Call An Ice Cream Truck On Demand Today With Uber

by Meg Nesterov on

Today is the hottest day yet in New York City’s latest heat wave, and the summer weather is no less forgiving in many other cities in the western hemisphere. To help beat the heat, car service app Uber is offering ice cream trucks on demand, today only from 11-5 p.m. in 33 cities worldwide. The stunt is to help promote the app’s expansion to new cities in the United States and in Australia, Europe and Singapore.

Demand is expected to be high and waits may be long, but if you want to try for a truck, download the Uber app and connect with your credit card info, request the ice cream app, and wait for one to show up in your area. Prices and ice cream treats vary, average is $25 for ice cream for five people. The full list of U.S. cities includes: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco Bay area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

New to Uber cities include Miami, Portland (OR), Houston, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Lyon, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and Singapore. Incidentally, those are all cities where you can get a car and driver on demand anytime with Uber.

See all the details and get your ice cream on Uber’s blog.

This Is What Manhattan Would Look Like Inside The Grand Canyon

by Libby Zay on

After visiting both the Grand Canyon and New York City, Swiss photographer Gus Petro was shocked by the contrasting landscapes “emptiness and density” of the United States. He decided to put his photography and photoshop skills to the test by combining the two landscapes into one in a project he calls “Merge.” Here’s how he describes the work that resulted:

In this project two opposite places are merged into one: New York City, where, it seems like, everyone wants to live there, and Grand Canyon / Death Valley, which are unlivable.

While few other landscapes contrast as much as the Grand Canyon and Manhattan, it might be cool to see the sandstone buttes of Monument Valley popping up amid Chicago’s skyline, or what suburbia would look like sprawled out over the Bonneville Salt Flats. Have any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.

[via Mashable]

Photo Of The Day: Manhattan Skyline

by Meg Nesterov on

Tomorrow evening in New York City, you can witness a twice-a-year phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge, when the sunset perfectly aligns with the city’s grid and makes the streets glow. Manhattan already has one of the most photogenic skylines in the world, as demonstrated by this postcard-perfect shot by Flickr user James Adamson. His shot of the Empire State Building (still lit in holiday colors) in early January, when the winter evening light shows a different kind of beauty than the summer sunset, a little colder but just as magical.

Share your city shots in the Gadling Flickr pool for a future Photo of the Day. If you’d like to check out this year’s Manhattanhenge, see here for tips.

And The Snobbiest City In America Is …

by Chris Owen on

According to the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine, San Francisco came out on top in their list of the Snobbiest Cities In America during a recent poll. Based on the magazine’s America’s Favorite City survey, readers ranked 35 major U.S. metropolitan areas on their snobbishness. Not without positive accolades, the results also highlighted good reasons to visit each of the cities ranked.

“Any snobbiness didn’t stop San Francisco from being acknowledged for its welcoming attitude: the city also ranked first in the survey for being gay-friendly,” says Travel + Leisure in the details of San Francisco’s allure for travelers.

In second place came New York City followed by Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul and tied for fifth place were Santa Fe and Seattle.Want to chime in on your personal favorite? The Travel + Leisure 2013 America’s Favorite Cities survey is underway right now.

A Toy Tree In Brooklyn

by Elizabeth Seward on


When I caught a glimpse of this toy tree in Brooklyn, what surprised me most was that it didn’t surprise me. When you spend nearly a decade living in a city like New York, you begin to expect the unexpected, or rather, expect nothing and simultaneously categorize every possible crazy thing that might happen as expected. Toys aren’t the only things you’ll find hanging in Brooklyn and other boroughs of New York – shoes strewn across telephone wires are seen frequently. But no matter how unsurprised I was, this tree filled with toys is an extraordinary (and somewhat creepy) sight. And out of respect for the people who live near this tree, I’m not going to tell you where it is. I’m sure you’ll find it yourself if you ask around.