The end of the year is coming, and we're wrapping things up. What were your favorite NYC moments of 2015?
It's time for reflection New York City, and no, that doesn't mean we're staring down towers of regret.
It's quite the contrary, actually. A ton of incredible stuff happened in the city this past year, and we thought we'd take this opportunity to remember it.
For us, some of our favorite things that happened in the city this year had to do with puppies, water slides, adult ball pits, and nap trucks.
Can we all agree that all that stuff was more phenomenal than we could take? Yeah, once again, we were reminded in 2015 why living in NYC means living in the best city in the world.
With all this great stuff that happened in the past year, we can't wait to see what 2016 will bring. We're getting ahead of ourselves, though. Read on to find out our favorite moments in NYC of 2015.
1. The Global Citizen Festival
terrishoe_pjfan As we all know the kick off to Pearl Jams Latin America Tour began in Santiago, Chile from what I'm hearing 62,000 people filled that sold out arena and boy doesn't it look beautiful? After experiencing Global and being one of 60,000 people standing not only for a great cause but for amazing music. I am completely blown away how people can put all their differences aside and be joined together through their one common passion... The love of music. When you look out into a crowd of this magnitude doesn't it just take your breath away? John Lennon was truly on to something... Ed reminds us... Imagine my friends... I don't know if I believe that music is what makes the world go round but I can tell you this... It certainly brings harmony!! Picture taken from @pearljam #10♣️ Happy Friday Jammers!! Go out into the world and make a difference today!! #eddievedder #stonegossard #jeffament #mikemccready #mattcameron #boomgaspar #pearljam #peace #santiago #chile #imagine #johnlennon #rip #globalcitizen #globalcitizenfestival #makelovenotwar 🉑✌️🉑✌️🌍🌎🌏
The Global Citizen Festival was miraculous. Michelle Obama launched her #62MillionGirls campaign, right there on the stage, to speak up for girls' right to education.
Also, Beyoncé and Michelle Obama shared an onstage embrace, and it was everything we could have ever wanted.
[anad]
What else? It's hard to pick moments amidst all the stunners. Pearl Jam sang John Lennon’s Imagine and it was one of the more magical things that’s happened in New York City in a very long time.
Ed Sheeran stacked his vocals during "Photograph" and brought the millions of people in the crowd to their knees. There really wasn't an event that happened this past year in NYC that gave us more hope than the Global Citizen Festival.
2. Saturday Night Live had its 40th Anniversary
charlesandbrooklyn Love this!! @jimmyfallon in Ermenegildo Zegna with @justintimberlake at the #SNL40thanniversary || #regram @zegnaofficial #SNL40 #style #bowties #tux #tuesdayinspo #lovethis #jimmyfallon #justintimberlake #ErmenegildoZegna #fashion #hissyyle #doubleact #comedy #SNL #popculture #redcarpet #Ermenegildo #Zegna #ootd
You know it's true. SNL is one of the most impactful, important shows for our city. Not just because it's funny-- because it definitely is-- but because of its power to use humor to affect social change.
Needless to say, it was a moment of glory for us when we watched the SNL 40th Anniversary Special.
It was a three-and-a-half hour episode that featured guest appearances from former cast members, past hosts, and tons of guest stars. Of course, the current cast members were also featured.
Sketches included a Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon's giddy cold open, a hysterical "Celebrity Jeopardy," a sketch from "The Californians" that was actually funny, a hilarious digital short, "That's When You Break," and, of course, Wayne's World.
Guest hosts included Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Rock, Peyton Manning, Miley Cyrus, Billy Crystal and Paul McCartney.
It was also the first time we saw Eddie Murphy return to the show since he left (thanks a lot, David Spade). It was pretty spectacular.
3. 270-foot waterslide on Park Avenue
tykidman Birdseye view of our last three weekends. #slidethecitynyc #summerstreetsnyc. Can't wait to do it again next year.
Did you make it out to Summer Streets in August?
If not, you should be bummed because it was transformative in the most impactful sense of that word. Don't be too bummed if you didn't make it out. We have a feeling it'll be back again next summer.
[anad2]
Here's what happened: A section of Park Avenue was closed to cars on August 1st, 8th, and 15th so the citizens of NYC could, you guessed it, slide down the street. We were six years-old again, and it was incredible.
Holla at NYC for letting us release our youthful side this past year! There was also a 165-foot zip line, and tons of people jogging, cycling, and ziplining. It was glorious.
4. Adult ball pits
Yup, it happened. For one glorious month in August, NYC's adults didn't have to pretend we hated fun. We didn't have to walk past McDonald's, see children frolicking in ball pits, and experience pangs of jealousy.
This is all because JumpIn! brought an adult ball pit to SoHo. The best part of all of this? The whole thing was completely free. Adults were able to make half-hour reservations for themselves and their friends in the ball pits without paying a single cent.
It was all brought to us by Pealfisher, tho wanted to help "raise awareness for the transformative power of play." Pearlfisher never had to tell us twice. We are so on board with that goal.
Not nearly as exclusive, but just as much fun, Turner Award-winning British artist, Martin Creed, also gave us a huge room filled with hundreds of red balloons to cheer us up. It's not a ball pit, but they're effing red ballons. It's amazing. Go check it out while you still can.
,5. The 7 Line opened farther west than ever before
Have you seen the new subway station at Hudson Yards? It's unbelievable, really. It's beautiful, state-of-the-art, replete with fountains, a domed ceiling mural, and a very pleasant, modern vibe.
Plus, it whisks us farther west than the subway has every whisked us before. Its innovation was definitely one of the best moments of our year when it opened on September 13th.
[anad]
We mean, now that we've seen what the MTA can, and did do with the 7 line extension, we're basically bursting with excitement about the future of the subway system, especially since it was the first new subway station built in NYC since 1989.
We're really hoping the 2nd Avenue subway line looks this good, but more than that, we're just hoping it opens on time.
6. Vintage subways ran for the holidays
danimiano3 there were cars with live music full of people dressed to the nines. bring me back please #vintagesubways
What screams holiday cheer louder than antique subways rumbling through our complicated system?We agree. Nothing screams holiday cheer louder.
Which is why we were absolutely beside ourselves with joy and nostalgia when, in November, the MTA announced they'd be running a "Shoppers Special," a train consisting of eight cars from the 1930s that ran along the lettered lines until the 1970s.
These cars have rattan seats, ceiling fans, incandescent light bulbs, and roll signs for passenger information. The past sure is peculiar, isn't it?
"For all intents and purposes, this was the first modern subway car, and today's subway fleets owe a lot to the design," said Joe Leader, Senior Vice President of Subways.
We're sure this is true, but we were mostly just excited that for four consecutive Sundays in December, we could essentially time travel. Yeah, that was definitely one of the best moments of the year.
7. The Pope's face was put on a pizza
gabiporter I am not generally known for restraint, so when I shot this picture of a portrait of Pope Francis done with pizza toppings on a pizza on Monday, I've never had a more difficult time not Instagramming anything ever. Go pick up the @nypost today if you want the full story. #popepizza
You remember the Pope's visit, don't you?
Yeah, we do too, mostly because a ton of streets were closed. Actually, we also remember there was a pizza made in the most ingenious way: with the Pope on it. His skin was face made out of ricotta cheese and raspberries, his hat with pineapples, and his robes made of ricotta.
[anad2]
The pizza place in question is Bleecker Street Pizza in Greenwich Village, and they definitely took away the crown for best pizza of 2015.
Vinnie's in Brooklyn definitely came in second with their pizza topped with mini slices of pizza, but somehow this pizza, with the Pope's face on it, was even more delightful to us than a pizza topped with pizza.
8. The world's first underground park
It's definitely like us to be the innovators of the world's first stuff (read: toilet paper and eggs Benedict were all invented in NYC).
So when we found out that the world's first ever underground park was being built in our city, we were absolutely delighted, yet hardly surprised.
It's called the Lowline, and it's exactly as magical as it sounds. It uses a complicated system of mirrors and lasers to reappropriate sunlight to shine underground, making way for the opportunity for us to chill out, catch some rays, and hang out with plants, even in the dead of winter.
When the garden is finished sometime in 2018, it'll be under Delancey Street on the Lower East Side in an abandoned, 107-year-old trolley station.
For now, you can visit the Lowline Lab, free and open to the public on weekends, at 140 Essex Street. It's our rockstar innovation at its finest, and the lab is a preview of how marvelous it'll be when the Lowline is finished.
Check out 9 NYC People, Places, and Things We Were Absolutely Heartbroken to Lose in 2015.
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]