Claire Leaden, Author at Secret NYC

From the East End of Long Island, Claire grew up coming to NYC & now gets to write about the best city every day! Her favorite borough is Queens (living in Astoria for 5 years), & on weekends she can be found at a local brewery, new restaurant, or reading the latest mystery novel.

The Empire State Building Will Light Up In Different Colors Each Night This Week For Essential Workers

The campaign is called "Heroes Shine Bright." The Empire State Building has launched another light initiative over the course of the COVID-19 crisis. Every night through Friday, they will be lighting up differently to...

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds & U.S. Navy Blue Angels Will Fly Over NYC Tomorrow

To honor essential personal, six U.S. Air Force Thunderbird jets and six U.S. Navy Blue Angel jets will fly over parts of NY, NJ and PA tomorrow, April 28 at 12pm. The Thunderbirds are the U.S. Air Force's flight demon...

The L Train Tunnel Renovation Project Is Now Complete

After 12 months, the L Train Tunnel (or the Canarsie Tunnel) has reopened as of yesterday, April 26. Governor Cuomo made the announcement during yesterday's daily coronavirus press conference update. The project was in...

NYC Plans To Open 100 Miles Of Streets So NYers Have More Outdoor Space

Mayor de Blasio announced today (April 27) that his office, along with the NY City Council, is planning to open up to 100 miles of NYC streets as the weather gets warmer. Though he says they are coming up with a more r...

Things to do

Watch An Incredible Side-By-Side Comparison Of NYC 80 Years Apart

If you enjoyed the stunning, newly colorized version of this 1911 footage of NYC, you'll love this comparison of the city today and what it looked like 80 years ago. The New Yorker put together an incredible video feat...

Seven More Big Cats At The Bronx Zoo Now Have COVID-19

Along with the Malayan tiger Nadia, who was the first animal in the U.S. to test positive, now seven additional large cats have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Like Nadia, they live in The Bronx Zoo. The cats that have n...

Things to do

This Letter Of A Man Donating His One Spare Mask To NY Will Melt Your Heart

At his press conference this morning (April 24), Governor Cuomo shared a heartfelt letter he received from a farmer in Kansas, and it's quite a tear-jerker. The man sent his one spare N95 mask to the governor and asked...

Things to do Wellness & nature

Take A Calming Stroll Through NYBG’s Stunning Tulip Garden Virtually

Beautiful tulips are blooming all over NYC, but even if you can't get out to see them, you can now take a virtual tour of the New York Botanical Garden's dazzling tulip display. The garden released a YouTube video tour...

Culture Things to do

Watch Heartwarming Videos Of Tonight’s Citywide Sing-Along To ‘Lean On Me’

Tonight, the city erupted in a heartfelt rendition of the Bill Withers classic "Lean on Me" in a magical NYC moment. The song started right after the usual 7pm clap that now takes place to thank essential workers for t...

Culture

The Met Opera Is Hosting A Glamorous At-Home Gala With Over 40 Artists This Weekend

The Metropolitan Opera is bringing a virtual At-Home Gala to New Yorkers (or anyone around the world, really) this Saturday, April 25 at 1pm EDT. It's the first time they've hosted a virtual event of this kind, and is...