After spotting a struggling future tourist on Yelp, who was receiving very bad information on what to do when they visited New York City, we were compelled to help. After all, those tourist dollars are precious to our economy. So, we reached out to some of our favorite locals—like, ones with Verified Twitter accounts—for their more knowledgeable recommendations. Behold, future tourists, your new tour guides: more ›

A Reddit NYC poster asked today, "Where can I go to pet dogs in NYC?" Let's assume this person is not a dog napper, and let's assume that for whatever reason they don't want to just walk up to people walking their dogs on the sidewalk. A lot of people in New York want dogs, but as we were reminded in the Sh*t New Yorkers Say video, it just wouldn't be fair. So where do you go to hang out with some other man's best friend? Some suggestions: more ›

Christmas is this weekend (oh, you haven't heard?), and for many, that means traveling out of town to visit family. But for those who don't celebrate the holiday or aren't going anywhere, this weekend is full of entertainment options. So instead of ordering Chinese takeout and sitting at home in your sweatpants, take advantage of some of these Christmas Eve and Day offerings. Happy Festivus! more ›

This weekend, thousands of freakishly fit people will willingly subject their bodies to 26.2 miles of cold, hard asphalt-pounding for the NYC Marathon. Most of these fine athletes will be engaging in the time-honored tradition of carbo-loading before the big event, in the attempt to maximize performance by storing extra glucose in the muscles. But enough of all that science! Let's say you just want to show your support for all those marathoners who've trained so hard, without that pesky "donating to their cause" thing. In the spirit of solidarity with the runners, here's a quick rundown of some of the best places for you, Average Joe Who Runs A 12-Minute Mile, to carbo-load along the route. more ›

When we last checked in on the fall foliage reports it was late September, when everything was still in the green. But now that the leaves have started to die their colorful deaths, it's time to check in again. According to Weather.com's map, we are seeing "patchy" colors right now, but the orange "mid peak" color band is getting very close to New York City on their map. And over at I Love NY's site, they have us down for "just changing." So, where can leaf peepers spot some color: more ›

There's a whole lot of fun stuff going on in Williamsburg this weekend, and so far, the L is only planning on making a little bit of your life a living hell, and the sun will be out in full force. Here's how to make the most of everything that's going on, which includes the car-free Williamsburg Walks and our own mini SXSW, Northside Festival. more ›

We could use a handout like this underground; the Bold Italic has created an etiquette guide for the people of the San Francisco Muni... and it's easily translatable to our own mass transit system. They write, "People get bitch slapped on the bus everyday. To keep things relatively amicable, we've come up with an etiquette guide for all Muni riders. May the force be with you on your future commutes." They seem to have included it all: no fast food, no peeing on the seats, no nail clipping... no tickling. What did they miss? [via Laughing Squid] more ›

Summer is almost upon us, and with it comes the hordes of of ferry-goers who descend upon Governors Island every year. But don't let that scare you! Even with the packed ferries, it rarely feels too crowded on the Island, and there are enough events to satisfy nearly everyone. We've rounded up a few of our favorites below, plus some tips on how to make the most of the season. As always, be sure to check the Island's official website for updates and changes before you sail off. more ›

If you've seen these Summer and the City posters around town touting tales of Carrie, Miranda and Samantha together in the city for the first time... don't worry, there's not another movie upon us, yet. However, author Candace Bushnell has just released her latest young adult novel, which follows a teenage Carrie Bradshaw from Connecticut to the city, where she meets Samantha, then Miranda, goes vintage clothes shopping, visits the Shubert Theatre, at one point throws her arms open and shouts: "Hello, New York!" And so on. After a visit to Saks she's basically an expert on the city.... so her guide to the real New York has been included in the book. At least she's teaching people how to pronounce Houston Street? more ›

This morning Jake Bronstein distributed the first batch of his Fun List NYC books to unsuspecting New Yorkers. The bounded books are free, and actually act as check-lists for fun things to do around the city—it includes everything from going to sex clubs ("a great place to meet other perverts") to hipster bingo to cutting out a paper replica of Donald Trump's famous hair for photo shoots with strangers. A street team will be back out on the L, N and R trains tomorrow morning handing out the rest of their lot—but if you don't see them, you can download your own here. more ›

Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. has failed in his mission to talk City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley into pulling the controversial heroin how-to guide off the streets (it's been there since 2007). The folks at Housing Works report that the two have met and agreed to disagree; one saying it's harmful and a starter guide, the other saying it's helpful. While the pamphlet will no longer be online, it will continue to be distributed throughout the city. Vallone says the latter includes distributing to "people being released from Riker’s [and other locations]." more ›

The war against the Heroin How-To guide rages on, with Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. lobbying for the 17-page brochure to be destroyed... though it's been in circulation for nearly two years. more ›

Hey taxpayers, we just spent $32,000 on a Department of Health designed Heroin guidebook, complete with helpful illustrations! Just think of all the smack we could have gotten with that money. 70,000 copies of the 16-page pamphlet were printed out, and it's unsurprisingly garnering criticisms from just about everyone. more ›

Savvy subscribers to our indispensable free daily events newsletter, GothamList, have known about the Food Network New York Wine and Food Festival for quite some time now, and already secured tickets to sold-out events like the famous Burger Bash and the SWEET dessert extravaganza. But there are still tickets for sale for some of the celebrity chef cooking demos, wine tastings, and other consumption-related events during the festival, which kicks off tomorrow night and ends Sunday. Below, some of the highlights for which tickets are still on sale; be aware that though some of them are in the $100 range, proceeds benefit the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength, which is dedicated to ending childhood hunger, and you don't want the little ones to go hungry, do you? more ›

Though more influential abroad, the Michelin restaurant guide is still kind of a big deal for NYC restaurateurs and chefs, who take great pride in receiving a star ranking from Michelin. (The guide only started reviewing NYC restaurants in 2005.) The new edition hits shelves tomorrow, and contains some noteworthy news for the fine dining world. With Michelin, receiving one star is a sign of achievement, not mediocrity, so Chef Michael White is surely tickled pink to see that his new seafood-centric restaurant Marea debut with a star, his Convivio also receives one star, while his Alto has been upgraded to two stars. more ›

Brooklyn gets its new burgundy bible today as Zagat releases its 2009 guide to the borough. Prospect Heights' Garden Café was ranked No.1 for both food and service, and DUMBO's River Café, where the trees suffered so much this summer, was named No. 1 for decor. Meanwhile Il Passatore, the rustic Italian place in Williamsburg, rose to the top of the best new restaurant category. Carroll Gardens' Black Mountain was deemed the No. 1 Wine Bar, and Stonehome in Fort Greene ranked best in the nightlife category for its romantic ambiance, big wine selection and tasty vittles. All in all, the exhaustive guide covers 241 of Brooklyn’s finest restaurants, 144 nightspots, 367 shops, and 231 gourmet stores and attractions, like the Central Library in Prospect Heights, which has 1.5 million volumes spanning 64 languages, a newish outdoor plaza and, let's not forget, free admission. more ›

It's that time of year again when everybody's looking for a handout, and those of us with means are expected to dole out extra cash to the help as thanks for simply doing their jobs. And just because this sucker's going down, that doesn't mean you're off the hook when it comes to holiday tipping, or so says the rich liberal elitist media. Despite citing surveys that at least 30% of respondents plan on tipping less (or zilch) because of the recession, the latte sippers at WABC insist "you've got to do your best to give something, particularly cash." more ›

Along with the office of the Welsh government, Peter Thabit Jones and Dylan Thomas's daughter Aeronwy have compiled the ultimate guide to the poet's New York--specifically Greenwich Village. The walking tour is self-guided, and they provide a handy printable PDF with factoids for your journey. Aeronwy states that it makes "the real facts about my father’s time in New York available to anyone who wants to learn more about him." more ›

Just as the current economic conflagration is blazing brighter than ever, two major restaurant guides have appeared in as many days this week, telling you all the best places to dine in style until the money runs out. Yesterday saw the release of the prestigious Michelin NYC guide, and today we have the more democratic Zagat restaurant guide, compiled using reviews from 38,128 local surveyors who ate out over 6.6 million meals this past year, covering 2,073 eateries across the five boroughs. Some of this year's standouts include Asiate (best decor), Union Square Cafe (most popular), Per Se (best food) and Momofuku Ko (best newcomer). more ›

The last iPhone dining application to make news was Urbanspoon, which frustrated Times critic Frank Bruni a little bit with its random slot machine approach to locating a good nearby restaurant. So we're curious to see if the latest iPhone toy, LocalEats, is more Bruni's speed. This feature seems pretty simple; drawing from a list of the 100 best restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn (as decreed by the folks at Where the Locals Eat), LocalEats uses GPS technology to refer users to the best nearby dining options. Which could come in handy when you're getting hangry in an unfamiliar neighborhood. more ›