On a regular day, getting anywhere from JFK is a bit of a headache—and things are about to get even more complicated when catching an Uber or Lyft from the travel hub.

Anticipating a record number of passengers during a time of ongoing major construction, JFK will temporarily move the ride-share pickup area for passengers arriving at Terminal 4, which primarily services Delta and JetBlue, requiring them to actually take a shuttle to reach the designated zone.

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According to Travel and Leisure, only during peak travel hours between noon and 2am, folks will have to exit the airport, get on the ride-share shuttle scheduled to operate every one-to-two minutes and meet their driver at one of a few different pickup areas marked with codes like “M1” and “K2.”

Outside those scheduled times, your ride will be able to meet you at the terminal as usual. Yellow taxis will also continue operating as usual.

The new process will only affect arriving passengers: if you’re catching a flight from Terminal 4, you will still be able to get dropped off by the door.

The changes are in reaction to renovation work at the airport, which is currently undergoing a $19 billion redevelopment that will add two brand new terminals and a new roadway network that will completely transform the old hub.

As the changes will not be completed until 2026, passengers should expect additional adjustments, specifically targeting parking and pickup/dropoff procedures. 

While scrambling to leave JFK and likely complaining about the extra travel time, keep in mind that a brand-new, beautiful, more convenient (hopefully) airport is just a few years away!

* This article was originally published here

Let us be frank: hot dogs are the best summer snack whether covered in mustard (or ketchup, you weirdo), chili or relish.

We love wieners so much that we’re devoting an entire week to them during Time Out New York’s “Hot Dog Week.”

Not only have we updated our list of the best hot dogs in NYC, setting The Portrait Bar’s “au poivre” dog as No. 1 this year, but we’re calling out the most notable dogs, conducting taste tests and sharing the grand history of the frank over the next seven days leading up to July 4.

We’ll also school you about what technically makes a NYC hot dog, try out the best-rated hot dog cart, compare the city’s Papaya Dogs in a Papya Dog Showdown and much more. We’ll even cover the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest live on our Instagram. 

We also want to hear from you about your favorite NYC hot dog and actually try them. That’s right, we’ll be taking your suggestions and giving our honest opinion. 

Best of all, over at Time Out Market, we’re celebrating Hot Dog Week from now through Sunday, July 7, with Pastrami Queen (one of our top hot dog picks), which will offer a variety of wonderful wieners to pick from. You can wash it down with a special $6 Sam Adams Summer Ale, too.

Watch this space and our IG to relish Hot Dog Week with us.  

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* This article was originally published here

You loved it, you wore it everyday, and you cried when it closed—but now, it’s making a comeback! Popular tween retailer from the 90s and early 2000s, Limited Too, has announced their official re-launch after a 15-year hiatus.

The iconic brand will return on Friday, July 12th with a highly-anticipated first drop. The new generation of Limited Too shoppers will be able to explore the new collection in Kohl’s and online. Talk about right in time for back to school shopping!

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When they first resurfaced on Instagram this June, fans we’re hesitant to believe it was true. However, Limited Too wrote in their caption “Here to tell you this is real,” assuring us all that no, this is not a drill.

Their website is already up and running if you want to take a peek. The brand promises to carry on its fashion legacy with a “celebration of the past and an inspiration for the present.”

To celebrate the re-launch, Limited Too hosted a rooftop party in NYC with guests like Kate Steinberg and Rachel Fuda. Attendees got a first look at the brand’s trendy new items, while grabbing a sweet treat from the build-your-own candy bar and a visit to the embroidery station.

Design Manager, Petra K, said “The goal of the relaunch is really to inspire girls — to inspire the next generation of who the Limited Too girl is. It was such a pop culture phenomenon. It was such an amazing time to shop as a little girl, come into our stores and have those special moments with your family shopping or finding your new outfit or getting a dress for a party or picking out a birthday present for a best friend. It’s really just about inspiring girls to hold each other’s hand and be good friends and celebrate how awesome it is to be a tween.”

The post Nostalgic Retailer, Limited Too, Is Returning After A 15-Year Hiatus appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

New Jersey resident and Long Island native Tony Randel lives a typical bachelor life. He stands 5 foot 10 inches, weighs 265 pounds, lifts weights and works out four times a week to keep up his muscular build, works as a relationship banker, wears suits, and enjoys traveling and socializing.

He’s also openly gay.

Living the life of a typical man in the city, Randel, like many gay men, does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of what most might perceive as the stereotypically gay man. He’s very honest about who he is.

Randel lives his life out and proud at 54, using his social media influence to foster an inclusive environment and also give back. While people often think of social media influencers as younger individuals, Randel started in middle age. More than 20,000 people follow his Instagram account, @randeltoney.

In an interview with the AmNews, Randel said LGBT Pride to him means simply being unashamed of who you are.

“This is me,” he said. “Pride means I chose not to be in the closet. I choose to live my life the way I feel most comfortable living it, and who I’m attracted to shouldn’t matter.”

However, living his life as an openly gay man wasn’t always the case for Randel. He said his journey has not been without some bumps along the way. His journey toward living in his truth began in college when he came to terms with his sexuality.

“When I was in school, I started to feel different,” he said. “I felt like I was in love with this one guy. We were always together and I had a big crush on him but he was straight and I had a girlfriend at the time. I never came on to him or anything like that.”

Randel said he came to the realization at that time that he was attracted to men and began to explore that when he moved out of parents’ house and into his own apartment at age 27.

“I wanted to better understand if it was something I liked or didn’t like,” he said.

It wasn’t until he read an article in The Source magazine about gay hip-hop culture where he saw a listing of gay clubs in New York that played hip-hop music. A club he’d previously attended that was mentioned in the article had a gay night he was unaware of. He attended and said the experience changed his life.

“They were playing hip-hop and there were men in there dancing who looked like me,” he said. “It just blew my mind. At that moment I realized I might be gay.”

That night he met several people, including a few he’s been lifelong friends with. At this point, Randel considered himself bisexual. It was a relationship with a man that sealed the deal about his true identity.

“I was in love with this guy and we stayed together for three years,” he said. “I realized that I was a gay man.”

Upon realizing who he really was, a year later, he came out to his mother. He didn’t tell his now-deceased father until he was in his 40s.

“She asked me if I was gay,” he said. “I had a birthday party she attended and there were a lot of guys there. By that time she knew something was up. I was avoiding her for a long time because I didn’t want to lie to her. She asked me if I was gay and I said no, and told her I was bisexual. She started crying and I started crying. She said it was okay and told me I was grown and I needed to live my life. At first, she gave me little pushback, but after a while she was cool.”

Today, Randal juggles his career in banking with his life as a social media influencer and model. He decided to try it in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing Liam Neeson, who was 68 years old at the time, in a movie.

“It just clicked in my head. If this guy can be an action movie star at 68 years old, I can be a model at 50 years old,” he said. “Instagram was basic to me, so I started scrolling to see what other people were doing.”

At the advice of another influencer, Randel did a photo shoot in South Florida. He posted the photos on social media and started building his followers. He even got a brief modeling deal and also appeared on a gay dating reality show. Once Reels came out on Instagram, Randel started creating short videos of himself, and with every video, more followers came. He was soon able to profit from the popularity of his reels.

Because of his large build, Randel is popular in what is known as the bear community, a subculture of gay men who are plus-sized. He eventually received a pageant title as Mr. Fire Island Bear in 2022. Randel said the community is not diverse, limiting the spaces plus-sized Black can meet and socialize. He hosts a monthly party at a gay bar in Chelsea.

“I started it because I felt like there was something missing in the community,” he said. “Black men are part of the bear community. We should be seen.”

Along with providing a space for plus-sized Black men, Randel also incorporates community givebacks. Several of his parties are also charity and food drives where he collects donations from attendees and gives the proceeds to local non-profit organizations. His most popular event is a Thanksgiving food drive. Randel also organized a team for this year’s AIDS Walk.

In a world where many Black gay and bisexual men continue to live on the “down low” due to shame, Randel says that being your true self is the best way to live—but admits it’s not easy.

“People will try you and give you a certain attitude. The alternative is making up fake girlfriends and things like that,” he said. “I used to do that because I didn’t want to be out at work. You have to have a level of confidence to be out. It’s not easy for someone like me who is straight-presenting. I don’t knock anyone who’s in the closet, but I don’t like the down-low stuff.”

As far as what’s ahead for Randal, he plans to continue hosting his social events, giving back as much as he can, and continuing to grow his social media following to pursue his modeling career.

The post Tony Randel: Living in truth with pride while giving back appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

We don’t know about you, but we’d much rather have sharks in our shakes than our shores. (In defense of those sharp-toothed fish, we are hanging out in their house.) And to celebrate the return of that annual favorite Shark Week, Creamline will serve a shark-themed milkshake from Monday, July 8, through Sunday, July 14, in collaboration with the iconic Economy Candy. 

RECOMMENDED: When you’re craving a frosty treat to beat the heat, go for the best milkshakes in NYC

The latest candy-topped milkshake collaboration between Creamline—the farm-sourced restaurant operating in partnership with Upstate New York’s Ronnybrook Farm—and the legendary Lower East Side candy shop, the new Shark Week special will consist of a blue Ronnybrook Farm vanilla milkshake made with spirulina, topped with the restaurant’s signature organic whipped cream, gummy shark candies and a dripping red cherry.

And it’s not the only candy shake that Creamline will be adding to its menu this summer: the eatery also recently reintroduced a Pop Rocks milkshake, made with all-natural vanilla soft serve ice cream from Ronnybrook Farms that gets blended with Strawberry and Blue Ruzz Pop Rocks, topped with whipped cream and covered in even more of the colorful popping candy. 

Those festive summertime flavors join a regular milkshake roster that includes a “New York City Coffee Milkshake,” a “Catskill Provisions Honey Milkshake,” a “Chocolate Fudge Milkshake” and a “Two Cookies & Cream” variety (blended with both Oreos and Nilla wafers).

Earlier this year, Creamline announced that it would offer a special milkshake collaboration with Economy Candy every month of the year. Previous frosty collabs have included a Valentine’s Day-inspired “Chocolate Covered Strawberry Milkshake” topped with candy hearts; a green St. Patrick’s bev blended with Junior Mints and topped with a gold coin; and a Pride-ready “Rainbow Milkshake” dotted with freeze-dried Skittles. 

* This article was originally published here