Today is Memorial Day, the federal holiday where U.S. men and women who have died in military service are remembered. Federal and state offices are closed, as well as post offices, schools, financial markets, and banks. Alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended and mass transit is running on a Sunday scheduled (check MTA.info) more ›

Today is Memorial Day. There are various parades around the city, as well as a ceremony on the deck of the Intrepid. Government offices are closed and mass transit is running on a Sunday schedule. more ›

We've all been there: your friends are over for the first backyard BBQ of the season, and you're not sure how much lighter fluid to use or when exactly to put the meat on, and the next thing you know you see a bright light and hear a paramedic's voice whisper "skin grafts." That's why the grillmaker Weber has a hotline for confused and emasculated grillers who need a little guidance—and the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend is their "busiest weekend of the year." more ›

With this weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, it's high time to get your grilling essentials in order. Here's our four-step guide to throwing an awesome BBQ, even without a giant backyard. more ›

Today is Memorial Day, the federal holiday where U.S. men and women who have died in military service are remembered. Federal and state offices are closed, as well as post offices, schools, financial markets, and banks. Alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended and mass transit is running on weekend schedules (though there's additional weekend service on some lines, like the LIRR). more ›

Contrary to earlier forecasts it now appears that the holiday weekend's weather is going to be a mixed bag rather than three days of sun. Such is life in the prognostication business. Following yesterday's brief lightning show, today should be mostly cloudy and cool with a high in the low 70s. Watch out for rip currents if you're brave enough to wade into the cold water. more ›

It's the unofficial start of the summer! According to WCBS 2, "AAA estimates 3.8 million people from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will travel this weekend - that's an 8 percent increase from last year. Analysts credit lower gas prices for the higher travel number, but AAA says because of a still fragile economy, families will likely spend less this year on summer travel, taking more road trips instead of a flight." more ›

Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial start to summer. Despite today's fog we'll get a sneak preview of the upcoming season tomorrow and Wednesday. Before that arrives we have to make it through a dreary Monday. Easterly winds will shroud the city in fog, drizzle, and perhaps a shower, for much of the day. Look for a high in the lower 70s. If the sun comes out that could jump a few degrees. more ›

To help you spend the day remembering American soldiers who died in combat, two Canadians have made the following suggestion: get the hell off Facebook already! Tech guys Matthew Milan and Joseph Dee are spreading the gospel of Life After Facebook on QuitFacebook.com, where over 3,000 people have already pledged to kick the habit cold turkey. more ›

A World War II veteran was finally awarded medals for his service—64 years after his duty. In a ceremony in Brooklyn, Pasquale "Pat" Caroselli was presented with six medals—"A European-African-Middle Eastern Service medal with six Bronze stars. A Good Conduct medal. An American Campaign medal. A World War II Victory medal. An Honorable Service lapel button."—and Rep. Anthony Weiner did the honors. Caroselli, who had been a machinist during the war, explained that he didn't collect the medals in 1945 because he was in a rush to get home; when he tried to apply many years later, it turned out a fire destroyed his records. His family was over the moon; his son said, "I'm really thrilled, especially on Memorial Day, to see him receive his medals, which he earned over six decades ago, it's just fantastic." more ›

Today is Memorial Day, the federal holiday where U.S. men and women who have died in military service are remembered. Federal and state offices are closed, as well as post offices, schools, financial markets, and banks. Alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended and mass transit is running on weekend schedules (though there's additional weekend service on some lines). There are also parades in each borough—details here; at a parade in Queens on Saturday, Mayor Bloomberg said, "There's bands and lots of smiling and laughing, but we have young men and women overseas who are protecting us in harm's way. The NY Times had a Memorial Day editorial; the Post's editorial quotes Shakespeare's St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V; and the Daily News honors the NY State service people who were killed in conflict. more ›

With many New Yorkers heading to the beach to enjoy the unofficial start to summer, the Jersey Shore has already been witness to a chaotic and tragic scene following a boating accident last night. 24-year-old Kyle Tanis of Mahwah, NJ died after being ejected from boat he was in with friends on the Manasquan River. Their 15-footer lost control leading to its collision with a larger fishing boat; two others, Gina Franzino, 22 and Jamie Franzino, 19, sisters also from Mahwah, are being treated with critical injuries at the Jersey Shore Medical Center. One witness told the Star-Ledger, "It was a loud bang. It was very clear that two boats had collided with one another. It sounded very similar to a car accident." Coast Guard officials, NJ State Troopers and even an NYPD helicopter took part in the rescue mission following the incident. An onlooker described the eerie experience of seeing "life jackets were floating in the water with no people in them." Two other passengers were treated for injuries and released from the hospital; no one from the fishing boat was hurt. There is no word yet if drugs or alcohol were involved. more ›

If you're enjoying the gorgeous weather along the Hudson today and are wondering why the bodies you're spotting are not just floating today, it's the annual Great Hudson River Swim. Brave swimmers are making their way on a 1.3 mile shot down the Hudson that starts out at Christopher Street and finishes up at Battery Park City. Some New Yorkers naturally have their doubts—one asked the News, "It's New York City, how clean can it be?" But the News reports that it's "cleaner than you think" and anyway, what's a little Dysentery between friends? The real concerns for swimmers are actually not sanitary ones, but the potentially rough current and cool temperature of the water. NYC Swim's official site says you can expect the Hudson to be around 55 to 60 degrees. A previous participant told the paper, "It's colder than the Caribbean, but you're not going to be in that long." The city's site also warns of "chop, shipping traffic and random jetsam and flotsam in the waterways," which might explain why our arms seemed to glitter after a mid-90s dip up by the George Washington Bridge. more ›

A real summer-like day is in the cards for today. Look for sunny skies and a high in the mid 80s. Pretty good if you're driving out of town. Humidity will build through the afternoon. Combine the humidity, heat and sun with a temperature inversion and you've got a recipe for high ozone levels. An air quality alert is in effect from 11 this morning until after midnight. Tree pollen counts, mainly from pine and oak, will be high through the weekend. more ›

Yesterday, the city was filled with parades and events paying tribute to the members of military who have given their lives or continue to fight on our behalf. more ›

Today is Memorial Day, the federal holiday where U.S. men and women who have died in military service are remembered. Federal and state offices are closed, as well as post offices, schools, financial markets, and banks. Alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended and mass transit is running on weekend schedules (though there's additional weekend service on some lines) more ›

On your faces, maggots. Iraqi war vet (and former SLC punk) Jason Christopher Hartley (pictured) has collaborated with The International WOW Company to create one hell of an interactive theatrical experience. Called SURRENDER, audience members sign up as active participants in simulations of counterinsurgency operations. more ›

Like an elementary school kid who sees his teacher at a movie theater or in the grocery store, and is shocked that he or she doesn't sleep in the school's gym at night and requires food to survive, the media occasionally will note that librarians are not uniformly dour spinsters intent on shushing you and collecting late fines. The New York Sun ran an article Thursday regarding the growing number of librarians who live and socialize in Williamsburg. A group called the Desk Set––made up of librarians, archivists, publishers, illustrators, and the like––was formed by area residents in an attempt to improve the image of librarians beyond the typical stereotypes. They hosted a dance party on Memorial Day weekend, where young professionals gathered and drank cocktails with Dewey Decimal designations that alluded to their identities. more ›

Even though a Sunni insurgent group claimed yesterday that two captured U.S. soldiers had been killed, one of the soldiers' mothers hoping that her son is still alive. Maria Rosario Duran spoke to reporters outside her Corona, Queens home. She said, "I can't even imagine that he's not going to return alive, that I will never see him again." more ›

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg spent Memorial Day at a number of different events in Queens and spoke about a number of issues: more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a carjacking on 130th St. and 15th Ave. in Queens, an overturned auto on Spring St. and West Broadway in Manhattan, and a stabbing on Caton Ave. in Brooklyn.
• Remember when Paris Hilton forgot that she'd left her Tinkerbell with her grandma and papered her neighborhood with Lost Dog flyers? New Yorkers hire private detectives and publicists to get the job done right. A tiny dauchsund is missing.
• New York Magazine re-examines the "conceptual-Marxist street-art supervillain" daubed "The Splasher."
• We're no "law-talking guy", but find the Times' account of a police officer posing as a legitimate news outlet's reporter to lure a protester to an arrest fairly alarming.
• Roller skaters continue to boogie down in Central Park just north of the Sheep Meadow every weekend, and have been doing so since 1977. If you have never seen this in person, you must.
• A bolt out of the Jet Blue struck a plane flying into JFK yesterday and the passenger jet carrying 140 people made an emergency landing. There was no fire or injuries, but the passenger cabin was filled with the smell of ozone.
• The Daily News continues its report on Building Boondoggles, setting its sight today on disasters in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
• On Memorial Day, The New York Times examines the efforts of praiseworthy volunteers to identify and re-mark more than a thousand graves of New Yorkers who were killed during the Civil War and are now buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetary.

With Memorial Day weekend coming to a close, there's a long, hot summer ahead of us. For those who enjoy spending the season fishing, The NY Times has some tips for catching a big one at Prospect Park Lake: more ›

Why is Memorial Day often referred to as the "unofficial start of summer"? As far as we know there is no official start of summer. Astronomically, there's the summer solstice, and for bookkeeping reasons climatological summer is considered June, July and August, the three warmest months, but there's no official start to summer. more ›

Today is Memorial Day, the federal holiday where U.S. men and women who have died in military service are remembered. Federal and state offices are closed, as well as post offices, schools, financial markets, and banks. The subways and buses are running on a Sunday schedule; Metro-North is on a Sunday schedule while the LIRR is on a holiday schedule; and the PATH is on weekend schedule. more ›

This Memorial Day weekend offers the most 2007 weddings so far in the NY Times' Weddings & Celebrations section: A whopping 43 weddings! But, of all the announcements, our favorite is the one of Thea Spyer and Edith Windsor. Spyer, a 75-year-old psychologist in Manhattan, and Windsor, a 77-year-old retired computer systems analyst for IBM, were married in Toronto earlier this week, but actually met decades ago.

Dr. Spyer and Ms. Windsor met in 1965 in New York at Portofino, a restaurant in the West Village. more ›

That's the abbreviated version of WABC's recommendations. We suggest reading the whole list, because if you try calling in sick the Tuesday after Memorial Day, your boss probably isn't going to buy it. more ›

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! more ›