New Grates (Photo: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)

Over the past few weeks at Hillside Avenue and 179th street, a new wave of subway grates are hitting the sidewalks. They are big, skew the bus line where I stand daily and really interesting seeming.

These new grates are meant to prevent subway flooding. D’uh!

I thought that they were meant for people to keep from throwing stuff down into the subway…or maybe something to do with air purification?

But now I know that they’re there so that when a few inches of rain falls next time, the F train will still continue to run instead of shutting down thousands of commuters.

Hooray for the future. The future being right now.

Watch movies at the Park

NYC parks always have great things to offer. As May approaches and the floral landscape of the city changes from barren wasteland to allergen-heavy blooms, wildflowers take center stage.

But for those who have no interest in botany can still enjoy the parks.

Central Park is a year round treat, but as the weather gets nicer, look for more activities happening there too.

Bryant Park has laid out benches on its lush green lawn for picnicking locals and stress free work time lunches. Did you know Bryant Park offers Tai Chi & Yoga classes on a regular basis?!

And for those of you too lazy to partake in physical activities. Great News! You can watch movies in the park for free. Brooklyn Bridge Park is holding a free series of flicks throughout the summer to keep a smile on your face too.

And finally just because I don’t want to leave out Queens. You can always check out some of the finest parks in the city in the more domestic and cozier of the boroughs. Your choices are Alley Pond, Botanical Gardens or even Flushing Meadows.

Just a reminder that we’re having a Metblogs meetup tonight at d.b.a., 41 1st Ave between 2nd and 3rd Streets, from 6-9 PM. Be there! Meet authors and other readers, maybe get a free t-shirt if you bat your eyelashes at us. See you there!

For future events like this, plus notifications of new authors, new posts, etc., follow us on Twitter: @nycmetblogs.

Went to Atlas cafe to talk bikes and 3D printing with Sean Bonner and Maker Bot co-creator Bre. Basically everyone who reads this needs to go and check out Maker Bot. They produce a kit they you can purchase so you can build your own 3-D printer. If that is not the coolest thing in the world, then I don’t know what cool is. Oh, and don’t forget to eat all the vegan yummies at Atlas!

Attention all readers, authors, and passersby – the NYC Metblog is having a meetup tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 29 at d.b.a. from 6-9 PM. Sean Bonner from Metblogs HQ is in town and he has FREE SHIT to give to the first handful of people who show up! Who can resist free stuff? (You still have to buy your own beer, though.)

Everyone is welcome. If you’re interested in writing for the NYC Metblog, come out and chat with us! We’re looking for more writers and would love to meet you and tell you about the sexy Metblogs lifestyle.

d.b.a. is located at 41 1st Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets. The closest train is the F at 2nd Ave.

Dear Air Force,

When you decide that it would be neat to take photos of the “backup” to Air Force One flying close to the Statue of Liberty and taking almost exactly the same flight path as the planes that took out the WTC towers in 2001, it would be nice to, I don’t know, let the people of NYC know about it ahead of time. Might be nice to at least let the freakin’ mayor know about it, for starters. You scared the hell out of a lot of people and pissed a lot more off today. But, at least you got your photo op!

Tell us ahead of time next time or we’ll break your kneecaps.

Love,
NYC

This weekend, while everyone was out enjoying the lovely (if a bit hot for April) weather, news was breaking all over the place about the new swine flu variant that has killed 20 and infected 1,000+ in Mexico. There are confirmed cases in the U.S., including several at a private school in Queens, but no deaths and only one hospitalization have occurred in this country. The flu virus, a mix of pig, bird, and human flu viruses, has the possibility to become a pandemic because it seems to be easily transmissible from human to human, and it is killing young adults rather than infants, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems.

Of course, people are beginning to panic, and the European Union has issued a warning urging its citizens to avoid travel to the U.S. and Mexico in hopes of heading off a global pandemic, but don’t shutter yourselves inside and prepare to wait out the flupocalypse in your bunker just yet.

The Centers for Disease Control have said that this particular strain is vulnerable to two commonly available flu medications, and the U.S. has not issued any travel advisories for its citizens (though they’re expected to issue one for travel to Mexico shortly). Common sense should prevail – wash your hands frequently, especially if you’re around someone who is sneezing or coughing. If you have flu symptoms, call your doctor, and don’t rush to the nearest ER if you just have a slight fever. And finally, read only reliable sources (scroll down for links to CDC and WHO) and stay away from “end of the world” and conspiracy websites. Don’t panic! You have more to fear right now from crazy taxi drivers than swine flu.

Photo courtesy: neuronarrative.com

Holy crud! We’ve all dreamed of being Batman, Superman, Batgirl, Catwoman and all sorts of superheroes. We’ve idolized our comic book heroes and wanted their super powers.

If you had a super power what would it be and why? is a question that you must ask before graduating high school. It is a requirement to have this discussion!

Now, you can fulfill your dreams. Though in your early to mid twenties, this fantasy is no longer a sign of absolute 100% mental health, the world is a beautiful place that caters to all lunacies/desires.

The Brooklyn Superhero company on 5th Avenue in the Park Slope area has everything you need in order to become a superhero. Capes, masks, certificates, ninja nunchucks? Who knows? Their Website lacks information, but you can read all about them here on Yelp.

Photo courtesy: theatrenotes.com

I went to watch Exit the King yesterday on Broadway. It was a matinee and I happened upon the tickets as a gift. The lower mezzanine, first row seats were a welcome surprise.

To the historic theater, I brought a can of seltzer water to take with me inside. I also purchased a candy bar (from England) as a snack which I didn’t end up eating.

The play has Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon and Lauren Ambrose. But I felt that the 3 character actors stole the show. Well, Geoffrey Rush was spectacular but the rest were not utilized to the best of their ability. Susan Sarandon’s fan club must have been in the audience because despite a lousy and monotonous delivery, she received the greatest praise. . . which leads me to believe that the matinee going public in NYC is hungrier for the stars than the actual content of what they go see. This is based on when I saw Rosie O’Donnel’s horrific performance in Fiddler on the Roof…and she received huge standing ovations.

I thought the play had a great ending, smelly jokes and it was OK overall. But the experience of being in that theater with the specific crowd which happened to be there was most inviting. The antique chandeliers, the sound guy, the folks behind me who thought that every single moment was uproariously funny, my guest who warned me that I’d be kicked out for drinking a can of seltzer water…but that it’s OK to drink a bottle of water that you’ve brought?

Broadway is a weird place. You’re inside this gorgeous theater where people are pretending to be someone they’re not and they’re applauded for delivering lines to one another. I guess it’s acting overall that is intriguing to me. But when witnessing a master of his craft like Geoffrey Rush, it makes you wonder what makes people tick.

I took my wife to a Yankee game for their inaugural season in the new stadium. It is the first week of games in the newly built house that Ruth didn’t build. I was impressed with the way the stadium is laid out, I’d better be for all the money they spent on it. We both enjoyed the game and the Yankees won! Since we are both rather big baseball fans we hope to see many more games this year. For those of you wondering how much it will cost you to see the Bronx Bombers play in the new joint, you can get bleacher seats for $12 a game. When was the last time you went to a baseball game?