Folks who park their cars illegally in NYC will no longer have to deal with those famous boots that lock your vehicle’s wheels: the NYPD has just launched a new pilot program that involves the use of a plastic yellow box that gets suctioned to the windshield, making it impossible to see while driving.  

Aptly dubbed the Barnacle after the marine crustacean that quite literally attaches itself to rocks, ships and other animals as it grows, the tool is already in use around Queens and will soon expand to the rest of the city. 

According to CBS News, one Colin J. Heffron St., the executive chairman of Barnacle Parking, actually “invented the device with a friend after getting one too many boots on his car.”

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The Barnacle sounds like a pretty nifty creation in terms of usage. Officials simply have to unfold it, place it on a car’s windshield and wait for the two giant suction cups to adhere to the glass through a self-contained pump.

The pros: it takes the NYPD less than a minute to install each Barnacle, a big time saver compared to the up-to-three-minutes that setting up a traditional boot require. The device also boasts GPS technology so officials will always know where the products are and, according to NBC4, an alarm sounds whenever someone tries to remove the object from the windshield. 

It’s also important to note that, unlike getting booted, which usually requires your car to be towed, getting “Barnacle-d” is a relatively easy situation to solve: the driver can scan the QR code that is plastered on the device, input his or her license plate, pay the $185 fine and then punch in the given code to release the Barnacle. The tool can be folded up and will then have to be dropped off to whatever address the guidelines will provide one with.

There are some cons to keep in mind, though. Turns out that New Yorkers with a flair for the very dangerous have attempted driving away with the Barnacle still suctioned to their windshield, for example. How… very New York of them.

* This article was originally published here

Happy (almost) high holidays! 4/20 is nearly here again and restaurants, bars and chains throughout New York City are celebrating the buzzy festivities with food-and-drink specials, some that are actually cannabis-infused and some that are simply groovy in spirit. Now that marijuana legalization in NYC has officially rolled out, there are plenty of 4/20 events, parties and activations throughout the boroughs in honor of the April 20 holiday, and here are some great options for satisfying all those munchies: 

&pizza

The ‘za chain is doing a full week of deals and discounts for April 20, which they have excellently dubbed the “Daze of Stonemas.” Among the festive food specials are $4.20 garlic knots available on Thursday, $4.20 off orders of $20 or more on Friday, and $4.20 off select pies all day as well as free &pizza-branded rolling papers. 

Bubbakoo’s Burritos

The Mexican restaurant chain, which has outposts in Staten Island and throughout New Jersey, will fry up free churros for customers who purchase an entrée at any of its locations nationwide. Stop in on April 20 between 3pm and, duh, 4:20pm to get the complementary cinnamon sweets. 

Dunkin’

Though not specifically designed to celebrate 4/20, the coffee-and-doughnuts brand will give away a free cold brew (with your choice of toppings and syrups) to all Dunkin’ Rewards members as part of its National Cold Brew Day promotions on April 20. (After all, you might need a java jolt from all of that time spent, uh, relaxing.)

Insomnia Cookies

The Philly-based cookie chain will offer a free Classic cookie with any $5 purchase in-store from Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21. In-store customers can also trade a canned, packaged, or sealed food item that is within its best-by date for a warm, delicious Classic cookie. All collected food items will then be donated to local food banks. 

Jimmy John’s

Fans of the sandwich brand can pick up a Deliciously Dope Dime Bag, a $10 meal designed to quell the munchies. Available for online orders with the promo code “DIMEBAG,” the special includes a ham and provolone sandwich topped with Jalapeño Ranch, XTRA Oregano-Basil, sliced pickles crispy jalapeños, lettuce and tomato, alongside a pickle spear, a fudge brownie and Jimmy Chips. Salty, sweet, crunchy, fudgy—consider all of your specific cravings taken care of. 

Popeyes

The “Louisiana kitchen” is marking 4/20 this year with a special Munchies Menu available through Saturday, April 20: customers can get a chicken sandwich of choice (Classic, Spicy, Blackened, or Spicy Blackened) for $4.20, along with popular sides like Cajun Fries, Mac & Cheese and Mashed Potatoes. The Munchies Menu is available through the Popeyes smartphone app or at Popeyes.com for mobile order pickup and delivery. 

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Smashburger

Head to the patty purveyor for a truly beefy 4/20 deal: on April 20, you can enjoy four (!) single-patty Classic Smash Burgers for $20 at participating locations. (Given that a single burger usually gets you back $6.99 a pop, that’s a meaty discount.) The special is only available in-restaurant; simply mention the 4/20 deal at checkout. 

Tipsy Scoop

The liquored-up ice cream brand is partnering with Cann’s THC-infused “social tonics” for a seriously chill 4/20 special. Available in Tipsy Scoop’s Brooklyn and Manhattan locations, you can find a trio of Cann-spiked ice cream floats: 

• High Scream Social – Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Lemon Lavender Cann, garnished with rainbow sprinkles and a citrus fruit wedge
• High Life – Lemon Sorbet with Grapefruit Rosemary Cann, garnished with edible glitter
• Wake ‘N Sip – Raspberry Limoncello & Mango Margarita Sorbets with Blood Orange Cardamom Cann, garnished with 3D fruit gummies

* This article was originally published here

Does it get more New York than this? (Okay, maybe that time that Adam Sandler and Timothée Chalamet were spotted playing pick-up ball in the Village, but only slightly.) From Monday, April 22 through Wednesday, April 24, at 2pm to 5pm daily, uptowners will be able to get a taste of a downtown favorite without descending below 14th Street—hell, without even going below 74th Street. Greenwich Village cocktailer Dante is taking over the legendary Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle for a world-class cocktail residency next week. 

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The drink shakers over at Dante will be pouring eight of the bar’s award-winning drinks—the kind of stuff that helped it claim the coveted title of The World’s Best Bar back in 2019—as well as signature light bites (think blue cheese-stuffed olives and crunchy pistachios, served on a silver plate along with Bemelmans Bar’s signature cheese crisps) and live jazz music from modern-day piano man Louis B Middleton. 

Among the cocktails on offer will be the Dante Martini (Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Noilly Prat, Dolin Blank, Nardini Cedro, lemon bitters, olive bitters), Piña Colada Spritz (Bans 5, Santa Teresa, Leblon Cachaca, pineapple rum, pineapple, coconut, prosecco) and the Cosmogroni (Grey Goose L’Citron, Noilly Prat, Luxardo Bianco, rose and cranberry). 

The iconic New York bars have also collaborated on an exclusive cocktail in celebration of the upcoming Met Gala, called the “Sleeping Beauty.” Inspired by the Gala’s “Garden of Time” theme, the limited-edition tipple will be available during the three-day residency. (For reference, the Carlyle regularly serves as a hotel base for all of the well-heeled celebrity attendees of the annual Gala, located three blocks away at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.)

* This article was originally published here

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s annual National Action Network (NAN) Convention this year underscored the importance of  Black voter participation and voting rights—critical issues as voters roll onto a presidential election in November. 

Sharpton led a ribbon-cutting and opening remarks at last Wednesday’s gala at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. The event drew several major names from across disciplines including Whoopi Goldberg, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and lauded attorney Benjamin Crump. Sharpton took time to highlight his documentary, “Loudmouth,” which tracks his journey from his youth in New York City to becoming one of the nation’s foremost civil rights leaders 

But one of the biggest draws for attendees was President Joe Biden’s live remarks from the White House last Friday afternoon, streamed on big screens to a packed auditorium of eager supporters at the Sheraton. In 2000, NAN was able to get the two candidates for that year’s presidential Democratic nomination, Senator Bill Bradley and environmentalist Al Gore, to debate for the first time at the Apollo Theater, said Sharpton. Sharpton threw his own bid for president in 2004. 

REALTED: PHOTOS: National Action Network hosts 33rd Convention

Since that time, every Democratic candidate for president has come to the hotel for the NAN convention in an effort to connect directly with Black voters, including Biden and Obama. Sharpton spoke about the history Biden shares with NAN.

“One of those candidates was then-Senator Joe Biden, and every four years the presidential candidates and all the presidents would come. President Barack Obama came twice,” Sharpton said. “I have known Joe Biden before he was president. He’s always been candid and always been straight, and he’s always did what he said he was going to do. He has always said to us that he would never mislead us in a conversation, even if there may be areas of disagreement.”

Biden’s comments revolved around closing the racial wealth gap, negotiating lower prescription drug prices, bolstering Medicare and Medicaid, reducing Black unemployment rates, forgiveness of student loan debt for Black and brown borrowers, investing in HBCUs, confirming Black women to high executive and judiciary offices, and decriminalizing marijuana, as well as investing in Black-owned businesses and in clean energy for communities of color. 

“You know, for more than 30 years National Action Network has been on the frontlines of the work to redeem the soul of America,” Biden said. “You’ve been on the same page, and the work is as important as it’s ever been.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

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* This article was originally published here

You know summer is around the corner when Baylander Steel Beach—the smallest plane carrier in the world turned floating restaurant—announces its seasonal opening. 

This year, New Yorkers will get to flock to the 133-foot-long dining destination at the West Harlem Piers by 125th Street starting April 25. Woohoo!

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The unique bar and restaurant is a decommissioned ship that the current owners, also behind Prohibition Lounge on the Upper West Side, took over around 2017 and relaunched as the current iteration of the business in July of 2020.

Given the pretty miserable and downright freezing winters that New Yorkers are used to, come warmer weather, locals absolutely love spending time outdoors. Add to it the fact that Baylander Steel Beach boasts a 4,000-square-foot outdoor deck that’s usually filled with picnic tables and the water splashing below and you’ve got yourself a fairly popular after-work venue.

In addition to delicious seafood and the sort of fare that delights bargoers and settles a drinking stomach (lobster rolls, tater tots, fish and chips), patrons can look forward to a slew of nautical-themed cocktails, including the Mermaid Potion (Empress gin, Rockey’s botanical liqueur, Fever Tree elderflower tonic and lemon), the Pirates’ Punch (Captain Morgan spiced rum, mandarin and pomegranate liqueurs, pineapple and fresh citrus juices) and the on-the-nose Boat Fashioned (Bulleit bourbon, blood orange vermouth, burlesque bitters).

Clearly one of the best outdoor bars in NYC, Bayland Steel Beach is one of the most unique drinking dens in town—and oh-so-very New York. See you there and happy (almost) summer!

* This article was originally published here