Memorial Day weekend may only be halfway done, but the Nassau and Suffolk County police department have already "arrested at least 60 people so far during the Memorial Day weekend on charges of drunken or drugged driving," according to Newsday. more ›

According to Newsday, police on Long Island arrested 112 people for DWI between Friday night and Monday morning: "Nassau police said Monday night they had arrested...as many as 68 drivers, between 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Monday. Suffolk police said they arrested 44 people from 4 p.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Monday." The numbers will be updated today to include yesterday's other arrests, "but each of their figures as of Monday morning exceeded last year's overall holiday weekend tallies including Monday, when Suffolk totaled 41 arrests and Nassau reported 65 collars." Two years ago, Nassau County arrested 109 people for DWI over the Memorial Day Weekend and put them on the Wall of Shame. more ›

After the politicians had their fun, the new Luna Park officially opened to the public on yesterday, and so far has been getting fantastic reviews. One visitor told the Daily News, "My dad and grandfather used to tell me about Luna Park and the old rides. I think this is just as good, just as beautiful." Just 12 of the 19 rides were up and running, and the park opened an hour later than planned, but they made up for it by making all the rides free for an hour and charging a reduced $15 for a four-hour unlimited pass. more ›

Want an excuse to head into the abyss of Manhattan this Memorial Day weekend? Mother Nature's got you covered: this Sunday, Manhattanhenge returns! The visually stunning phenomenon that occurs twice a year when the sun sets in perfect alignment with Manhattan’s street grid will take place at 8:17 p.m. Sunday—it will fully illuminate every single cross-street for the last 15 minutes of daylight. And you don't need 3D glasses to melt your mind with this one, bro! more ›

We're told that Luna Park, the new Coney Island amusement park on the former Astroland site that's now owned by the city, will be opening this weekend as planned. Workers have been laboring around the clock to finish the park, which features 19 new rides, including a spinning roller coaster called The Tickler, a "Wild River" ride inspired by the original Luna Park ride Shoot the Chutes, a ride called Surf's Up which buffets riders with simulated winds, and Air Race, which will have riders "doing corkscrews in jets." Here are some photos taken on Tuesday, and it looks like they're really cutting it close on this one. more ›

It's the unofficial start of the summer and the AAA projects that 1.5% more Americans will travel over 50 miles from home this weekend than they did last year. That translates to 32.4 million people on the roads While gas prices are not near last year's expensive prices, some drivers are wary of creeping prices. Gas prices have risen 27 cents/gallon this month (average: $2.36/gallon) and a cab driver, at a Manhattan gas station, told the AP, "Uh-oh. That's the first thing I say when I pull into this gas station each day. Right now it's not that bad, but it's a lot worse than two weeks ago." An energy analyst told the Christian Science Monitor that the prices will top out soon, "Prices usually peak after Memorial Day, perhaps sometime in June." more ›

Gerritsen Beach posted this photograph of $4-and-over gasoline in Sheepshead Bay and asked, "Is this hell?" Well, for those drivers who could afford to fill up and head out of town this Memorial weekend, it might be heaven--the Daily News has two photos showing the contrast in traffic between this year's and last year's automobile rush on the Sunrise Highway. more ›

In a startling coincidence with the unofficial beginning of summer and the official opening of NYC beaches on Memorial Day weekend, the FDNY says that it can no longer afford to have special patrols by emergency medical technicians to come to the aid of the ailing and injured at the beach. Budget cuts apparently necessitated the curtailment. The EMT union told WCBS news that the FDNY is cutting patrols on city beaches on the days when they're most likely needed and that the department's special sand-roving beach vehicles will be a rare, if not nonexistent, sight this summer. more ›

There's been at least a trace of rain every day since last Friday. That wet streak will be broken today and clear skies should prevail through much of the Memorial Day weekend. Today and tomorrow share the same forecast - sunny, breezy and slightly cooler than normal, with highs around 70 degrees. The wet spell has been accompanied by an even longer run of cool weather. May is now running more than three degrees cooler than average! more ›

(No matter what your mode of conveyance, we hope your Memorial Day Weekend is an excellent one and that you ride or drive safely. We will be here, offering fresh content throughout the weekend.) more ›

- And good luck with the traffic, all of you heading out of town for Memorial Day Weekend! more ›

When Gothamist saw this photograph by Scott Jones for the NY Times, we immediately wondered if we could have Dr. Charles Weiss as our dentist ("Will our health plan cover it?"). We imagine that many other New Yorkers (and non) probably thought the same time, flooding various dental plans' hotlines and websites. Imagine: Dazzling skyline while your teeth get dazzled. The NY Times Home section is all about the Chrysler Building to honor its 75th birthday, which has given us enough to daydream about for the rest of the Memorial Day Weekend; all the articles give us a sense of how beloved the building is in many ways, and the audio slideshow with Alexandros Washburn's talking about his experience of working there is awesome (from the subway to the stairs to the lobby, and so on). more ›

We're not going to sugarcoat it... We're getting screwed. Now is the time when we are supposed to be braking breaking out the flip flops flip-flops, trying out the new warm weather gear, fueling our mojo, and gearing up for the unofficial start of summer Memorial Day Weekend. But instead it's cold, it's grey, it's windy, it's "damp" and it's starting piss everyone off. more ›

Last Memorial Day Weekend, Gothamist was grilling and chilling with friends, family, and Hanu, the Hanukkah dog. We were wearing sandals and sunglasses, slathering butter on corn at a backyard BBQ in Park Slope. God, today's weather sucks. There's talk of grilling underneath an umbrella in the pouring rain, and that's crazy talk. We're going to watch Law & Order and Trading Spaces and pick at the spinach dip. more ›