Happy April Fool's Day!

🤡Happy April Fool's Day! We've already cruised through a quarter of 2024. Juan Soto has launched the Yankees into a perfect start, igniting October dreams among New York baseball fans. This week's forecast promises chilly, wet days until Friday brings some relief. Meanwhile, the Cinderella team N.C. State has shattered brackets and secured a spot in the Final Four. If you missed out on Mega Millions, you'll get another chance with Powerball edging closer to a $1 billion jackpot.

The News
City Headlines

🤖Autonomous cars are coming to New York shortly as the city has issued new safety guidelines and an application portal. The first self-driving cars will still have human supervision, ensuring our safety for now. The initial testing period will allow the city to gauge how driverless cars can fit into New York's future.

Robo-taxis have had high-profile accidents in San Francisco and NYC's chaotic traffic patterns can challenge even the most seasoned New York driver. Google's self-driving unit, Waymo, has signaled it will be one of the first applicants to the city's shark tank.

🚗Automated vehicles continue to be a popular topic of discussion. Tesla, a leading company in this field, has been experimenting with self-driving cars for some time now but has yet to perfect its technology. In recent years, Tesla has had to issue multiple voluntary recalls to address issues with its Autopilot and FSD systems.

To avoid similar incidents in the future, Elon Musk has implemented a new policy requiring Tesla employees to show customers how to use the company's most sophisticated automated driving system, Full Self-Driving. However, if you opt for Tesla's lower-level systems, Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot, you will be left to figure things out on your own. Best of luck!

🍔Last week's decision regarding congestion pricing dealt another blow to New Yorkers who are already grappling with high inflation. Now, we are discovering that McDonald's is also contributing to the high cost of living in New York. According to FinanceBuzz, the price of french fries at the Golden Arches has skyrocketed by 138% over the last decade. Similarly, a McChicken has nearly tripled in price, rising by 199% during the same period.

McDonald's isn't the only culprit when it comes to pricing. Taco Bell's Chalupa Supreme has seen an increase from $2.19 to $4.59. The silver lining is that being unhealthy in the city has become too expensive.

Quick Takes

🕺🏻LinkedIn wants to make CEOs, CFOs, and all professionals TikTokers. Axios reports that the Microsoft-owned business professional social media platform aims to provide users with a new short-form video feature. Microsoft previously tried to buy TikTok in 2020. The company seems intent on getting everyone to sign and dance on video.

🎤Rapper and singer Lizzo has announced that she is quitting. The performer has faced multiple lawsuits over the past year and made the announcement on Instagram. However, it remains unclear what exactly she is quitting.

⚾Baseball season is underway and the Yankees are on fire, starting the season 4-0 by sweeping a team they have struggled with, the Astros, in Houston. The Mets are already a mess getting swept by the Brewers at home. Despite his success in the financial world, billionaire Steve Cohen is discovering that transforming the Mets is no walk in the park—it's a tougher challenge than betting big on Nvidia.

Things to do

• GE will launch 1,000 drones from the Weehawken Waterfront Park in Hoboken, NJ, on April 1st at 9:00 pm. The drones should be visible from the waterfront on the west side from Chelsea to Hell's Kitchen.

• MoMath presents “Hole in One! How mathematics can unlock the secrets to performance in golf and other sports” on April 3^rd at 4:00 pm and 7pm.

• New York’s irreverent April Fools’ Day Parade returns on April 1st beginning at Grand Army Plaza at 5^th Avenue and 59^th Street at noon.

• Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2 World Tour is coming to Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on April 4^th .

• Stargazing on the High Line on April 2^nd . Peer through high-powered telescopes provided by the knowledgeable members of the Amateur Astronomers Association.

Let’s Eat

• Double Crispy Bakery on 230 Grand Street in Chinatown has all the typical Chinatown bakery offerings one would expect. It also offers Portuguese-style egg tarts in addition to the Chinese version. I highly recommend the Portuguese version because it's super creamy and the crust is double crispy!

• Danny Meyer’s Daily Provisions is opening a new location on the Upper East Side at 1381 Madison Avenue and East 96th Street. The cafe and bakery will open this summer. Upper East Siders can now properly start their day with his fan favorite Lovechild croissant sandwich.

The Escape
New Flights

✈️New routes this Summer will make traveling to two popular destinations easier. First, the Amalfi Coast's Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport will open as a commercial airport beginning in July 2024. Travelers can now fly directly to the sought-after destination instead of Naples International Airport. Volotea, EasyJet, and Ryanair will all reportedly start adding routes to the airport when it opens in the Summer.

American Airlines will be offering direct flights from New York's JFK to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The daily nonstop flight will leave at 11:25 a.m. and arrive in just over 14 hours in Japan, just enough time for you to have dinner at Sushiryori Inose.

The Deals

• Apple TV+, free for 3 months

• This Samsung flash drive is great for travel. It’s waterproof, small, X-ray proof and fast for a thumb drive.

• Google Pixel 7 Pro, unlocked and 512GB!

• The Wall Street Journal, $1 per week for 1 year