Today's warm weather has us yearning for the days when we'll be able to shed these sleeved shackles and feel sweet chlorinated bliss on our pasty skin. Global warming schmobal warming. A tweet from the Parks Department showing the bowels of the McCarren Pool made us wonder how its $55 million renovation is coming along two years after Bloomberg broke ground, and the Parks Department forwarded us some evidence of its progress. more ›

We've all felt it prick the back of our necks, especially when we seem to be having a lousy day. The worst is when we're mid-sentence in a passionate debate over the merits of baked vs. regular Cheetos, and a dribble hits our lips, causing us to sputter at an invisible assailant. But are those drops of water falling from the city's A.C.'s slowly poisoning us, drip by drip? more ›

Last we spoke to JellyNYC's jack-of-all-trades Chris Goldstein, he had high hopes for the agency's second go of Rock Beach, a free series of concerts at the Aviator Sports Complex adjacent to the Rockaways. At the first date on July 9, Goldstein said "around 500 or so people" showed up, which may have been considerably less than their Pool Parties, but around what they were seeing at their Rock Yard events in Williamsburg. But according to the Brooklyn Paper, Rock Beach's second effort on July 24 was a "beach-blanket bomb" after "little more than 150 people showed up." more ›

Being a lifeguard is to balance the very important job of protecting the lives of swimmers with the crushing monotony of sitting in the sun, twirling a whistle all day. 28-year-old lifeguard Erlen Rodriguez felt he could get stoned before heading to his job at the Wagner pool on E. 124th street, but was pulled over after running a red light and almost killing pedestrians in the street. According to the Post, inside Rodriguez's 1992 Honda was "a joint and a golfball-sized bag of marijuana," along with his 26-year-old girlfriend and their two children—ages 5 and 11—in the backseat. more ›

It's not just the L train that has been getting you down: the MTA has reduced the number of trains on the 1 and 6 lines during both rush and off peak periods. Billed as a "seasonal adjustment" because there are fewer riders in the summer, starting July 1 the agency dropped the number of rush-hour trains on the 6 train from 23 an hour to 21, and off peak trains from 15 to 13. The 1 train now has 16 trains an hour down from 18 during rush hour, and 10 trains instead of 12 at all other times. One rider tells the Daily News that a train operator told riders not to board the 6 at Grand Central because, "There's no way they could all fit on this one." more ›

Last night Bryant Park kicked off its summer movie series, transmitting this aerial shot of a massive crowd (you can't even see any blades of grass—check the close-up). These events usually get crowded, but this is like Black Eyed Peas canceled Central Park concert crowded! Which is sort of nice, actually... that just as many people want to see One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. There is hope yet! more ›

If you're laying out in the sun this summer, getting those pretty cancer lines we all desire, and you start to inexplicably smell delicious BBQ, you bathing suit may in fact be cooking you! A Long Island woman is suing a swimwear manufacturer after the underwire of her bikini top gave her third degree burns. more ›

After a long day in the salt mines, there's nothing like a quick dip in a cold mass of chlorinated water spiced with children's urine and floating Band-Aids. With the public pools still days away from opening, and the contents of our wallet too pathetic to dip in The Gansevoort's pool, we're left to dreaming. What if it was safe to jump into the East River? Several designers are currently working on a concept called +Pool, a 9,000 square foot pool-shaped filtration system that would turn the toxic waterways of our city into a summertime paradise. more ›

The weather outside is frightful, and cold foods are so delightful, but science says to let it go...long hot summers are the future. But not quite yet! A new study out of Stanford argues that starting in about twenty years in some areas today's absurdly high summer temperatures will be "the new normal." 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 ›

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 ›

In case you haven't noticed, it's really nice outside this weekend! And though Summer Streets officially starts today, New Yorkers have been enjoying the weather for months. There are free, outdoor movies in Bryant Park, Riverside Park, Astoria Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park, as well as outdoor yoga classes and concerts all over the city. We've also listed some easily accessible beaches if you feel like escaping the concrete jungle for the day. So even if there isn't a dumpster pool nearby, take a cue from these people, get off the internet and get outside already! more ›

We're not giving up on summer, you guys! It's still August, it's still intermittently stinking hot, and there's still time left to do all those summery activities you ambitiously planned way back in May. These include killing a shark with your bare hands at Sandy Hook, eating lobster rolls until Maine's crustacean stocks are completely depleted, and mixing your own refreshing cocktails just like our BFF Rachel Maddow does. more ›

Clothing retailer Brooklyn Industries—where we recently bought a very nice pair of slacks with purple pockets for a not unreasonable price—is in big trouble, according to an anonymous tipster who emailed us this morning to say, "Their sales are horrible. They are months behind on paying their bills and rent. They just went through a round of layoffs last week and yesterday. Rumor has it more cuts to come. Even though they just moved their headquarters to a snazzy office in Dumbo, they now have the space up for rent on craigslist. They are also being sued by their former business partner for over a million dollars. The irony is that they just won the Ernst and Young entreprenuer of the year award!" more ›

Already facing budget cuts, the Wildlife Conservation Society may also be losing money thanks to this summer's insufferable heat. According to the Daily News, July's record temperatures have kept people away from the Bronx Zoo, as well as the Central Park, Queens and Prospect Park Zoos—at the former, the WCS is projecting 275,000 visitors for July, which is a drop down from 400,000 last July. more ›

It is sort of nice to get a blast of cool air while schlepping your way through the steamy sidewalks, but it's also wrong—very, very wrong. It's like enjoying a free hit of crack, basically. Despite that relatively new bill (passed in 2008) that fines air-conditioned establishments $200 per door/window left open, some companies are still risking it to lure in customers with their sweet manufactured breeze. (To clarify, under the legislation any business that's 4,000 square feet or larger, or part of a chain with five or more stores in the city, must keep their doors shut when the air conditioning is on.) more ›

On the home page of the NY Times website, a one sentence summary of their article about the heat wave reads: "The Northeast faced a fourth day Wednesday of a record-breaking heat wave, straining power supplies and testing New Yorkers’ resilience." When we read that last bit, our first thought was, Why does the Times think New Yorkers are such crybabies? But while most of us can bitch and bear it, it's an unfortunate fact that this heat wave is claiming lives: A 46-year-old Queens woman died yesterday from heat-related causes; CBS2 reports that her body temperature in the ER was 108 degrees. more ›