If you’re a fan of bees—which you should be if you like flowers, trees and the continued survival of human beings on the planet—then you’re going to find these new “bee hotels” around New York City absolutely adorable. 

The New York Department of Transportation and the Horticultural Society of New York teamed up to create these cute designated habitats in public plazas and across streets for bees to take refuge in. Dubbed “bee bunkers,” they will be used as pit stops for bees that are on their way to access larger green spaces.

In fact, in the city, the insects have difficulty surviving, mostly given the relative lack of vegetation and limited access to nature.

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Don’t worry about potentially getting stung: The bee hotels were meant to attract tickle bees, a small native species that rarely stings humans, according to NYC DOT. 

“Through this work, we are creating living spaces for native bee pollinators in the city, including both flowers and appropriate nesting sites,” Dr. Kimberly N. Russell, undergraduate program director/associate professor of teaching at the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University said in a statement. “Most bee species cannot live in hives, so we need to give them other materials to build their homes.”

The “bee bunkers” will look like small bird houses filled with natural materials and soil where females will be able to build their nests and lay eggs. Researchers at Rutgers will be monitoring the new bee hotels to learn how they move across the city. To minimize potential interactions with people, the nests will be built inside of existing planters. 

The bee hotels were already tested at Parkside Plaza in Brooklyn and Fordham Plaza in the Bronx last year. The expanded project is going to bring the bunkers to Cooper Square Plaza in Greenwich Village; Quisqueya Plaza (Dyckman Plaza) in Inwood; Water Street in Staten Island; Gates Ave in Brooklyn; and 34th Ave in Queens. 

“Bees are our friends, a key to literally sustaining life on this planet,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said in a statement to DOT NYC. “The least we can do is to make our city welcoming to them, an urban environment full of color and biodiversity.”

* This article was originally published here

A New Yorker jogging through the 72nd Street Traverse last Saturday morning came across something pretty unexpected: a giant, wild coyote prowling through Central Park. 

In video footage taken by the jogger, you can see the lone coyote walking calmly and, quite frankly, minding its own business. As majestic as the animal was, though, most locals are a bit confused: what was it doing in the middle of Manhattan and how did it even get there? 

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Apparently, coyote sightings are not uncommon as the animals can pretty much survive anywhere. They’ve been known to cross highways and bridges and live throughout the five boroughs.

“We have no reason to believe this particular coyote is unhealthy or poses a threat to human safety,” said Gregg McQueen, the press officer at NYC’s Parks and Rec department, to Time Out. “However, we advise everyone to keep their distance and avoid close contact.”

We asked the Parks and Rec department what advice they would give to anyone who comes across a coyote in New York City, because we should clearly be prepared.

Here are a few tips to follow:

1. Observe from a distance.

This one’s simple: stay away!

2. Do not try to feed it.

“Feeding coyotes will only make them fear people less, which will just increase the chances that they’ll approach [humans],” explained McQueen. “This also means disposing your food and garbage properly so that you’re not indirectly feeding the coyotes.” 

3. If you have a pet, make sure you’re protecting it.

Generally speaking, said the expert, coyotes might look at small dogs and cats as prey, while larger dogs may be viewed as competition. “This isn’t a Disney movie, so don’t let your dog play with a coyote,” he warned.

4. Coyotes should be afraid of us.

“If a coyote starts to approach you, make yourself look big by putting your arms up and making loud noises,” advised McQueen. “Look as scary as you can. Continue to do this until the coyote goes away.”

Believe it or not, coyotes have lived here in NYC since the 1930s. While they’re not technically native New Yorkers, they eventually extended their range from the Great Plains and the Southwest to the city, per Wildlife NYC. While they can explore up to 10 miles of open land per day, they typically occupy the same 2-acre plot all year long. That is, of course, unless a better housing situation comes along—just like any New Yorker. You will typically see cayotes in Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.

Learn more about what wildlife calls NYC home with our illustrated guide.

* This article was originally published here

For decades, the Tenement Museum has been dedicated to telling stories of New York City’s immigrants, migrants, and refugees. And an important part of understanding that story is through food. 

The museum used to host a popular series of food tours, but tours were canceled amid the pandemic. Now, after a four-year hiatus, the Tenement Museum’s popular walking tour Foods of the Lower East Side is back, exploring 150 years of immigrant cuisine. 

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The food tour covers 10 stops at historic neighborhood sites with five tastings from local Lower East Side vendors, offering diverse cuisines from Eastern Europe to Italy and Puerto Rico. All-age tours are available on Saturdays for $55/person. Expect a half-mile walk over the course of 90 minutes.

Tour stops include:

• Cafe Katja, an Austrian restaurant where visitors are treated to pretzels with traditional spreads and beers
• Que Chevere, a Puerto Rican restaurant serving tostone cups with pulled pork or rice and beans
• Pickle Guys, the last remaining pickle vendor in a neighborhood that was once famous as a producer of pickled foods
• Essex Olive and Spice offers olive oils from the owner’s family olive grove in Morocco
• Chinatown Ice Cream Factory within Essex Market, a family-run business and local favorite. At Essex Market, guides will also dig into the space, which was once a hub for independent pushcart peddlers and open-air markets made up of immigrants.

“So much of our city’s immigrant history can be understood through the diverse culinary traditions that families have passed down over generations,” Kathryn Lloyd, the museum’s vice president of programs and interpretation, said in a press release. “From the 19th century to today, immigrants and migrants on the Lower East Side have created food businesses that support their communities and change the nation’s palate.”

Tours explore how tenement residents preserved and adapted traditions from their home states and countries, all while adapting to changing demographics in the neighborhood. On the walk, you’ll also learn how generations of street vendors, restaurateurs, home cooks, and grocers sustained communities while shaping wider ideas of American cuisine and identity. 

While snacking on pickles, pretzels, and ice cream, tour guides will talk about the Lower East Side’s multilayered history as a hub for immigrant cuisines—from its status as the city’s first non-English speaking community, Kleindeutschland, to its position on the front lines of the early 20th century push to “Americanize” immigrant foods through school lunch menus.

While tours in April and May are mostly sold out, bookings are still available later in the summer.

* This article was originally published here