Calling all exercise junkies! We’re getting in shape this summer and these running routes around NYC are perfect for your next jog or run. From iconic bridges and scenic waterfront paths to serene parks nestled within the urban jungle, our city is a runner’s paradise…offering a perspective of NYC that you have to partake in to understand.

Without further ado, lace up your sneakers and get ready to hit the pavement because we have some new routes for you!

1) East River Greenway

This car-free path stretches down the east side of Manhattan, from Battery Park on the south end to 125th Street on the north end. It’s about 9 miles long, all while incorporating a 1.2 mile gap between 34th and 60th Street where the United Nations headquarters is (must use First and Second Ave to get around). This gap makes it easy to split into 2 routes!

Starting from the south, you can run along the East River and see the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge as well as Brooklyn. As you get further north you’ll run into views of the RFK Bridge and Roosevelt Island!

2) Summer Streets

New York City’s annual tradition of shutting down the most popular streets is happening again this year! On every Saturday this August (5th, 12th, 19th, 26), some of NYC’s most popular streets will go car-free in order for locals to take advantage of the open streets! This includes Park Avenue, Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, and many more. Utilize these shut-down roads as a route that you normally wouldn’t be able to! Check out all the street closures here.

3) Hudson River Park

On the opposite side of Manhattan lies Hudson River Park and the West Side Highway, a route that basically runs up the entire west side of NYC. You can start all the way up at Pier 97 in the north and trek through the path all the way down to Pier 25 in the south. It’s about 4 miles long and you’ll pass all sorts of piers, parks, and landmarks like Little Island, The Vessel, and Whitney Museum of American Art.

4) Brooklyn Bridge + Manhattan Bridge

If you want to transcend boroughs with a route, experiment with running over NYC’s iconic bridges! For this 4-5 mile route, we recommend starting in Lower Manhattan (near World Trade Center), running north and east over the Manhattan Bridge, looping around in Brooklyn and back over the Brooklyn Bridge pathway into Manhattan. Not only will you be able to check out the city’s most famous bridges, but the pedestrian pathways are perfect for seeing great skyline views while you run.

5) Central Park (Full Loop) 

Central Park is so massive that we had to split it up into two routes. On this more challenging route, it’s a full loop around the entire park, which equals up to about 6 miles. While you can start just about anywhere you wish, we always find the best starting point to be at 59th Street and 7th Avenue.

6) Central Park (Reservoir Loop)

The other shorter route that is much more popular for many Central Park runners is the 1.58 mile reservoir loop around the park’s massive body of water! This route has its own soft surfaced gravel running track that runners can use to their heart’s content. If you run this path, be sure to run counterclockwise so you don’t interfere with the flow of foot traffic!

7) Prospect Park

For all of our Brooklyn runners, you simply can’t go wrong with Prospect Park! With Grand Army Plaza serving as the perfect starting point, you can give this 3.5 mile route a try next time around. There’s a designated running lane along the Park Drive that makes it easy to get in your zone.

8) Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Moving onto Queens, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is one of the best running routes at your disposal. You can get anywhere from 3-4 miles if you complete a whole loop, starting at the boardwalk outside the 7 train’s Mets–Willets Point subway stop. You’ll run by Citi Field, the Fountain of the Planets, and much more too…it’s beautiful. Definitely go in the morning or at night, because during the day it could be busy and super hot.

9) Rockaway Beach

There’s no other feeling like the ocean breeze hitting your face while you’re running on the sand. At this NYC beach, you can either run on the sand to your heart’s desire, or take advantage of the over 5 mile long boardwalk that runs up and down Rockaway Beach. There’s a dedicated running lane as well as water fountains along the way too.

10) Silver Lake Park

In our opinion, Staten Island is such an underrated running spot! Especially Silver Lake Park, which has a decent body of water to loop around. If you start outside the Staten Island St. George Terminal and the Ferry Terminal Viaduct, you can get a 4.5 mile run in as you loop around the body of water in the park and back to the starting point. You’ll see Borough Hall, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and of course the gorgeous park.

The post 10 Best Running Routes In NYC To Do This Summer appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Ever watch a viral Hot Ones video and wonder if you could handle the spice? Now’s your chance.

In honor of National Wing Day (and beyond), Hot Ones is offering highly-anticipated spicy wing delivery to NYC so fans can indulge in the tongue-tickling spicy chicken. The Hot Ones menu, which features the famous spicy wings, hot sauces and sides, is now permanently available across the city, via a Mealco ghost kitchen. With a $10 order minimum, plus $1.99 delivery fee (free delivery for orders over $50, where available) you can get them via Hotonesdelivery.com. Pickup is also available. 

The menu offers six-piece or 12-piece wings, plus spicy crispy chicken and plant-based chicken sandwiches. The spicy lineup of hot sauces includes the spicy and tropical Los Calientes Rojo, The Classic Chili Maple designed to strike the perfect balance of sweet and heat, and The Classic Garlic Fresno. Combo meals include the option of french fries, plus a beverage (a can of soda, bottle of water or homemade iced tea). 

To help temper down the spice, the pop-up menu also features an apple fritter topped with sweet milk for dessert.

“First We Feast is thrilled to be expanding our Hot Ones delivery and bring the famed spicy chicken wing experience directly to our fans in NYC and Philadelphia,” said Chris Schonberger, creator of First We Feast. “In honor of National Chicken Wing Day, fans can finally try the iconic Hot Ones menu for themselves through major delivery apps and our collaboration with Mealco’s virtual restaurant technology.”

* This article was originally published here

New York City tends to be associated with glitzy skyscrapers and glimmering lights, but it’s also extraordinary for its wildflowers. Native plants abound in all five boroughs, and you can vote for your favorite local wildflower in this fun new contest.

Then, if all goes well, the winner will become NYC’s official wildflower. Voting is now open and runs until November 7; keep scrolling to meet the candidates.

RECOMMENDED: The verdant Theodore Roosevelt Park is open again at AMNH on the Upper West Side

Botanist Marielle Anzelone is the director of NYC Wildflower Week, a nonprofit she founded with experience working in the city’s parks department. She’s running Vote WildflowerNYC with hopes the contest will encourage New Yorkers to pay attention and feel invested in the city’s greenery and environmental issues.

“New York City has a lot of nature,” Anzelone says. Even Manhattan, she adds, isn’t just a monument to the built environment. 

“I try to teach New Yorkers about nature, but plants specifically, and why it’s important. So much research has shown how being in nature makes people joyful,” she says. 

Plus, we need nature. New York City’s native plants are essential to our ecosystems, providing us with fresh air, pollinated foods, climate regulation and more.

She teamed up with organizations across the city, asking each to nominate a native-to-NY wildflower for their borough. Once the winner is crowned, Anzelone will present it to City Council asking them to make it official. She also hopes to parlay this initiative into a more robust biodiversity policy, as she said NYC is the only global city without one.

Meet the candidates

Wild Columbine

Nominated by: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn

Beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds, Wild Columbine is known for its wiry stems with blue-green foliage and dazzling red-and-yellow flowers.

“We love its unique scarlet drooping flower, its five petals evoking the five boroughs,” Rashid Poulson, director of horticulture for Brooklyn Bridge Park, said in a statement. “Columbine’s nectar helps fuel the spring migration of the ruby-throated hummingbird. This ecological kinship is something we’re always excited to observe at the Park—one of many critical connections between local wildlife and our city’s greenspaces.”

Pinxter Azalea

Nominated by: Staten Island Museum, Staten Island

This versatile plant works hard all year long with blossoms supporting pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. In the spring, it shows off with pink blooms. In the summer, its smooth leaves invite leaf-cutter bees, which chew small circular pieces to help build their nests. In autumn, it’s decorated in richly colored reds, golds and mauves. 

“Did you know that Staten Island is the only borough that already has an official wildflower? In the 1980s, Staten Islanders voted for the Pinxter Azalea to represent our borough and we are proud to support it!” said Colleen Evans, director of natural science at the Staten Island Museum. “One of our native azaleas, Pinxter Azalea grows wild throughout the city, and is especially abundant in Staten Island’s Greenbelt.”

Spicebush

Nominated by: New York Botanical Garden, Bronx

This yellow bloom welcomes spring, brightening up the woods with floral cheer when little else is blooming yet. Its delicate clusters look almost like a pointillism painting. When fall arrives, this ubiquitous shrub treats our eyes to its golden glow once again. A critical part of the forest understory, swallowtail butterflies love this popular plant. 

“Spicebush has long been a part of the history of Eastern North America, and it’s particularly close to our hearts here in the Bronx, where in early spring you’ll spot its abundant flowers punctuating the trails of our old-growth Thain Forest with clouds of gentle yellow petals,” noted James Boyer, vice president of children’s education and senior director of education at NYBG. “Its intriguing name comes from the spicy aroma that arises from the crushed leaves.”

Giant sunflower

Nominated by: Queens Botanical Garden, Queens 

Perhaps the best-known wildflower in the field, this particular genus is known for its resilience and showy yellow flowers. Sunflowers also feed the multitudes, providing sustenance for many bees, birds, butterflies, beetles, and humans. Sunflowers also provide shelter for wildlife, as they grow well in moist meadows and salt marsh edges. 

“Sunflowers radiate joy and burst with sunshine no matter where you see them in our city,” said Evie Hantzopoulos, executive director of Queens Botanical Garden. “Although the Helianthus giganteus species, a.k.a. Giant Sunflower, is a native one, the sunflower genus includes plants from all over the world. Because sunflowers are so internationally recognized and hold different meanings across cultures, we felt Giant Sunflowers captured the power of New York City’s diversity and how we are all interconnected.”

Butterfly Milkweed

Nominated by: The High Line, Manhattan

The High Line nominated butterfly weed because they say it emulates everything a good New Yorker should be: resilient, brash yet warm, a generous multitasker, and capable of thriving in many environments. The plant supplies nectar for many pollinators and beneficial insects while serving as a host plant for milkweed bugs and the globally endangered Monarch butterfly. You can’t miss its bright orange flower clusters in the summertime. 

“We love Butterfly Milkweed because it so successfully represents the unique aspects of the High Line’s naturalistic gardens: colorful beauty, ecological function, and four-season interest,” said Richard Hayden, director of horticulture for Friends of the High Line. “Choosing Butterfly Milkweed also allows us to highlight the importance of milkweeds to the story of the monarch butterfly; milkweeds are the only plants that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on. Since monarchs were recently designated as globally endangered, planting more native milkweeds is one thing the public can do to help these iconic insects make a home in New York City.”

Get outside

The campaign recommends taking a walk to reconnect with nature every week. If you want to meet up with fellow nature enthusiasts, NYC Wildflower Week hosts free plant walks to see local flora in person; here’s the schedule.

Also keep an eye out for the Vote WildflowerNYC team who will visit civic groups, schools, community boards and neighborhood businesses during the campaign.  

* This article was originally published here