• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Lexington and 55th St. in Manhattan at 4:03 pm (and a second bank robbery seven minutes later on 27th St. and 6th Ave.), a special delivery (as cops helped a mother give birth) at Henry and Rutgers Streets in Manhattan and a home invasion/homicide on 100th St. in Brooklyn.
• Former Staten Island ferry captain Richard Smith was released from prison after serving his term for his role in the 2003 ferry crash that killed 11 people and gravely injured many more.
• Blues guitarist Bill Perry died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday, and opera singer Jerry Hadley passed away after being removed from life support. They were 49 and 55 years old, respectively.
• The anniversary ceremony of the 9/11 attacks, where victims names are read aloud, will not take place at Ground Zero this year due to construction activity, but at a small park.
• Queens Crap may know why foreclosures are at "worrisome levels": "Queens has the most lending predators and subprime mortgage victims."
• With the opening of a new DNA facility on Manhattan's East Side, the city's capacity for DNA tests will soar from 3,000 annually to 20,000 annually; the extra capacity will be used to pursue suspects in cases such as burglaries.
• The Macy's-sponsored fishing contest held annually at Prospect Park's lake lets kids 15 and under fish for a special tagged fish nicknamed R.H. Macy. The child who catches it wins a prize. The opening ceremony was rained out yesterday, but the contest continues through Sunday.
• Should Berlin's recycling bins come to NYC? Brownstoner thinks it would at least make things more simple.

If you're planning on watching Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in person or on TV, there are some fun new fireworks this year. Pyro Spectaculars, the company that designs the fireworks, will be using nautical mines in the show. more ›

The 31st Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks extravaganza is just around the corner. This is the largest display in America and takes a year to plan. This year's show will stretch wider than usual in a "high definition" format, choreographed to the New York Pops (simulcast on 1010 WINS, TV broadcast on NBC). The Daily News has an interview with Gary Souza, fireworks designer for the event; he says, "We have a new orange that’s really awesome. It’s a golden-red color. We also have this silvery pixie dust that bursts into pink and chartreuse. And look for the aqua jellyfish during the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' song." more ›

Get ready for some helium action! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons will be blown up tomorrow at 3PM on the Upper West Side. The blow-up is basically all around the American Museum of Natural History - along at 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus. There may be a helium shortage (who knew?), but planners know and have taken that into account. Just be sure to bundle up. more ›

If you haven't made friends with someone who has East River and/or Statue of Liberty waterfront views yet, we have some answers. The Macy's Fireworks Spectacular has 3 different fireworks launching sites this year (here's the map) - on the East River between 23rd and 42nd streets, between Liberty and Ellis Islands, and south of South Street Seaport. The fireworks are set to light up the sky over the East River around 9pm. more ›

My boyfriend's birthday is over July 4th weekend. I am looking for ideas of things to do or places to go to in NYC to celebrate that will make his birthday memorable. I want to stear clear of the traditional ways to celebrate - going out to dinner or getting together and going to a bar/club. Any help is appreciated! more ›