The first day of May brought New Yorkers a little of summer early. NY1 reports that it measured 85 degrees in Central Park (the record for May 1 is 87 degrees in 2001) and found many people at the beach. One person said, "You don't get too many hot days like this, this early in the year. This is the first time I've been to the beach this early in the season." But even though it was hot and humid yesterday, "the shore temperatures hovered in the 70s and the water temperatures were in the low 50s." One person said, "I wanted to get wet, but the water is so cold you come out numb; it's crazy. I couldn't feel my legs." However, the city's beaches and pools are not officially open until Memorial Day, which is when lifeguards go on duty. more ›

Made almost entirely out of bike parts found in the streets of NYC, the Skybike is the invention of Mario Diamantis, a grad student in NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. Designed to evoke the perspective of riding through the air, Skybike straps the rider to the frame upside down at a 45 degree angle. Here's video of a recent demonstration, via Animal New York: more ›

As Bike Month NYC winds down, over two thousand cyclists filled the Brooklyn streets yesterday for the fourth annual Tour de Brooklyn. This year’s 18-mile family-oriented ride was moved up a week to coincide with the Brooklyn Bridge 125th birthday festivities. Borough President Marty Markowitz kicked things off on Water Street near the bridge, sending cyclists on a leisurely ride that wound through DUMBO, East Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant, and the Evergreen Cemetery, ultimately wrapping up downtown at Walt Whitman Park. more ›

Attention competitive eating fans – hey, stop snickering; it’s a legitimate sport regulated by an International Federation! As one fan site says, "For those of you who doubt it's a sport, try making your body consume 20 pounds of food in 10 minutes." Anyway, C.E. fans will definitely want to plan for an extra-long lunch break on Tuesday, May 20th, when two of the world’s biggest "gurgitory gladiators" will lock horns in a Battle Royale for watermelon eating dominance. more ›