Best Hair Salons in Manhattan

 

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Sally Herschberger

This salon is famous in the city, and has three amazing Manhattan locations in NoMad, Hudson Yards, and the Upper East Side that’s frequented by celebrities. Lead stylist, Sally Herschberger herself, has been featured in Cosmopolitan, USA Today, the NYTimes, and Glamour Magazine, amongst other famous publications. Sally has a line of specialty hair products that can be found at each of her salons. Talent can also be found at these places, as people typically have to book days in advance to get an appointment here. If folks want a style from the boss lady herself, they’ll need to pay a pretty penny. Otherwise, services typically run a few hundred dollars.

Broome Street Society

This salon can do basically anything, but specializes in natural hair and curls. Basic haircuts at this Lower Manhattan salon in Little Italy start at $110, while getting something a bit more adventurous will cost a bit extra. That said, all the styles and coloring done here yield beautiful results, constantly turning new customers into regulars. If a customer isn’t happy with their hairstyle, they offer readjustments within seven days of the original service, making this an extremely flexible salon. One of their most popular services is the fantasy color, a dye job that will transform any aesthetic. They also have extensive knowledge of textures.

Butterfly Studio

This Flatiron gem has been featured in Glamour Magazine, Modern Salon, and People Magazine for their amazing services. The team here makes customers feel like celebrities, and even style celebrities on occasion. A consultation is required before all stylings to determine pricing, technique, and ensure a quality cut that both artist and customer will love. They also color hair for a seamless, natural-looking beauty, which works very well with the wedding styles they offer. This full-service salon is one of the best in the city.

The Mona Cut

Located in the Garment District, the owner of this salon, Mona Baltazar, is responsible for creating an incredible new style known as The Mona Cut. This salon specializes in curly, natural hair, styling it in unique ways that are extremely trendy with a personalized touch. Appointments open monthly and are a bit tough to get. However, it’s possible to get styled by one of Mona’s talented apprentices for a lower price. Clients who get regular cuts get a discounted reshaping price if they come in within four months of their last appointment. This salon will give anyone a truly amazing look.

Salon Ruggeri

Voted Best Salon by Time Out New York, this salon has been around for almost ten years and can be found in a townhome in Chelsea behind a bright red door. The space is small, and the only stylist working there is Gregorio Ruggeri, the genius behind this amazing place. Not only is he a master at coloring, styling, and beauty, but he also works with those experiencing hair loss. Through his studies in trichology (study of hair growth), he is able to use advanced techniques to naturally encourage increased hair growth, strength, and shine.

Hair Rules

Located in Hell’s Kitchen, Hair Rules is a salon that can style any and all kinds of hair. Featured in O: The Oprah Magazine, Essence, and New York Magazine, this salon is owned and operated by master stylist, Anthony Dickey. Dickey began his illustrious career in 2003, when he wrote the book on curly, kinky, and wavy hair. He then released a line of specialized hair products and opened Hair Rules just a few years after. Now the salon is a beacon for the styling community, and educates the public on different textures of hair, what hair means to the Black community, and the latest in coloring and styling techniques.

Treehouse Social

This East Village salon has a ton to offer and is a beacon for the LGBTQ+ community. This salon is cozy, retro, and has a back patio space that holds regular comedy, music, and drag events. This salon almost acts as a hangout, where folks can get styled and then enjoy a nice show afterward. Filled with talented stylists capable of working with any hair texture, the bold colorings and eclectic styles done here will impress any newcomer and keep regular customers coming through the door.

Beleza Naturals

This Harlem establishment was actually founded in Brazil. The company is enormous there, with multiple salons, product stores, and even a factory. The US location continues the original philosophy, that curly, natural hair is beautiful, and should be treated as such. Relying heavily on the input of their customers, this salon strives to make every single patron happy with their hair, even teaching them how to apply products properly and maintain their hair’s glorious appearance as long as possible. This establishment is truly special, and it’s likely that more of them will pop up in the US in the coming years.

Best Salons in Brooklyn

 

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The Salon

Located in Clinton Hill, this Salon comes from the brilliant mind of Ursula Stephen, the stylist for celebrities like Rihanna, Kerry Washington, and Laverne Cox. This salon has revolutionized style, and has been featured in Elle, Vogue, and Glamour. Offering seasonal specials and a consultation before styling, this salon is surprisingly affordable, given its elite clientele. This is because all who come here are meant to leave looking and feeling their best. This salon is a true gem in Brooklyn and is not to be missed.

CutLoose BK

This Greenpoint salon opened in 2017 and has been filling Brooklyn with bold designs ever since. Head stylist Siobhan Benson, treats her salon like a celebration space, even DJing during special events and occasions. The salon is even booked out for private events on occasion! The team here all has separate specialties and prices, so just about any style one could want is attainable. This fun establishment knows how to have a good time while keeping things professional. They even do styles for weddings, rounding out this salon’s extensive and impressive resume. Be sure to check them out, even if it’s just at one of their parties.

Ludlow Blunt

This retro salon has fabulous celebrity clientele, including Lady Gaga and Tilda Swinton. This subtle salon in Williamsburg doesn’t like to boast about its trade, even leaving their website largely devoid of information beyond scheduling an appointment (by phone), pricing, and hours. Catering to a client’s sense of style, while also advocating for styles that have stood the test of time. This place might be old-fashioned, but the staff is friendly and strives to satisfy all their customers. They even shave faces with an old barber’s tool, which feels amazing.

The Bird House

This fancy salon is located in Gowanus, and has a deep connection to the hair of its clients. Capable of working with thin, straight hair, or thick, curly locks, this salon has a ton of specialists who can do it all. This salon has been featured in The Cut, USA Today, and was listed as the second-best salon in the city by Time Out New York. The stylists here have each been assigned a level, one being the lowest and five being a master. Their continuing education into techniques is what drives the success of this remarkable establishment.

Little Axe

Another Williamsburg joint, this salon specializes in coloring. Opened in 2013, this salon continually innovates when it comes to coloring and dyes to keep hair healthy and bold at the same time. Gloss, highlights, and even double-process coloring are all standard procedures here, and folks can get a regular haircut too if that’s all they need. This salon is extremely popular and works with the hair styling education group, Oribe, which is dedicated to the continued education innovation of hair styling. This place is unique, and is well worth the trip and waitlist for an appointment.

Hair & Co. BKLYN

This salon specializes in natural hair, and has two locations in Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights. The consultation before the styling is the most important part of the process here, as the stylists will use the info gathered to create a masterpiece that clients are guaranteed to be happy with. Pricing is based on who is doing the styling, the director of the salon being the most coveted cut in Brooklyn. Though natural hair is the specialty, this place can do anything with any hair texture, and uses their vast knowledge to create bold looks that clients would never expect to pull off.

Best Hair Salons in Queens

 

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Shay’s Place

Located in Forest Hills, this salon is likely the best in Queens. The professional staff here specializes in coloring, styling, and even waxing, ensuring that every client is satisfied with their results. The space itself is comfortable, with exposed brick and classy décor, both of which perfectly highlight the professional experience customers can expect there. Working with bold colors and innovative techniques, this salon keeps pace with the elite of Manhattan and Brooklyn, solidifying itself as a powerhouse in the beauty industry.

Estelle Hair Studio

Another Forest Hills gem, this salon is a go-to for people celebrating special events in Queens. For over 20 years, these stylists have been innovating the fields of coloring and styling, making these difficult techniques look easy. Customers with a wide variety of hair textures tout this establishment as the best in Queens, coming back regularly for maintenance and new styles altogether. They offer cuts, styling, colors, and even perms, making this place extremely versatile. They even sell some of the products they use to make clients’ hair shine, so be sure to check them out if you live in Queens.

Best Hair Salons in The Bronx

 

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The Stage Hair Salon

This salon is the best in The Bronx, focusing on four pillars of beauty: Self-confidence, relaxation, self-expression, and passion. These talented professionals prep clients for any special occasions, even if that special occasion is just a night on the town. This affordable salon prides itself on versatility, and can do just about anything one can imagine with hair. They specialize in styling, but they also perform cuts and coloring amongst other services. They work with hair textures of all sorts, and help keep everyone’s hair happy and healthy. There’s a reason they’re the best-reviewed salon in The Bronx.

Best Hair Salons in Staten Island

 

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The Secret Garden Salon and Spa

This salon is extremely popular for their hair styling and spa treatments. Clients can get styled while also receiving some well-earned relaxation time. They offer coloring, skin treatments, nail care, and just plain haircuts. This salon really does it all, which is what clients want before a special occasion. Spa and salon treatments before weddings, proms, and sweet sixteens are the perfect way to celebrate and prepare for these special events. This salon’s versatility has earned them a reputation, which is why folks from every borough come here for services.

NYC is a stylish city, and the artists at these salons aim to keep it that way. Their talents are on full display daily. If someone fabulous walks down the street, it’s likely they went to one of these amazing salons. They are innovative, hip, and they care about their clients. They want all of their customers to look and feel their best. These artists constantly come up with new trends, techniques, and styles that leave jaws on the floor. Many of them have a waitlist and celebrity clientele for a reason. The stylists at these salons are the best at what they do, so let them transform your hair today.

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Room Design and Layout Apps

Room Planner

Room Planner is one of the most straightforward apps for design – while the options in the free version of the app are slightly limited, it features pieces from IKEA, Wayfair, and other popular online furniture stores. For shoppers interested in purchasing pieces from these retailers, Room Planner lets users see how furniture will look in the space beforehand. The app offers the ability to construct a room from scratch or place furniture directly into a room using virtual reality tools. Once finished designing, there are also options to export images/layouts of rooms and send them to friends and family for free. 

Room Planner has a free version of the app, which is very user friendly, but also offers a PRO version for $5.99 weekly or $14.99 per month, which offers premium features such as setting exact dimensions of the rooms, access to more online stores, and a myriad of tile and furniture color options. 

HomeByMe

HomeByMe, similar to Room Planner, offers the ability to browse available products from online stores such as Anthropologie, Wayfair, and Urban Outfitters. The app offers some of the most up-to-date and trendy items, great for users looking to purchase pieces for their new home. While HomeByMe has furniture pieces from American retailers, many of the prices are listed in Euro, so it’s important to be cognizant of currency when budgeting for the space. In addition to furnishing rooms with custom dimensions and objects, the app also offers shopping/browsing pages for living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and miscellaneous furniture. HomeByMe also offers the ability to see top users’ creations – a great way to gather inspiration and see how other designers use space. The app is entirely free (great for designers on a budget!) but does require users to create an account to save their work. 

Home Design 3D

Home Design 3D offers the ability to not only construct and furnish rooms but also to construct full houses with multiple levels. App users can choose from pre-existing home layouts that they can further customize, or they can start building projects from the ground up. This app offers great customization opportunities, but many of the best features in the app are hidden behind paywalls. If utilizing the free version of the app, users are subject to in-app advertising, which can become a nuisance for some. With the free version of the app, users can draw custom dimensions for their rooms and choose from various build and furniture options, though many pieces are only included in the Gold membership. The Gold membership, available for a one-time purchase of $11.99, offers full access to the furniture catalog, the ability to create unlimited projects, and export designs for free. For multi-story build plans and the ability to add roofs, the Gold Plus version is available for $19.99. 

MagicPlan

The MagicPlan app offers a great deal of room customization and free features without a bombardment of advertisements. This app uses sketch-based furniture rather than online catalogs, which adds the ability to customize the shapes and sizes of pieces but doesn’t allow users to try out furniture they may be looking to purchase. One of the most unique features of this app is the ability to create reports and financial estimates for projects (available with the paid version). The app can create custom price lists and help plan renovation costs for users.

Unfortunately, this app only allows for two free projects before requiring upgrading to a paid version. “Sketch,” the $9.99 per month option, offers unlimited projects and the ability to collaborate with other app users. The mid-tier “Report” ($29.99/month) offers 360-degree images and the ability to export field reports from the app. The priciest version, “Estimate” ($89.99/month), offers all of the benefits from the previous tiers and the ability to calculate price lists, financial estimates, and phone support where needed. For more serious room planners, this app can offer great customization options and the ability to plan larger renovation ventures. 

Rooms 

Rooms is unique in that all of the paid features of the app are accessible in the free version except saving work. The Rooms app allows users to input custom dimensions for spaces and choose from furniture pieces. However, the user interface of the app is lacking compared to some of the other apps on the market. It is sometimes difficult to turn pieces of furniture or increase or decrease their size. Additionally, the catalog of furniture pieces is much smaller than some of the other available apps, offering limited options in furniture shapes and models. Rooms does not pair with any retailers, so all of the furniture pieces are generic sketches of stock furniture. That said, the app is simple to use and has far fewer in-app purchases than similar apps. This could be a great place to start for small projects or users looking to explore interior design. 

Wayfair

Though the Wayfair app doesn’t offer custom room designing capabilities, it can be a great tool for interior design. The app offers both “Room Ideas,” where users can shop rooms designed by the Wayfair team (seeing how pieces of furniture can be styled together), as well as virtual reality 3D placement of furniture in pre-existing rooms. Wayfair is one of the leading online furniture retailers, and the ability to virtually place objects in rooms allows designers to conceptualize space easily. The Wayfair app also has hundreds of videos with design tips, ranging from seasonal decor setups to how to furnish small spaces. Users can also favorite items and create wish lists to circle back to at a later date. In addition to the app being free to use, Wayfair also provides free shipping for most objects – a major perk for online shoppers. 

Start designing!

Whether or not interior design is just a hobby or you’re setting up to furnish a new home, room design apps can be a useful tool for the imagination and conceptualization of space. As furniture sales shift to the online market rather than in-person retail, being able to visualize furniture before purchasing is an absolute need. Some apps allow users to browse catalogs of pre-existing furniture, while others focus on layouts and space usage. Choice in room design apps ultimately boils down to personal preference, and with many paid and free options on the market, there are apps to suit any designer’s needs. 

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Humphrey Bogart Avenue 

On the small block between Broadway and West End Avenue, 103rd Street has two signs marking its location – this block is both 103rd and Humphrey Bogart Avenue, named after the iconic actor. Humphrey Bogart’s history includes the stage and screen. His most notable films include Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, and Dark Passage. The small block on 103rd is now home to the Humphrey Bogart House, dedicated to carrying on his legacy. 

Nikola Tesla Corner

At the intersection of Avenue of Americas and West 40th Street, a third sign hangs to denote “Nikola Tesla Corner,” an homage to the Serbian-American engineer and inventor. Nikola Tesla is primarily famous for the Tesla coil and his work with electricity. Elon Musk’s electric cars now carry the name of the famous inventor as well as the street in New York. Nikola Tesla Corner is highly trafficked, sitting in the heart of Midtown and conveniently located near Bryant Park. 

Tin Pan Alley

On West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, young songwriters would play their new tunes for music publishers, hoping to garner a record deal. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name “Tin Pan Alley” was coined for the area because of the clanging pianos and instrumental noise that flooded the street at all times. “Tin Pan Alley” was just a nickname until recently, when over 17,000 people signed a petition to make the area a historical landmark. The agenda, called “Save Tin Pan Alley,” was successful and the street was co-named in April of 2022. This home of jazz, blues, and musical theatre songwriting is now forever commemorated by the double name. 

Firefighter Jimmy Martinez Way

Many co-named streets have been named in honor of victims of 9/11 or prominent figures who helped during the crisis. In Staten Island, the intersection of Beach Road and Hillcrest Street was co-named “Firefighter Jimmy Martinez Way” in honor of firefighter Jimmy Martinez who worked for the NYFD for 26 years. Jimmy died of a 9/11 related illness in August of 2018, and the street was co-named in August of 2022. The co-naming ceremony was attended by over 100 people, including fellow firefighters, friends, and elected officials. Martinez’s daughter commented, “It was touching to see how much he meant to people, and the love and respect they still have for him.” 

Duke Ellington Boulevard

In addition to his music scoring the hit musical Sophisticated Ladies, American jazz composer and pianist Duke Ellington has been otherwise honored by his name on a green street sign in Manhattan. In 1977, 106th Street between Riverside Drive and Central Park was renamed – it now shares the title of both 106th Street and Duke Ellington Boulevard. Duke Ellington is both a grammy and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner, most famous for hit songs such as “Take The A Train,” “Misty,” and “In a Sentimental Mood.”

Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd

Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd takes the place of 7th Avenue starting from Central Park North all the way north through to 155th Street. Though 7th Avenue was officially renamed as Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, even official records still get the two names mixed up. For example, the city’s Department of Education lists the standardized address for Frederick Douglass Academy as 2581 Seventh Avenue even though the academy is located on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Whereas, the Department of City Planning officially recognizes Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard as the correct address.

Edgar Allen Poe Street

Though West 84th Street between Riverside Drive and Broadway carries the name “Edgar Allen Poe Street,” the block is hardly flooded with ravens and doom. This iconic block in the Upper West Side looks much like any other block, with crowded brownstones and busy streets. Though Edgar Allen Poe is commonly associated with Baltimore, he called this stretch of New York City home for years, and Edgar Allen Poe Street is now home to the Brennan Farmhouse, where Poe lived on the second floor. The street was officially co-named in 1980, and has drawn tourists and Edgar Allen Poe fans to the Upper West Side ever since. 

Celia Cruz Way

At the corner 195th Street and Reservoir Avenue, Celia Cruz Way was named after the iconic Latin singer in 2021. Near the public high school named for her, Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, the street is dedicated to the remembrance of the “Queen of Salsa.” Though Celia passed away in 2003 at the age of 77, the street serves as an extension of her legacy and as a way to remember her contributions to the music industry. 

Juan Pablo Duarte Boulevard

Some of New York City’s double street names are due to the multitudes of languages spoken in the city. St. Nicholas Avenue, which runs through the primarily Latin neighborhood of Washington Heights, is often referred to as Juan Pablo Duarte Boulevard by Latin residents. In 2000, ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani signed legislation formally adding the name “Juan Pablo Duarte Boulevard” to St. Nicholas Avenue. The street now honors Juan Pablo Duarte who is considered to be the “Founding Father of the Dominican Republic.” In the press release, Giuliani stated that “it is fitting that this area of Manhattan, in the heart of one of New York City’s largest Dominican communities, be named “Juan Pablo Duarte Boulevard.”

Gershwin Way

Though the Gershwin brothers already have their names plastered on a Broadway theater and a luxury Manhattan apartment building, the iconic music writing duo have their own street as well, called Gershwin Way. Co-named in 1998, the stretch of 50th Street that houses the Gershwin Theater and apartment building honors the achievements of George and Ira Gershwin, who passed away in 1937 and 1983, respectively. The brothers worked on 16 Broadway shows together, including Porgy and Bess, Funny Face, and Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Of Thee I Sing. 

Avenue of The Americas

Not all co-named streets are named after notable people – Sixth Avenue is one of the busiest streets in Manhattan and a prime example of a double named street. In 1945, the avenue was renamed “The Avenue of The Americas” by mayor Fiorello La Guardia. The United Nations headquarters found its home on Sixth Avenue, and by renaming the street, the mayor hoped to evoke a sense of patriotism and pride for New York being a cultural and political epicenter. The name and UN Headquarters, however, didn’t stick. Today, most New York City residents refer to the street as Sixth Avenue, and the only remains of the re-named street are old lamp posts, a few flags, and a handful of businesses who claim “Avenue of The Americas” as their formal address. 

Who will be commemorated next?

Though New York City has multitudes of eponymously named streets, new streets are still being co-named. The only requirements are that the honoree must be deceased and have made a notable contribution to the community. Finding double named streets can become a scavenger hunt for New York residents and visitors, as you’re able to search the city for famous names and street corners. With new people being commemorated all the time, whose name might belong on a street sign next?

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Hannah’s Story

Having trained and performed in New York for six summers, the move to the city at only 16 didn’t scare her. Because she graduated early from high school, Hannah was free to live the life she’d dreamed of, which excited her more than made her nervous.

Sure, the move at a young age came with its fair share of challenges, like being unable to legally sign things or go to the doctor, but since when have New Yorkers ever been afraid of a little challenge?

Upon relocating to the city, it was important for her to keep her “why” at the forefront of everything she did. In fact, that is one of the biggest pieces of advice she carries with her for those pursuing their own dreams, especially in the city.

Knowing what your why is and keeping in mind that every day is a choice helps to keep what matters at the forefront. 

“It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle of living in NYC- between work, rehearsals, and the odd jobs to make ends meet, it is so easy to fill your day to the brim.” Hannah goes on to say,  “remember to take moments to enjoy life and recognize that every day you are choosing where you live…the hustle is just part of the process.”

A Typical New York Day for Hannah

Like many New Yorkers, Hannah’s days were filled to the brim but often looked different from one day to the next. Because she was a student studying for her bachelor’s degree and dance, plus working, there were days when she would leave once the sun came up and didn’t return home until midnight.

This busy schedule helped to keep Hannah from feeling burnt out in her apartment. Instead, the space, regardless of how small it was, acted as a reprieve and place to rest her head above all else.

While Hannah’s days usually end late, they also begin early. They often start with: 

• A 6:30 am wakeup call where she walks the dog
• Walking or taking the subway to Ailey (about a 20-block distance from her UWS space)
• Ailey School classes into the late afternoon (ballet, Horton, Graham Technique, Pointe, Composition, Contemporary)
• A mixture of rehearsals, studio time, studying, and work

In addition to attending Ailey School, Hannah also studied online with the University of Tennessee. She was vying toward her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and psychology but has since pivoted to an education-based study plan. Throughout the day, Hannah would work on her degree work. If she didn’t have time between classes at Ailey, she would stay up late at night to finish her coursework.

When she wasn’t schooling or practicing, Hannah was running around the city, making ends meet. Two of her more common jobs included nannying and working at the famed Cookie Do. Nannying included picking up children from school and making sure they got home or to their after-school program.

Alternatively, days at Cookie Do were filled with crafting edible cookie dough in the company’s flagship West Village shop or commuting to pop-ups in places like Bryant Park, Dumbo, and the Upper East Side. When all was said and done, Hannah was working 25–40-hour work weeks in addition to her other obligations.

Though there was limited time for fun, some of her favorite activities included modeling, classes at Steps on Broadway, or going out with friends. By the time the day was over, there wasn’t much more to do than to relax in the spaces she’s come to call home, even if temporarily.

The Buildings She Loved

Did you truly live the New York experience if you didn’t live in at least one (usually more) apartment that put HGTV’s tiny home shows to shame? Unlikely.

For Hannah, the experience of rotating “modest” apartments was all she knew when living in New York. Her experience when it came to choosing real estate was fairly unique.

Most of Hannah’s living situations were made possible by touring dance friends who allowed her to sublet their apartments while they were away. That means consistently revolving around the city, living in places like Washington Heights upon first arriving, the Village, and the Upper West Side.  

Of all the places she lived, her favorite space had to have been the one on the Upper West Side, and for more reasons than one. It was the first New York apartment that was her own – meaning it wasn’t a sublet.

At a whopping 175 square feet, the studio was located on the 13th floor at the corner of 75th and Amsterdam and offered impeccable views of Central Park. The space was just large enough to house a mini fridge, convection oven, and two stove top burners and for Hannah to do the splits and touch each opposite wall of the space.

Despite the small size, Hannah looks back on the space affectionately, continually looking for and focusing on the best aspect of the circumstances.

She describes highlights, including the large window and picturesque views that allowed for warmth to flood in, highlighting the space’s white walls, white granite countertops, and beautiful hardwood floors.

The retro optimism and affection help to certify her love for the city despite no longer being in it.

 

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How She Made Her Spaces Feel Like Home

If you find yourself living in an apartment less than 200 square feet (just over the average size of one American bedroom). What do you do to make it feel like a home? Decorate!

Skipping the décor process due to limited space is not recommended if you want to make your house (even if temporary) feel like a home. For Hannah, no space was complete without having some sort of personalization.

Hannah says, “I decorated every apartment I lived in, even if I was only there for a short time. I feel that decoration is integral to making the space feel like your own. At the end of the day, my apartment didn’t feel like home without my decorations… Pictures of family and friends, throw pillows, and my color scheme. I think that decoration is crucial.”

If you’re worried about overwhelming a small space with décor, there are minimalistic approaches to interior design that can make your space feel like your own without being chaotic.

How to Work with Minimal Space

Hannah may have some tricks for you, and you’ll want to listen, especially given the fact that she regularly had family and friends staying with her in these tiny apartments!

When it comes to storage, it’s more than necessary to be creative with your solutions. One trick Hannah used when first moving to the city was purchasing a tri-fold bed.

The multi-functional furniture allows someone to open the device for a double bed at night and to fold it up into a rectangle to be used as a couch during the day.

When working with such tiny spaces, the furniture and storage purchased need to be just as adaptable as the renter. Later on, Hannah made the luxurious switch to a lofted twin bed and stuck that tri-fold mattress under the bed to save for a rainy day, extra seating, or, you guessed it – guests. Living alone meant that any time her family was in town, there would be space for them to crash. As her sister, also a dancer, visited the City often to train, this was an ideal scenario. 

Another choice Hannah routinely made out of necessity was only purchasing what she needed as she needed it. This went for both clothing and groceries. While there are more and more innovative design choices being crafted every year, the reality remains that no space = no space.

For Hannah, that meant only purchasing a week’s worth of groceries at a time and maintaining a seasonal wardrobe. Excess clothing was thrifted or taken to her hometown until the seasons changed, and she switched out her wardrobe again.

How the Pandemic Shifted Her Dreams

New Yorkers know all too well just how transformative COVID-19 was. In the midst of devastating losses and daunting statistics, there were pockets of joy, like in the form of revelations. For Hannah, the pandemic completely shifted her world, much as it did for the rest of the world.

When the pandemic hit and everything began shutting down in the city, Hannah decided to leave. She returned home to Knoxville, Tennessee, where she currently resides. What started as a hopeful one- or two-month hideaway quickly became the new normal.

It was through this move and within the pandemic that Hannah discovered a new course for her life – an equally passion-driven one. The pandemic highlighted Hannah’s desire to connect with others, specifically children, helping them to learn to dance.

This move combines both her long-standing passion for teaching and the thing she wants to spend the rest of her life doing – dancing. Along with this shift was the creation of her nonprofit, centered around providing equal access to arts education for children in her hometown area.

This experience of moving back home and trudging forward helped Hannah, like many others, to realize that “making it” or making a difference is not exclusive to one coast or the other as many believe. Hannah discovered that the impact she made for disadvantaged and marginalized children right in the heart of her hometown is as equally meaningful as the work she did for years in New York City.

Despite being away from the city now, a piece of her will always be New York-based and driven. As the saying goes, “you can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.” Speaking to this further, Hannah goes on to say, “even though I no longer live there, the remnants of the city are still in my bones.”

Hannah continues to sow the seed of ambition, grit, and passion wherever she goes, just as it was cemented in her long ago.

Thinking of Moving to New York? Keep These Things in Mind

Hannah’s story offers a unique perspective into what it means to be a New Yorker, and the experience can vary for everyone. There are plenty of important lessons within her story, and these are some to keep in mind when navigating the city for yourself, especially if you’re a fellow dream chaser.

Things Can and Will Change: Roll with It

If there’s one thing that New York is not, it’s stagnant. New York would not be New York if it didn’t consistently change and reinvent itself. While this happened for Hannah while living in the city, including constantly adjusting to what she called “home,” it also set her on a new trajectory for life.

 

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Hannah’s last semester at Ailey was when the world completely shut down. Rather than letting the shifts shut down her dreams, she found new ones and readjusted them. Successfully moving to New York means staying flexible. 

Making the Best of What You Have

Nothing will ever be perfect, especially not in NYC. Though Hannah speaks of her picture frame views of Central Park and the Ghostbusters towers as being close to it, the reality is things are going to be challenging.

In the case of Hannah, revolving sublets and a tiny apartment to call her own were highlights of living in NYC. She decorated and made the spaces her own with the resources she had, regardless of how temporary or challenging it was. Though cynicism is a key characteristic of being a New Yorker, the constant desire to be better and make the best of things is a universal desire behind the façade.

Find Your Purpose

While living in NYC, Hannah discovered how to look like she had a purpose regardless of where she was going or what she was doing. Even if she had no idea what she was doing, she and every other New Yorker were making it seem as though they did.

Sure, this lesson can be chalked up to “faking it until you make it,” but there’s also an important lesson on finding your purpose too. That’s something that has stuck with Hannah today, beyond the New York City limits, and continues to influence her life. Even if someone doesn’t know what they’re doing or continually trips up along the way – stay focused on finding the purpose.

One day, like Hannah, you’ll be able to say, “no matter where I live, NYC will always have a huge part of my history and my heart.”

Interested in following Hannah’s journey? You can find her on Instagram @_gracegirl and support her work as a founding member of Tessera Dance Theater, a Knoxville 501(c)(3) dedicated to ensuring access for all to a world-class dance education.

The post Hannah Hayward on Making it Work in the Big City and Never Taking Things for Granted appeared first on CitySignal.

Best Clubs in New York City

 

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1.) House of Yes

For a surreal, extravagant, out-of-this-world clubbing adventure, make Bushwick’s House of Yes your very first stop. Part nightclub and part “circus theatre,” House of Yes offers an outlandish, fantastical experience to visitors that feels like stepping into another world. Aerial dancers hang from streamers near the club’s massive stage, which is used to host weekly events such as drag performances, variety shows, and even art bazaars. But beyond its vibrant trappings and exciting programming, it is truly the unique culture of House of Yes that keeps its devoted revelers coming back again and again. House of Yes encourages camp, debauchery, and extravagance as a celebration of freedom and self-expression, and the unique atmosphere of this never-ending costume ball will help even the most trepidatious and tight-laced patrons release their inhibitions and cut loose. 

 

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2.) Le Bain

Perched atop the Standard High Line hotel in the heart of the Meatpacking District, Le Bain is known for its stunning city views and somewhat infamous jacuzzi. Come up during the “Sunset Hours” in the late afternoon to enjoy some of Le Bain’s house-made crepes and soak up the sun on the roof, and stay on through the 10 p.m.–4 a.m. “late night” hours as the pleasant outdoor lounge transforms into a bustling discothèque. Le Bain is open seven nights a week during the summers, with terrace access dependent on weather conditions, and they also frequently host themed parties and sets by up-and-coming DJs. If you decide to slip into the hot tub, just keep an eye on your belongings—and not soak until you turn into a prune.

 

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3.) Avant Gardner

A favorite from Williamsburg’s bustling scene, Avant Gardner could perhaps better be described as a compound than a club: offering more than 80,000 square feet of party space spread between four different full-sized dance halls, including the stunning rooftop courtyard known as the Brooklyn Mirage, Avant Gardner occupies a full city block. The performances by their carefully-curated lineup of artists and DJs (often skewing toward electronic dance music) are enhanced by a dizzying arsenal of strobe lights and projections. With dozens of monthly events in its various venues, any visitor is bound to find something that catches their interest—and, with a total capacity of nearly 6,000, there’s room for everyone to join the party.

 

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4.) 1 Oak

The nightclub game can be a brutal industry—trends change quickly as clubbers constantly chase the newest craze, and even the hottest of new venues will often end up empty and near bankruptcy within a few years. The longevity of Chelsea’s 1 OAK, a mainstay on the NYC nightclub circuit for the past fifteen years, speaks to its status as one of the city’s best-run and most celebrated clubs. Their reputation has been reinforced by their impressive roster of celebrity guests such as the Weekend, Bruno Mars, and Justin Bieber—longtime fan Jay-Z even chose to immortalize 1 OAK in a lyric from “Beach is Better.” 1 OAK, unsurprisingly, is also known for its star-studded roster of DJs. The secret to the club’s success has been its ability to keep its fingers on the pulse of new trends and even to initiate new ones by taking a chance on fresh talent, so you can show up with the assurance that they’ll be bumping something exciting. 

 

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5.) Black Flamingo

When you visit Black Flamingo, you will have the pleasure of encountering one of Williamsburg’s most high-spirited nightclubs and the neighborhood’s tastiest Mexican restaurants. Fortify yourself for the night’s festivities at Ensenada upstairs, where you can feast on a variety of Tex-Mex dishes (the restaurant formerly maintained an all-vegan menu but began incorporating seafood last year), and then head downstairs to tear up the dance floor while enjoying fresh, delicious, and authentic mescal and cocktails from the bar. Be aware that Black Flamingo is currently only open on Fridays and Saturdays and on certain Thursday evenings when they have events running. The atmosphere at Black Flamingo is always relaxed and fun, so this is a great option for anyone new to clubbing and intimidated by the idea of dealing with bottle service and bouncers.

 

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6.) Trans-Pecos

While Manhattan and Brooklyn have a chokehold on the city’s nightlife scene, it would be a mistake to overlook the offerings found in other boroughs. Trans-Pecos, found in the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood, is one such gem. The club includes a bar and a built-in Vietnamese restaurant, but the real party can be found downstairs, where the venue’s underground stage plays host to various live performances and spectacular DJ sets.

If the basement dance floor gets too hot, you can also take advantage of the club’s outdoor patio to cool off and down a few drinks before you dive back into the crowd. This club is particularly unique because of its status as an “all-ages” venue, as Trans-Pecos owners feel passionate about ensuring that their music and events are accessible for everyone to enjoy. Trans-Pecos also prides itself on its community involvement. The club has partnered with a roster of nearby organizations to host community activities such as weekly morning yoga and even serves as the home base for the local “Solarpunk Magic Computer Club.”

 

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7.) Paul’s Cocktail Lounge

Paul Sevigny is constantly curating high-class, glitzy nightlife experiences in New York, and Paul’s Cocktail Lounge, affectionately nicknamed “Paul’s Baby Grand” for its elegance and rather intimate size, is perhaps his greatest creation. Its Tribeca location at the Roxy Hotel deliberately sets it apart from the main downtown clubbing drag, as Paul’s greatly emphasizes exclusivity. This is by far the most difficult club on this list to enter—even good looks and heaps of cash aren’t guaranteed to get you through the door because Paul’s bouncers are very selective about the “vibe” of the people they choose to admit. If you do get inside, you’ll be treated to grad-A elegance as servers pass around cocktails on silver trays and guests lounge on stylish pink chaises (Sevigny’s sister Chloë contributed to the interior design). At 2 a.m. each night, a disco ball is raised above the crowd in a fond gesture to the city’s beloved discothèques of old.

 

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8.) Nowadays

Now located at the edge of Ridgewood near the border of Brooklyn, Nowadays first began as a roaming outdoor party known as “Mister Saturday Night” that bounced between various city parks. After Mister Saturday Night organizers Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin purchased a permanent outdoor partying ground in 2015, adjoined by an additional indoor warehouse dance hall, Nowadays was born. The multi-use facility hosts sprawling outdoor dance parties every Sunday afternoon from mid-May to late October and various indoor and outdoor events year-round.

Their “Safer Space” policy also helps to protect visitors from harassment and discrimination of any kind. While Nowadays’ indoor events are more than worthwhile, their most unique offering is most definitely their outdoor “Mister Sunday” party. Swing by to enjoy live music, great dancing, local beers, and barbecue-style food in an upbeat, festive atmosphere.

 

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9.) The Jane Ballroom

Tucked against the Hudson River on the edge of the Meatpacking District, The Jane is most famous for sheltering survivors from the Titanic following the ship’s sinking in 1919. Walking into the hotel’s bustling ballroom, with its antique aesthetic, opulent full-length velvet curtains, and cavernous fireplace feels like stepping back in time to that fateful day. Don’t start thinking that The Jane is too hoity-toity, however. As the morning hour creeps closer, you’re bound to observe revelers dancing atop every bit of the ballroom’s impeccable vintage furniture. The bar serves high-class cocktails and a healthy menu of wine and champagne alongside the usual roster of more budget-friendly club drinks. If you’re looking for a wild party hidden inside elegant trappings, The Jane is the place for you.

 

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10.) Good Room

At Good Room in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, it’s good vibes only. While some clubs hold exclusivity as a badge of honor, the folks behind Good Room are more interested in creating the most inclusive environment possible for clubbers to enjoy. Founded “by music lovers, for music lovers,” Good Room consists of two separate dance floors with different DJs so that patrons can choose which they prefer to dance to. As a bonus, the Good Room even has a coat check. The establishment has a strict zero-tolerance policy for racism, homophobia, and discrimination. Bigotry and pretentiousness have no place here—you come to Good Room to have an honest good time, or you don’t come at all.

 

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11.) Marquee

One of the premier gay nightclubs in New York, Marquee is a 5,000-square-foot haven of neon, steel, and leather right in the heart of Chelsea. The ceiling of the primary dance floor consists of a geometric grid of reflective, glowing cubes that send fragments of light from Marquee’s complicated projection system bouncing erratically across the walls. DJs and entertainers of all stripes—including dancers, fire breathers, and acrobats—perform on the elevated catwalk overhead. Marquee cultivates a very trendy crowd, and its dress code is strictly enforced at the door, so plan ahead to make sure you’re not turned away for wearing casual or athletic attire. (Note that there is a blanket ban on shorts for male patrons.) Those willing to dress up and pay for their admittedly pricey drinks will be rewarded with complete immersion in Marquee’s utterly electric atmosphere. 

 

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12.) Elsewhere

Operating out of a refurbished warehouse not far from Flushing Avenue, Elsewhere is about as “Bushwick” as Bushwick gets. The large interior is split up into three floors’ worth of dance and performance spaces, including a small cafe known as The Loft that provides sustenance and sanctuary for revelers who have partied to the point of excess. Elsewhere’s real highlight is its rooftop dance floor, which offers beautiful views of the Brooklyn cityscape and comfortably accommodates up to 500 people.

While you’ll hear plenty of DJ sets, Elsewhere places a bit more emphasis on live performances than most other comparable nightclubs and makes it a particular point of pride to offer opportunities to up-and-coming musical acts. Elsewhere also has a well-earned reputation for being a diverse and welcoming community: their motto is “come as you are,” and they have a strict harassment policy to protect visitors from all walks of life. Elsewhere is the place to be for those who enjoy positive vibes, affordable drinks, and “underground and unbound” music. 

 

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13.) PHD Midtown

With the streets around Times Square constantly clotted with tourists, Midtown is not generally regarded as a prime location for the fast-past clubbing crowd. PHD Midtown, owned by the same management team behind Marquee, Tao, and other staples of NYC’s nightlife, aims to change that.

Perched within Dream Midtown (PHD’s other location is found in another Dream hotel in Chelsea), PHD Midtown consists of two different spaces. The open-air rooftop terrace on the sixteenth floor is stocked with greenery and miniature cocktail tables and treats visitors to gorgeous views of the glittering skyscrapers on all sides. The gilded, marble-walled indoor bar space on the floor below serves delicious craft cocktails and creates a more intimate setting for conversation. The bar bites offered here are upscale takes on your usual pub grub: think wagyu beef sliders, filet mignon skewers, and crispy mac & cheese balls made with truffle aioli, white cheddar, and parmesan. The patrons here lean more toward the business crowd, so underdressing is a massive faux pas that will not be tolerated. 

The post The 13 Best Clubs in NYC appeared first on CitySignal.

Decorate Your Home Like Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus

 

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Spirit Halloween’s Hocus Pocus Collection

If you’re a fan of the film, you’ll also be a fan of Spirit Halloween’s enormous Hocus Pocus collection. They have headstones, zombie heads, cauldrons, and even black candles for all you virgins out there. There’s a ton of fun stuff that’s great for any Halloween party and will give your home a frightful flair that will delight your guests. While they don’t have everything you need to recreate the Sanderson sister’s home, this is a great place to start.

 

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Home Depot Hocus Pocus Inflatable

Home Depot has a ton of inflatable lawn decorations from several properties, but their Hocus Pocus inflatable is the best one. The inflatable shows the iconic sisters making rather serious faces and seemingly holding hands with one another. While these versions of the witches are a little cuter than the real witches in the movies, they are still a fun addition to any outdoor Halloween decor. Perhaps they can be combined with the Spirit Halloween gravestones for a fun theme! A balcony is a great place for these sisters to hang out and welcome guests into your home.

Metal Cauldron From GrandInRoad

Every witch needs a cauldron for magic potions and/or fruity drinks that are also very alcoholic. This metal cauldron is huge and is perfect for mixing a drink for a party. Even if you don’t want to have a mixed drink inside of it, it’s a great place to throw in some lights and dry ice for a spooky vibe. Like in a real witch’s home, this cauldron is essential for any spooky event and will give you many cool points with your fellow Halloween crew.

Hocus Pocus Spell Book on Amazon

This spellbook has everything from the spooky eye to actual spells from the movie! Though only the first few pages have spells, the rest is blank, meaning guests can write their own spells for a fun party game. You can also utilize this book for guest check-in or as a spooky recipe book. The book’s cover is covered in latex to give the feeling of human skin, giving it an extra dose of authenticity and creepiness. No matter how you use this awesome prop, it will add a lot to any event you throw during the Halloween season.

Black Flame Candle From Etsy

This is one of the most iconic set pieces in live-action Disney history, and now this replica can be yours. You’ll get a ton of street cred when this pops up at your party, especially with the Disney and Hocus Pocus Heads. Though it doesn’t burn a black flame, it’s still a beautiful set piece that will draw the eyes of all your guests. It’s also probably good that it doesn’t actually have a black flame, as this would awaken the sisters and prompt them to hunt for the youth of all the children in the city, which would totally kill the party’s vibe.

Black Cat From Target

Every Halloween party needs at least one black cat decoration, and Target makes it possible to have many since their black cats are only five dollars. Any black cat will add a bonus to your event, especially if you name them Binx, in honor of the cured boy from the 1600s who seeks vengeance on the Sanderson sisters so he can finally be reunited with his family. To have a bunch of black cats just means you like to have fun on Halloween, which is also good and cool.

Stretchy Spider Web Decoration From Target

While the Sanderson sisters ran a pretty tight ship in their time, their house got a bit dusty after receiving no visitors for a very long time. These cobwebs are the perfect way to reflect the disrepair their house, or any witch house would fall into if there were a person solely dedicated to the art of spellcraft. The cobwebs are a spooky aesthetic, and they’re inexpensive so that you can have a lot of them and they can be placed anywhere in your home, such as by your apartment fireplace.

 

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Hocus Pocus Costumes From Spirit Halloween

Spirit Halloween has the official Hocus Pocus costume selection and the costumes you need to make your friends jealous. Nothing is better for a witch-themed party than the titular witches themselves, and Spirit Halloween has the Sanderson sister costumes in both adult and child sizes. They also have some varieties in adult sizes depending on how spicy your party is. These costumes and decorations will transform you into the champion of Halloween, and people will talk about your party for years to come. These costumes are magical!

Halloween is a magical time of year when people can dress up and experience their favorite movies in a unique way. Hocus Pocus has made its way into the hearts and minds of American culture, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. People love that movie for the camp, the magic, and the classic 90’s Disney aesthetic. This is why people love throwing parties featuring set pieces from movies. Your Halloween party can be amazing for a reasonable price once you purchase these items. Many of them are open to your creative input and encourage you to use them in supremely unique ways. How will you use the items from Hocus Pocus?

The post How To Decorate Your House Like the Sanderson Sisters appeared first on CitySignal.

At a traditional Irish wedding, Celtic customs abound! Full of romance and age-old traditions, an Irish wedding is a beautiful sight. According to Nora Sheils of Bridal Bliss Events, “Many of our wedding traditions originated from the fear of evil spirits in ancient Ireland and other parts of Europe.” 

Wedding Attire

During an Irish wedding, the bride wears a traditional white wedding dress. Some brides will adorn their dress with Celtic symbols such as knots, shamrocks, or crosses. Irish lace is very popular and will sometimes be worn as a veil. Irish lace is so popular that it is sometimes used to adorn cakes and to tie the bridal bouquet. Many brides choose to wear a cape made of heavier fabrics to protect them from the cold during the winter months.

Things run a bit more toward Irish heritage with the groom’s attire. Most grooms will wear a tartan kilt. Irish kilts are made of fabrics that represent the county in which they reside. This is very different from Scottish kilts, which represent families and lineage. Along with the kilt, the groom usually wears a Brian Boru jacket and a white dress shirt, bow tie, knee-high socks, and traditional Ghillie Brogue shoes. 

Would you like to incorporate an Irish kilt into your wedding ceremony? Check out The Piper’s Cove Scottish & Irish Imports in Kearny, NY. 

Symbols of Luck at an Irish Wedding

Once upon a time, brides in Ireland carried real, full-size horseshoes down the aisle. They didn’t just carry them any old way. They carried them open side facing up, as a symbol of neverending luck.

Now, it is still common to have a horseshoe somewhere on the bridal attire. Usually, a bride will have a tiny horseshoe interwoven with her bouquet. Small confetti-sized tokens sometimes adorn the reception tables in the shapes of four-leaf clovers and more tiny horseshoes. The luck of the Irish!

For an endless array of wedding decoration options, give Magic Decor in Brooklyn a call. 

The Honeymoon Has Irish Origins

Have you ever wondered where the word “honeymoon” originated? Well, today is your lucky day!

After an ancient Irish wedding, friends and family made toasts to the newlyweds with mead. Mead is made with honey and the brew was given to them for 30 days, which is the typical term of a moon cycle. 

Interested in adding a touch of ancient Ireland to your festivities? Enlightenment Wines and Meadery in Brooklyn is just the place for all of your mead needs. 

Claddagh Rings

You have probably seen a Claddagh ring without even realizing it. The Claddagh ring represents three distinctive elements: love, loyalty, and friendship.

When you are single, you will wear your Claddagh ring on your right hand. More than likely, this ring was passed down to you by your mother. If single, you will also wear the ring with the heart pointed downwards, toward your fingertips. This symbolizes that your heart is not yet taken. 

After an Irish woman is engaged, she will begin wearing her Claddagh ring on her left hand. It is not until she is officially married that she will flip the ring over, so that the heart’s point is in the direction of her heart, rather than her fingertips. 

You will also see the Claddagh design on many other things, not just rings. You may see it on other forms of jewelry, clothing, and other items. It is a universal Irish symbol!

Visit A Shape of Lies in the East Village for handmade jewelry and museum replica jewelry, featuring Claddagh rings and spoon rings. 

Tying the Knot

By now, most people have heard the phrase, “tying the knot”. This originated in ancient Ireland! 

During the wedding ceremony, the new couple’s hands will be tied together with fabric, into a ceremonial knot. This beautiful part of the ceremony has been copied many times and is a very popular tradition throughout the world. 

If you would like to recreate this wonderful symbolic gesture in your own wedding, check out NY Designer Fabrics. They sell absolutely any type of fabric your heart wants and your mind can imagine! 

Have you ever attended an Irish wedding? Maybe you have experienced some of the traditions in this article. We would love for you to let us know! 

Interested in reading about other wedding traditions from around the world? Check out our other pieces on weddings on CitySignal

The post Wedding Customs Around the World: Ireland appeared first on CitySignal.

For the most part, these podcasts are free to access. Not many creators will make you go through a paywall in order to listen to their episodes, unless the podcasts are part of a premium package. Subscription services are rare to come across with podcasts, so how are these creators making money? Sponsorships are the answer you are looking for. This is the way that most, if not all podcasts generate revenue. Essentially, a company will reach out to the podcast of their choice and ask them to promote their product during the show in return for compensation. According to writers at Forbes, in 2018 the total funding that was allocated to ads for podcasts was roughly $479 million dollars and they have already predicted it has reached $1B in 2021. If that does not conceptualize how reliant podcasters are on ads then I don’t know what will. To obtain decent advertisements podcasters need to consider a handful of things – it is a lot harder than you would think. One must analyze their audience in order to choose advertisements that would be relevant to their interests. Forbes mentions preroll, midroll, or postroll advertisements that are based on a cost determined by both parties. This number is represented by a CPM (cost per 1,000 downloads) model meaning the more predicted engagement, the more the podcaster would get. 

Now that you understand a bit more on the role advertisements have in podcasts, I would like to name a few of my favorites that have piqued my curiosity over the years. 

• Audible Inc. – Having been an English & Literary Studies major, it is safe to say that I love to read. However, having the luxury to read anywhere at any time is not always within my reach. It is not convenient to carry around big books in little bags and comfortably turn pages while someone is pushing up against you during rush hour on the train. Audible is an audiobook and podcast function owned by Amazon which allows their users to download content and listen to it from their chosen device. 

• Squarespace, Inc. –  If you are not well-versed in website coding, but need a digital space to hold your information, Squarespace is for you. Essentially, it is a service dedicated to website building where you can use pre-made templates in order to dodge intricate HTML/CSS obstacles that do not make sense to a lot of people… Aside from my friends that were on Tumblr at a young age (if you get it, you get it!). A lot of podcasters that advertise Squarespace are online personalities that can vouch for the simple-to-use mechanisms provided at low-cost. 
• Dollar Shave Club – I would be lying through my teeth if I said I did not have a subscription to the Dollar Shave Club at some point. This company offers shavers and grooming products that are directly delivered to your doorstep at a ridiculously low price. Sounds enticing, right? All you need to do is submit a monthly fee and you have a wide array of products to choose from at your convenience. Their subscriptions are also great as a gift for the groomer in your life!

• Crunchyroll – I know, I know. The last thing we all need is yet another streaming service to take our money every month. But, trust me when I say Crunchyroll is one of the best as long as you enjoy anime. Crunchyroll offers an unlimited supply of anime and manga through both free and premium paid memberships. Not only that, but you can also access merchandise and partake in online discussion forums in order to connect with people with similar interests. 

• Adam & Eve – This is another advertisement that would sound throughout a handful of podcasts that I listened to. Adam & Eve is one of the largest adult toy companies in America that sells the utmost extensive inventory of products. Serving over 12 million customers, Adam & Eve takes into consideration the nature of purchasing adult toys and sells them at an affordable price with discreet packaging. 
• LootCrate – Through this list I have realized that advertisements are truly very personal. They are extremely dependent on the interests of the consumer and can adhere to niche interests. Much like this one. LootCrate is a monthly subscription box that offers gaming and pop culture-related merchandise to their customers. Their products are specific to those that have a LootCrate subscription which creates a sense of exclusivity. To those that live for fanfare, this would be perfect for you. 
• ZipRecruiter – Last but not least, we have one of my favorite gains from an advertisement-grab. At one point in most peoples’ lives they will have to apply for a job one way or another. If we as a society share one thing in common it is the tedious process of looking for employment. ZipRecruiter is a job posting website that allows employers to seek out possible employees through profiles that include resumes, cover letters, and references. 

The post My Favorite Podcast Advertisements, Ranked appeared first on CitySignal.

So what can plagues from the past teach us about the future? Here are some examples of past plagues, their severity, and how they eventually went away.

Plague of Justinian

This first large wave of the bubonic plague appeared in Constantinople in 541 CE. After killing a large portion of the city’s population, the plague spread across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The death toll is estimated to be anywhere between 30 to 50 million people. It’s hard to know for sure since record-keeping from over 1000 years ago was a bit spotty, but it killed enough people that the fabric of society shifted drastically.

Bodies were stacked indoors and on the streets. Many people thought it was the end of days, which will be a common theme in many of the plagues we discuss today. Sadly, the plague didn’t end through a concerted societal effort. It spent two years ravaging the landscape and eventually fading away after infecting or killing everyone it could.

The Black Death

The bubonic plague didn’t fully go away. It came in waves, and the deadliest wave began in 1347. It lasted about five years and killed around 25 million people. Society came to a halt, as bodies were stacked in the streets, food became scarce, the population was reduced by a third. Additionally, the disease affected people in different ways, sometimes spreading to the blood and lungs, which could largely affect your chances of survival.

So how did the plague finally end? Simple: They invented the quarantine. While they knew next to nothing about how the plague was spread, people were aware they caught it after being in contact with others who had it. So laws were passed that said people with symptoms had to be isolated for 40 days. Makes the 14-day quarantine seem nice now, doesn’t it?

Smallpox

Smallpox was particularly tragic. In Europe, it was a beast on its own. However, when it was brought to the Americas, it wiped out around 90% of the Native American population. Entire histories and civilizations were completely eradicated. They didn’t have a way to fight off smallpox, measles, and other diseases that came from the densely populated, and extremely polluted, cities of Europe.

Smallpox would continue to ravage the Americas as it mutated and evolved. It heavily damaged troops during the American Revolution. It only ended after Edward Jenner, a British doctor, invented a rudimentary vaccine; the first of its kind. People lined up to get it, which has proven to be a challenge during this current pandemic.

Cholera

During the middle of the 19th century, around 1854, Cholera spread through England and killed tens of thousands of people. This epidemic led to an internal investigation of the London sewer system, where it was revealed the water was causing the spread of the disease in the city. Once sewage systems were replaced, the disease disappeared in a matter of months.

Cholera would continue to be a nuisance in other cities with similar sewage issues. Once these issues were corrected, the harm from the disease was largely reduced, but not before killing over a million people.

1918 Flu

Called the Spanish Flu because of a propaganda campaign against Spain, which was the only country that was being honest about their death toll, the 1918 Flu killed an estimated 50 million people. The flu did major damage to the global economy and almost derailed the Paris Peace Conference when Woodrow Wilson caught the disease and had to remain in bed for days on end.

So how did this pandemic end? It was a combination of things. Quarantines and isolation helped a lot, as did people wearing masks. It took the world working together for two years to end this pandemic, and it happened despite propaganda and rampant misinformation campaigns.

These pandemics are vastly different from COVID-19. We now have the technology and know how to deal with these kinds of things much faster. That said, some of these instances are eerily similar. Propaganda and misinformation campaigns helped spread the 1918 Flu worldwide and made it last longer than it should have. Smallpox was bad for everyone, yet it still disproportionately affected vulnerable populations due to ignorance and colonization.

That said, the positives are mirrored too. The scientific breakthroughs saved the day in almost every pandemic we’ve discussed. Vaccines, quarantines, and masks were very widely accepted and helped end these pandemics before they could ravage the world more than they already had.

So what’s different this time? Why has there been so much pushback on measures that could’ve saved so many lives? The answer lies in the way we communicate and get information. Propaganda has always existed, but now misinformation can spread much faster. This means people aren’t able to trust the information they hear, even if it’s proven to have worked in the past.

In terms of plagues, COVID-19 isn’t the deadliest, but it’s currently in the top ten. As the pandemic still rages on, isolation, masks, and vaccines are our best bets at ending this once and for all. The worst-case scenario would be another Plague of Justinian, where the virus only goes away when everyone gets infected and swaths of the population die. We need to learn from the past to protect the future, and that means learning from the mistakes and successes we’ve seen during this current pandemic. The next pandemic is not a matter of “if” but “when.” We need to be ready, and being ready means working together. 

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Zoom dates became the norm for most of 2020 as people were either in lockdown or quarantined (or both!). Instead of going out to a restaurant, it turned into doing takeout for one another and eating while talking through a screen. You could say it was the inspiration for the Metaverse — talking, eating, hanging out, doing activities with your dates in the virtual world. However, since Omicron infections are so high, Zoom dates seem to be coming back with people planning more creative ideas than ever for virtual dates. 

Before your virtual Zoom date, make sure your internet connection is good. You don’t want to have a choppy connection, with either one of you catching what the other said. Just a bunch of, “What? Can you say that again? Oh, I didn’t hear you,” is not an ideal way to get a first impression or go through a date together. Clean up the space you’ll be chatting in and maybe even take the time to decorate beforehand! If you’ve been on a couple of dates, then sure, you have a free pass to not clean up, but having a clean room will give you major brownie points on a first date. Make sure your lighting is good too. There’s no point in a date if the other person can’t even see your face. Solely relying on the phone screen or computer screen lighting will make you look washed out and even sickly. Turn on some other lights in the room, to warm up the complexion. 

Unlike in-person dating, there’s no definitive end time for a Zoom date, so it is up to you to give each other a time range. An hour, two hours? On a positive note, it is so much easier to end a date via Zoom if you’re not enjoying it. We do hope all the Zoom call dates go well this year, so here are some ideas of what you can do besides the regular takeout dinner.

Try a Virtual Paint Night

If you’re looking for a relaxing date option, that doesn’t require food or drinks, an art night might be the go-to. You and your date can pre-plan to buy art materials, whether it’s canvases, glass, or paint, it’s a great way to learn how creative the other person is. Pull up a Bob Ross video or find an art idea through TikTok. There are so many possibilities with art, it could even be hard to choose what you want to create with your date. Share a screen with the intended video/art idea and start creating! Show each other your progress every half hour or so. And since this is supposed to be relaxing, talk to each other. Learn about each other’s lives, careers, and family. If you’re competitive, well let’s hope the other person can roll with that. 

Bring On Nostalgia with Online Board Games

Instead of just talking and asking questions, first date tensions can be relieved with some board games! It would be hard to pull out the same game on each end and play like that, which is why online board games are a thing (thankfully). Websites like Board Game Arena and Tabletopia are the perfect options if you and your date decide to go this route. No need to download anything, because these websites that host board games can be played right through the browser. It just makes everything easier and less confusing. Play a childhood game that resonates with both of you, or challenge yourselves to understanding and enjoying a new game. 

Gaze Up At Stars Together

This is a romantic option for the ones looking for meaningful dates. If the weather calls for it and you can find an open space to do this in the city, grab a blanket, a drink, and your device. You can lay down or get a chair that allows you to look up comfortably. In this quiet space, you and your date can talk and ask each other life questions.The idea is romantic and sweet, that even though you’re far apart, you are still looking up at the same night sky. If you both happen to be near Times Square, it can be hard to see stars, so looking at the bright lights flashing from the LED screens can have the same effect.

Flirt and Learn

If you’re both in the mood for learning, doing a Masterclass together would be so fun. Learn some science and problem solving while simmering in nostalgia with Bill Nye (the Science Guy), make beautiful flower arrangements for each other after a class with Maurice Harris, cook a delicious meal with Gordon Ramsay, or even learn how to be in a band with Metallica. You and your date are bound to find a lesson you’re both interested in, and the next time you’re able to have a date in-person, you can show off your skills.

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