I moved from the Midwest to New York City 10 years ago. When I visit home, I realize how much city life has hardened me.

For most New Yorkers, Times Square is a place to be avoided at all times—especially and unequivocally on New Year’s Eve. The Ball Drop looks fun and exciting when watched from the warmth and privacy of your couch but in real life, it looks like a million people packed between police barricades and squished up against each other in the cold for way too many hours, waiting for a 10-second countdown. And there are no public restrooms.

Young budget tourists are putting off trips to New York City. Maybe it’s because they are finding it harder to find affordable rooms.

This is a shot of a tournament game at a basketball court — colloquially known as ‘The Cage’ — in Greenwich Village neighbourhood. It’s a dynamic scene, and one I felt really captured the energy of the game. I showed up around mid-afternoon as I was meeting an art director for a dinner later that evening. It was pure luck a game was happening — I only intended to scout out the location for a little while. But the end-of-day light was great, and the hosts said I could take as many photos as I liked from inside the court. After moving around the back and sides of The Cage for a bit, I decided this was the shot I really wanted: the leading lines from directly behind the hoop were just too good to pass up.

Let’s face it: New York is hardly the first city to impose regulations on short-term rentals. Today is the official deadline for hosts to register their listings.

New York City’s Office of Special Enforcement has approved only 257 out of 3,250 short-term rental host registrations before the September 5 enforcement deadline. Around 25% of the host applications submitted so far, or 808 applications, have been reviewed. 

Top of this Thursday morning to you, readers! It’s not news, but I found these funny and relatable Airbnb stories amusing. 

The flight marks a world first on 100% SAF by a commercial airline across the Atlantic, flown on a Boeing 787, using Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

It’s no stretch to say that New York City is the greatest arts destination in the States. The Big Apple is packed with cultural institutions, from the hallowed halls of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the city’s premier modern art museum, to the Museum of Broadway which celebrates New York’s theatre scene.

In September New York City introduced stringent restrictions on short-term rentals leading to news very quickly that Airbnb bookings in the city had “dried up”.  And this is by no means new, cities like Barcelona and Berlin already have strict restrictions on short-term rental properties, requiring hosts to obtain a licence to operate.

There’s no shortage of vibrant neighborhoods to explore across New York’s five boroughs, yet when it comes to true luxury, it’s tough to beat Midtown Manhattan. Renowned across the globe for its wealth of world-class attractions, this sprawling district draws massive hordes of visitors each year to admire tourist magnets like Carnegie Hall, the Empire State Building and Times Square—and all of this attention has paved the way for some truly lavish accommodations, with the Conrad New York Midtown serving as a prime example.

Fall is always an exciting time in New York City, especially because there are so many new restaurant openings. Many tasty newcomers have opened in the last few months and they’re absolutely worth a visit. From buzzy nightlife boîtes to unique omakase destinations, here’s where you should eat before the year is over.

American Airlines is targeting snowbirds with several new routes exclusively for the President’s Day holiday weekend.