Shake Shack
Two New York City companies have announced a sweet new collaboration. Shake Shack and Milk Bar have teamed up on two limited-edition milkshakes: the chocolate birthday cake shake and the cornflake chocolate drizzle shake. The delicious treats combine Shake Shack’s famous frozen custard with Milk Bar’s unique desserts.
Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL
The New York Public Library’s much-anticipated permanent exhibition of rotating rare objects and artifacts finally opens to the public next month. First announced in 2018, the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures features 250 unique, historic items from the library’s incredible holdings, which includes more than 45 million objects in its research collections. Highlights include Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Dickens’ writing desk, a letter written by James Baldwin to Angela Davis, the 1811 Comissioners’ Map and Survey of Manhattan Island, and much more.
Photo by Mark Wilkie via Flickr cc
On Saturday, between 10pm and 11pm, Central Park saw 1.94 inches of rainfall, the most ever recorded in a single hour in New York City, according to the National Weather Service, which has been keeping weather records since 1870. Just hours earlier, the park was evacuated during the city’s massive Homecoming Concert for fears over impending weather brought on by Tropical Storm Henri. August 21st was also the wettest day since 2014.
Artist rendering by Anthony George
A new attraction coming to Times Square next week hopes to wheel in tourists. A 110-foot high outdoor Ferris wheel will open next Tuesday on the plaza between West 47th and West 48th Streets, as the New York Post first reported. Dubbed the Times Square Wheel, the limited experience runs from August 24 through September 12. The pop-up attraction is part of a larger effort by the Times Square Alliance to promote the neighborhood as the city continues to recover from the pandemic.
Mermaid Parade 2018; Photo Credit: © Norman Blake
Two of New York City’s most vibrant parades won’t take place in person this summer for the second year in a row. Due to the spike in coronavirus cases, organizers of both the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island and the West Indian American Day Carnival along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway have postponed their in-person parades until next year.
Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr
Starting Tuesday, New Yorkers aged 12 and older must be vaccinated against the coronavirus to partake in indoor dining, fitness, and entertainment. The Key to NYC initiative, which applies to bars, fitness centers, movie theaters, museums, and other indoor venues, requires visitors to show proof of at least one dose of the vaccine. The policy will go into effect on August 17 with enforcement beginning the week of September 13.
Screenshot taken on 8.13.21 of NYC Cooling Center Finder
While the current heat dome isn’t predicted to last as long as the city’s longest heatwave in August 1953 (which persisted for 12 insufferable days!) today’s heat index is expected to reach 107 degrees. An excessive heat warning is in effect until 8pm tonight, so many of the city’s 500 cooling centers across the five boroughs remain open to provide relief to those who are most vulnerable during the heatwave. With this interactive map, you can find all of the air-conditioned public facilities in your neighborhood (and which ones accept your furry friends).
Photo by ajay_suresh on Flickr
One of the country’s most popular carousels will soon spin again. Central Park’s Friedsam Memorial Carousel will reopen to riders this fall after being closed since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As first reported by amNY, the operators of Coney Island’s Luna Park, Central Amusement International, will operate the merry-go-round, replacing the Trump Organization, which had its contracts with the city canceled earlier this year after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr
Take a shot and receive a free ticket to a Brooklyn Nets home game. The basketball team is partnering with Maimonides Medical Center and Industry Center to open a coronavirus vaccination site in Brooklyn this week. On Thursday, August 12, individuals aged 12 and older who receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Sunset Park pop-up will go home with a complimentary ticket to a game next season and some Nets swag.
Maiden Korea, 316 5th Avenue; Courtesy of Alfresco NYC
Over 11,500 restaurants across New York City currently participate in the city’s outdoor dining program, which launched last summer to help businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, seven of them were recognized for being the best examples of outdoor dining setups across the boroughs as part of the first-ever Alfresco Awards. The program, created by a group of local nonprofits, also acknowledged the city’s best Open Streets, an initiative that closes streets to cars for pedestrian use.
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