14th, 2025 – supplemented by the following weekend and President’s Day for 4 consecutive days off
• May 23rd, 2025 – supplemented by the following weekend and Memorial Day for 4 consecutive days off
• June 20th, 2025 – supplemented by Juneteenth and the following weekend for 4 consecutive days off
• July 3rd, 2025 – supplemented by the Fourth of July and the following weekend for 4 consecutive days off
• September 2, 2025 – supplemented by the weekend before and Labor Day for 4 consecutive days off
• Friday, October 10th – supplemented by the following weekend and Indigenous Peoples’ Day for 4 consecutive days off
• November 10th, 2025 – supplemented by the weekend before and Veteran’s Day for 4 consecutive days off
• November 28th, 2025 – supplemented by Thanksgiving and the weekend ahead for 4 consecutive days off
• December 26th, 2025 – supplemented by Christmas Day and the following weekend for 4 consecutive days off

Unsure where to spend your vacation time? Explore some of our favorite escapes from New York, whether you’re looking for day trips or a destination that’s only a flight away. And be sure to check our secret hacks for finding the cheapest flights.

The post Turn 12 Days Of PTO Into 45 Days Of Vacation In 2025 appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

After a decade of renovations Brooklyn’s historic Domino Sugar Factory officially opened as The Refinery at Domino back in September 2023 giving New Yorkers a brand new workspace on Brooklyn’s waterfront. And though, unbeknownst to many, a 9-story indoor vertical garden grows inside the former sugar factory, that isn’t the only greenery the historic site has to offer New Yorkers–a brand new one-acre public plaza has just been unveiled!

Dubbed Domino Square, the new programmable public plaza at the historic Domino Sugar Factory site will bring vibrant community programming and civic space to the Williamsburg waterfront. All types of exciting events–from farmers markets and salsa nights to outdoor movie screenings and even ice skating in the winter months (the first rink to ever open on Williamsburg’s waterfront)–will be held at the plaza as a way to bring the community together.

Domino Square is the final piece of the puzzle that is the award-winning, six-acre total Domino Park. The plaza solidifies the park’s role as a hub for New Yorkers and visitors alike to gather together, enjoy increased connectivity to the Williamsburg waterfront, and revel in the 60% increase of publicly accessible open space. Some features include:

• An egg-shaped center (where the ice rink will open in November) with tiered seating
• Seating in the southwest corner surrounded by garden beds
• A new overlook with views of the park and the Williamsburg Bridge

Jed Walentas, Principal at Two Trees Management who’s behind the revitalization of the historic site, stated:

We have obviously been thrilled with how the community has responded to and adopted Domino Park. Now, with the opening of the Square, we will be able to accommodate a broader array of activities that will attract neighbors from all walks of life. Domino Square will enhance everyone’s life in South Williamsburg.

Additional features of Domino Park as a whole include an elevated walkway, playground, Tacocina, a cheery waterfront taqueria, beach volleyball courts, a bocce court, and a dog run.

Domino Square Public Plaza – Entrance at Kent Avenue & South 3rd Street, Williamsburg

The post A Stunning One-Acre Waterfront Park Opens At The Historic Domino Sugar Factory Site appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

A few months ago, we were asking the important questions: when was Salt & Straw going to finally open in New York? Hosting its first pop-up in New York last year, the Portland-based ice cream shop has continued to tease us with the promises of honey lavender and Basque cheesecake scoops. A year of pop-ups later, the wait is finally over. 

RECOMMENDED: The 13 best ice cream shops in NYC

As of Friday, Salt & Straw (360 Amsterdam Avenue) is officially open on the Upper West Side. The 1,000-square-foot shop features a mural by a Brooklyn-based artist, a to-go fridge filled with classic and seasonal pints and a walk-up counter where all of the unlimited samples can be had. With locations in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Oregon, this is the first location to land in New York.

Eleven of Salt & Straw’s tried and true classics are on the menu, including Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Honey Lavender and Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper. However, the newest outpost has exclusive flavors only to NYC. Pulling on our love of all things bagel, the Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear features candied cinnamon bagels from PopUpBagels with cinnamon cream cheese ribbons. Breads Bakery also has a unique scoop here, too: the Chocolate Babka with Hazelnut Fudge with a chocolate stracciatella ripple. Not leaving savory out of the equation comes the quintessential NYC flavor: Pastrami on Rye. Sourcing pastrami straight from Carnegie Deli, the butterscotch ice cream base comes with a mustard custard swirl and toasted rye crumble.  

The shop will also feature rotating scoops to keep up with the seasons. Just in time for fall, the to-go fridge features pints of their Apple Series. Available until the end of the month, snag one (or all) of the five unique flavors, including Apple Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie; Apple Cider Donuts; Finnriver’s Black Currant Apple Cider; Green Apple Wasabi Sorbet and Caramel Apple Sherbet. 

But if the Upper West Side is too far out of reach, worry not, the West Village location is on the horizon. Until then, happy scooping!

* This article was originally published here

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, the famous Chinese food destination with locations in Flushing and Manhattan, will be hosting its first-ever annual soup dumpling festival on October 6 on Sixth Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets. The event will kick off 10am and wrap up by 6pm. 

Given the popularity of the eatery’s soup dumplings, we expect a ton of people to rush to the destination to sample some of its most beloved sets, so make sure to get there relatively early to beat the rush. 

In addition to the various sets, attendees will also get to order from an a la carte menu filled with sought-after delicacies, including the four happiness sponge tofu dish (braised tofu with bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms), the cucumber salad with garlic, pan fried pork buns, fried vegetable spring rolls, braised beef noodle soup and the beef tendon and tripe cooked in spicy sauce.

Best of all: the restaurant will host soup dumpling making classes for 10 to 12 people each in the morning and the afternoon—so that you could start making your own version of the Chinese food at home.

Word to the wise: once you get there, certainly spend time perusing the menu but do not leave without also ordering the Lucky Six soup dumplings, a six-piece combination dish featuring a pork soup dumpling, a crab meat and pork soup dumpling, a chicken soup dumpling, a scallop and pork soup dumpling, a black truffle and pork soup dumpling, a gourd luffa option and a shrimp and pork one. It’ll only cost you $16 and let you sample a vast array of top-notch culinary items.

Our stomach are already grumbling.

* This article was originally published here