Look, if you’re travelling light, you need to travel right.
Whether it’s a three-day city break or two weeks on the coast, what you pack is essential. The well-dressed man doesn’t need twenty shirts and a suitcase full of fresh trainers. Overpacking is just not the vibe.
So start here if you’re building a wardrobe that works from plane to rooftop bar to coastal drive.
Knowing Your Layers
Good travel style isn’t about reinventing the wheel of fashion. It’s about layering your choices with thought behind them, planning for changing weather and settings, while anticipating the inevitable detour.
A versatile overshirt can take you from beach day to dinner reservation. A loose, long-sleeve linen shirt handles heat without looking overly casual. And if you’re somewhere with altitude, a quality lightweight jacket will carry you through more than just the cold.
Footwear With Sole
You only need two pairs — three if you’re pushing it. I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out.
Shoes take up space, so choose the ones that fit your destination. A clean white trainer works for walking cities and slipping into beach clubs. Slides or sandals? Only if you’re beach-bound and have thought about the rest of the look.
Neutrals Never Die
It’s tempting to throw in colour when you’re off the clock. But loud doesn’t always land.
The well-travelled man knows his neutrals: charcoal, off-white, olive, sand, camel — the list goes on. These are the shades that layer, match, and rewear without looking like repeats. One pair of black or tan trousers will do more for you than four patterned ones ever will.
The Non-Negotiables
Everyone’s got their rituals. But things unravel fast if you’re flying out with no plan. A few constants go a long way, like a classic men’s gold bracelet and some sunglasses that fit your face shape. A refined pair of men’s sunglasses can elevate every look on the go – whether you’re transitioning from sunlit city streets to a sunset terrace, or stepping off a flight into bright afternoon light. A bag that doesn’t sag. A tasteful watch that elevates for the evening. Or even that one thing you can throw on when everything else feels off-ish.
These are the things that don’t take up room in your suitcase but shape how you appears you travel through the world.
Jet Lag? But Never Lagging
Long-haul flights, layovers, red-eyes? Sorry, but time zones are out of your control. However, how you arrive isn’t. Keep one outfit ready for arrival. Nothing fancy or OTT, just enough to go straight from passport control to dinner if necessary.
Texture Over Trend
The well-dressed man doesn’t need logos to tell his story.
A linen shirt that drapes instead of clings, a knitted polo instead of a plain one, and a woven belt with enough wear to feel like a vintage piece. True style lives in the fabric, not the gourdiness, especially when living out of a carry-on.
Your Fit Is Your Passport
Every city has its rhythm. What works in Paris might look ridiculous in Crete. You don’t need to copy the locals, but you should know how to tune in. In Europe, tailoring still matters. Even your casual pieces should show some shape. In coastal spots, you’ll need flow and breathability. Wear looser silhouettes, open buttons, and natural fibres. Don’t fight the climate. Adapt to it.
Own Your Routine, Wherever You Land
Style doesn’t stop at clothing. The way you carry yourself, the way you prep, even the way you unpack — it all adds up.
Bring your rituals with you: a skincare routine that isn’t three stolen hotel bottles, a fragrance that fits the mood, and a grooming kit that keeps you on point.
Final Word? Move With Purpose
The well-dressed and well-travelled man isn’t trying to impress anyone. There’s no time for shenanigans. He’s tuned in to his surroundings, selective with his time, precise with what he carries and confident no matter where he is. It’s not about having the best or most expensive wardrobe. It’s about knowing which parts matter and letting go of everything that doesn’t.
Wherever you’re headed, your style should travel with you and take the shape of your destination. And it doesn’t need to be overtly bold or unnecessarily masculine, just as long as it knows precisely what it’s doing.
There are several streaming platforms available today — both free and subscription-based. But let’s face it. Not every place has Wi-Fi, an internet connection, or even a decent signal. Sometimes, even 5G ghosts you. In short, streaming is convenient but not always practical. That’s where offline viewing or downloading becomes your best friend. And while most streaming platforms have default options for that, HBO Max users on Macs and Windows don’t have it so easy.
The good news? Some ways and tools make this entirely possible — and we’ll guide you!
Watch Offline Through the HBO Max Mobile App
According to the Max Help Center, users can download shows and movies on the platform’s official mobile app. Similarly, the app supports offline viewing for devices such as Android phones, Android tablets, Apple iPhones, Apple iPod Touch, Apple iPad, and Amazon Fire tablets. Likewise, it’s the simplest and safest way to download content for later watching.
Also, each type of subscription plan determines the number of downloads a user can have across all mobile devices. Specifically, standard accounts can have 30 downloads, and premium plans can have up to 100.
Here’s how to download movies and shows on the HBO Max mobile app:
Grab your device and sign in to the app.
Search for the title you want to download and see if it’s available for downloading.
Choose your preferred audio and subtitle language.
Click the download icon beside the description.
Look for your saved media in the downloads section.
Watch Offline Using Third-Party Downloader Options for HBO Max
StreamFab Max Downloader
StreamFab is a tool that offers a powerful solution for Mac and Windows. Likewise, it supports full HD downloads with multiple audio tracks for offline viewing.
Kigo Max Video Downloader
Kigo helps users download various HBO Max movies and TV series in MP4 and MKV formats. Also, it’s a quick and easy alternative.
PlayOn Cloud
PlayOn Cloud enables the recording of HBO Max streams. Similarly, it converts them into MP4 files for better convenience.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Always remember that downloading content through unofficial tools may violate the terms and conditions of HBO Max. Even if you’re a paid subscriber, ripping their content can lead to penalties and account suspension. For your peace of mind, stick to the official offline viewing feature of the platform.
Final Thoughts
With modern tools and advanced features, watching HBO Max offline is totally doable. At the same time, Mac and Windows users can enjoy their favorite shows anytime and anywhere. Choose wisely and download responsibly.
If you are fond of brain exercises, then you are probably a fan of puzzle games. These types of games really have a special charm. They don’t simply challenge the mind. They also offer creative storytelling and mind-blowing visuals. Most of these games are available on PC, mobile, and even Mac devices. For Mac users, the options might seem limited at first. But dig a little deeper, and there’s a goldmine of puzzle games for Mac.
This article shows a list of the best puzzle titles for players to try.
Five Best Puzzle Games for Mac
Lumino City
Lumino City is not only a great puzzle game. It’s a BAFTA award-winning handmade puzzle adventure game. In short, this one is not your ordinary puzzle title. Specifically, players get to explore a city as Lumi. In trying to find the grandfather, users will explore whimsical contraptions and solve mechanical puzzles.
The Witness
The Witness features first-person puzzle gameplay. Additionally, the game is set on a mysterious island. The premise of the game is that players will take on the role of a person who wakes up alone on the island. However, the person has no idea left about anything. Now, the goal is to explore the place and solve puzzles to try to recover memories.
OneShot
OneShot isn’t your typical puzzle game. The game boasts a narrative-driven experience. Particularly, gamers will have to guide a child named Niko. Likewise, they have a goal of restoring the mysterious world’s long-dead sun. The game has an emotional story. It’s ideal for those who enjoy puzzles with heart.
Homescapes
Homescapes follows the adventure of Austin, the butler. Similarly, players need to help Austin restore his childhood mansion. Specifically, users will solve match-3 puzzles. Each puzzle that’s completed will result in additional resources needed to fix parts of the house. Also, Homescapes has a more relaxed and casual gameplay compared to other titles on this list of puzzle games for Mac.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Return of the Obra Dinn is a puzzle game that is based on exploration and logical deduction. Users will control the character of an insurance investigator. After the Obra Dinn merchant ship gets lost at sea, gamers will need to dispatch and board the ship immediately.
The Wrap-Up
With this list of the best puzzle games for Mac, Apple users don’t have to look elsewhere to experience excellent gaming. So, waste no time and pick your game already. Follow the clues and enjoy the brain workout.
Oasis managed to get through their first show in 16 years on Friday at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, the first date of their highly anticipated reunion tour. Kicking off with (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’s ‘Hello’, Liam and Noel Gallagher ran through a string of hits and deep cuts from across their discography before closing their four-song encore with ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’. Check out the full setlist and clips from the show below.
Joining the brothers onstage were Andy Bell on bass, Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitar, and Joey Waronker on drums, plus Joe Auckland on trumpet, Steve Hamilton on saxophone, Christian Madden on keyboards, and Alastair White on trombone. Opening the show were Cast and Richard Ashcroft, who dedicated ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ to Liam and Noel.
After playing the Principality Stadium again on Saturday, Oasis are scheduled to play shows in Manchester, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin before heading out to North America, Asia, Australia, and South America.
Setlist:
Hello
Acquiesce
Morning Glory
Some Might Say
Bring It on Down
Cigarettes & Alcohol
Fade Away
Supersonic
Roll With It
Talk Tonight
Half the World Away
Little by Little
D’You Know What I Mean?
Stand by Me
Cast No Shadow
Slide Away
Whatever
Live Forever
Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
The Masterplan
Don’t Look Back in Anger
Wonderwall
Champagne Supernova
A$AP Rocky is back with a new single, ‘pray4dagang’, which features Kenyan-American rapper KayCyy. Premiered at his brand AWGE’s Paris Fashion Week show last week, the cinematic, downcast track is available exclusively on Apple Music for 24 hours beginning July 4 before going up on all streaming services.
A$AP Rocky is starring in Spike Lee’s upcoming movie Highest 2 Lowest, which arrives in theaters August 22 and on Apple TV+ September 5. Earlier this year, the rapper was found not guilty of felony assault charges.
If you have to guess what Greet Death‘s songs are about, their name is not exactly a misnomer. But the saying goes “greet death as an old friend,” and that kind of friendship has always been as foundational to the band as any looming sense of darkness or finality. Co-vocalists Logan Gaval and Harper Boyhtari have been friends since elementary school, spending much of their preteen and adolescent years in the same basement in Davisburg, Michigan where they recorded their first album in six years, Die in Love. But while the record was written during a period of profound change and loss, and starts riotously with the title track, much of it sounds relaxed in its melancholy, not quite resigned but strangely comforted by the inevitable embrace – the idea that, “At the end of the day, we’re lucky to lose people we care about,” as Boyhtari said in press materials, a sentiment echoed in Boyhtari’s chorus of, “Emptiness is everywhere, so hold each other close.” Death is everywhere, too, Die in Love suggests – in VHS tapes and small-town cemeteries, silent screams and bullshit Eagles songs, mind-numbing shoegaze and soaring indie rock. It’s not absent even from the record’s most strikingly uplifting moments, which feel, more than anything Greet Death have made in the past, pretty beyond despair.
We caught up with Greet Death’s Harper Boyhtari to talk about cult horror movies, adolescent friendship, the Sundays, and other inspirations behind Die in Love.
Cult horror movies
You list off several of them on ‘Country Girl’. Where did that stream-of-consciousness flow come from?
That verse is about going to a theater in Chicago called the Logan Theater. I was watching a screening of The Thing. It was the first time I saw The Thing, so it’s one of those iconic memories from that point on. I was on a weird one-off date kind of thing, and it just stood out to me. I’m a big horror person, and so is Logan. There are other songs like ‘Red Rocket’, tying romance into this demonic possession type thing, and then ‘August Underground’ itself is a reference to a found footage horror movie. We did a couple music videos on the last album cycle that were horror movies. I just always think it’s fun to take subjects, like a love song or something romantic that you might consider cute or nice and pair it with something disturbing. I thought it was fun to bring all these characters and people in this fever dream.
There are a couple of albums brought up there, Crooked Rain and Push the Sky Away.
I thought it was fun that those phrases, while they are albums, can stand on their own as just ambiguous phrases that sound nice in the song.
Part of what that song reminded me of was the feeling of getting lost in something like old horror movies in a way that speaks to a sense of despondency, of removing yourself or struggling to connect with the world. I was wondering if that’s something you were conscious of as you were writing it.
I’ve definitely gone through periods where I’ve done the same thing, especially around the time I was writing that song. I probably hadn’t put that together, to be honest with you, but there was a solid year where the person I was dating would go to bed, and I would stay up and I would watch two horror movies back to back. I would literally just sit at my computer and watch like a crazy person and just stare at my screen – I would always try to find weird ones that I’d never heard of that could have been terrible, but they could have been sick, right? There was even a time where I would go to bed, and I would lay in bed,put a horror movie on the TV, and listen to music in headphones and have this dual stimuli thing going. So it’s really no surprise that that manifested in the music.
The Sundays
I wondered if they were an inspiration for ‘Emptiness Everywhere’ specifically.
That’s exactly why I included that. The Sundays came up because we were listening to one of their records a lot on a tour several years ago. Specifically ‘Here’s Where the Story Ends’, the melodies in that, we kept listening to that song. That was our tour song. We listened to it a lot because it soars – it’s very sunny, it’s very melancholy. It’s a romantic song. It’s a sad song. I think both Logan and I drew from that, especially me, though. It’s not by any sense of the word a shoegaze song, but it has those dripping, gooey melodies, it’s got a fuzz to it. When I was writing ‘Emptiness Is Everywhere’, I really wanted to do a chorus that soars like that, and to try to do something with my voice that jumps up like that and gets really anthemic and dreamy. I like that song as a reference point for the whole record because it encompasses a lot of what we wanted to do with the record, which was to make it soar a little more and have a little bit more brightness, whether it’s tonally or literal sonics. But to still be very melancholy and bogged down with anxieties.
In the bio, Logan mentioned he’d been listening to Paul McCartney and Beatles in an effort to try and write from a more optimistic place. I was curious if there are other artists that inspired you to write more in the direction of hope.
That’s a good question. I like that Logan mentioned Paul McCartney because specifically, I think of a song like ‘Silly Love Songs’ – I mean, Paul just loved to do the goofy, big band, kitschy, hokey sound. And I think it’s funny to think about that having an influence on what we’re doing, but when you think of an album like Ram, there’s a lot of melancholy on that Paul McCartney record. ‘Backseat of My Car’, the closer on that record, that I listen to that song a lot. Specifically with trying to write more optimistically, I don’t think so, but I know that when we recorded ‘Love Me When You Leave’, we were kind of thinking about it in a Big Thief-y way, where we wanted it to sound really live. I’m not going to say I was thinking about that band when I wrote it, but the performance, I think we were trying to channel some Big Thief energy, some Adrianne Lenker energy. Other musical influences were more about sonics for me.
Family
Part of ‘Emptiness Is Everywhere’ is about my dad losing his best friend, and that struck me. Logan lost his grandma. The loss that Logan endured was very foundational for this record and for him as a person. It maybe framed some of the writing about being with someone until death; what’s gonna happen when the one you love dies? The last song is kind of hoping they will haunt you after, and asking, “If you’re the one that goes before me, will you try to leave me a sign that you’re still around, or you’re okay – just give me something so I’m okay.” ‘Small Town Cemetery’, similar vibe.
Do you find that you and Logan have different perspectives when it comes to dealing with heavier themes?
We’ve talked about it in interviews recently, but Logan was talking about some of the songs from the New Hell era feeling emotionally heavy to sing. I don’t really feel like that because when I get a feeling out and it’s in a song, for me, it’s like, I have a place for this feeling now. It lives there forever, and so singing it for me is almost like a relief. Logan’s got some pretty heavy stuff that he sings about, so I think that can wear on him sometimes, just getting back into that headspace. I think I’m a little better at compartmentalizing it and removing myself.
Kingdom Hearts
Video games are a very foundational part of our friendship, and that game is one that Logan got when it came out. I went over there, and I watched him play that whole game, because that’s what would happen: I would go over to his house when we were kids, and I would watch him play games. I still play that game every other year. It’s a foundational game for a lot of people because that game is such a warm, fuzzy place to spend time, and it’s so wacky with the Disney and Final Fantasy characters. It’s crazy that that game was ever made. But it’s a game about friendship, and it’s the foundation of Logan and my friendship. Die in Love, while it’s a record of love songs, some of those songs are about friendship. ‘Same But Different Now’ talks about falling out with a friend. On ‘Country Girl’, there’s some lines about some childhood friends of mine and Logan’s toward the end. There’s moments where Logan and I are on tour and we’ll joke that we’re in the gummi ship, you know, we’re just flying to the next show. There was a while where we had that Goofy and Donald and Sora as our profile picture on Instagram, which was funny. We are very much a band of friends, and it feels like the record is more about that than ever before.
Adolescent friendship
Logan and I have been friends for a while and we’ve had other friends in our lives that maybe we’re not so close to now, that we’ve had specific fallings out with. And Same But Different Now’ was written six years ago at this point, so things are also different now with some of the people that these songs are about – that wasn’t supposed to be a pun, that was stupid. [laughs] In that song, it’s mourning a loss and expressing some anger and resentment about a changing friendship, a changing situation. Having longtime friends is a weird thing because people change and grow in their own ways. There’s also that line in the last song, “Friends change, problems stay the same” – just still struggling with the same concepts, maybe having trouble growing as a person, or struggling to explain why things change.
There’s actually a song we didn’t use that I don’t think is ever gonna come out, but it was called ‘I Hate My Friends, I Hate Myself’. I’s about early memories of Logan and I’s first show, and another instance of growing apart from a friend, questioning whether or not it’s worth it to have resentment towards people, but also not being able to help it. That’s the ‘Same But Different Now’ vibe. But ‘Country Girl’ has more vignette moments of actually positive memories, with the end of the song being about going to Commerce, Michigan with my sister and hanging out on the lake. We had a couple friends out there we used to spend some time with in high school, and that’s more of a nice memory contrasted with the weirdness and self-loathing of the rest of that song.
Was there a sense of nostalgia or any other way that recording the album in your parents’ basement affected you?
I think we were very comfortable when we recorded because it was in the most familiar place to Logan and I, a place where we had hung out our entire lives. I don’t think we thought about it like that. For us, it was just like, “This will work, and we won’t have to pay money for a studio. And it has a good room where drums are gonna sound okay.” I mean, I think it is fitting. I don’t think we did it because of that, but it was very cozy. And I think in a lot of ways, it is a very cozy record, a cozy-sounding record. When you’re in a new place, especially like a studio – sometimes a studio feels like a doctor’s office. It feels sterile and scary. I just think we were totally relaxed and just gathered in a circle playing songs, and I think that does show.
Given that music very quickly became a thing that your friendship revolved around, I’m curious if there are ways in which to try to prize or focus on your friendship in ways that have little to do with Greet Death.
I think I would like to find more time to do that. It’s hard because Logan and I live in different states now, and we’re very much engrossed in our own things. So a lot of the time, the only time we do come together is to do music. It’s been a weird time the past six years because there was COVID, just a lot of touring and a lot of isolation. I think hopefully, with the writing of the next record – Logan and I have talked about taking writing trips and doing stuff like that. But there has been a lot of living our own separate lives recently. I think maybe one day we’ll find more time to just hang out and go on a trip or something.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
I’ve come back to that book a few times in my life. It’s one of the earlier ghost stories, but it’s really confusing and hard to parse through. It’s also one of those stories that may be about ghosts, but also the ghosts might not actually exist in that story, because there are themes of neglect and abandonment. The discourse around that book that I understand is it is about a haunting, but it’s unclear whether or not there are any ghosts. And I like the ambiguity of that. I like how confusing that is. Especially in a song like ‘Country Girl’, where I’m just trying to make sense of what is going on and looking for reasons as to why I feel so alienated. For some reason, the second verse, about “the shadow of the boy with wings,” that was a line I just wrote, and then the line “turning the screw, I waited on the stairs” – obviously, that’s the reference. And then I riffed on that story a little bit and the idea of seeing something that may or may not be there. That verse also means more to me now than it did at the time because retroactively, I know that there are reasons why I may or may not have been feeling so alienated related to my gender and my identity. But I just thought that was a fun idea to play on, just wandering around this gothic mansion and looking for answers and seeing weird shit, like flora and blood on the walls. It gets a little out there, but at the end of the day, it’s a pretty direct metaphor.
I think it also reframes that final acoustic song, because in a lot of horror movies, that plea – “Give me something to hold onto” – manifests as a kind of haunting. It’s a very common way to explore grief.
I guess in that last song, the spooky, haunting theme actually becomes this very romantic peaceful send-off. That was not intentional, but it is nice that it worked out that way because what I did want that last song to convey was peace, this idea that grief is terrible and it’s awful and there’s so much dread about the end coming – but if the message of the record is something that we’re sticking to, which is the idea that dying in love with someone is the ultimate goal, if that is something to aspire to, then this moment where you have to accept that one of you is going to die: try to find some peace in it and reckon with it.
Was that the last song you wrote for the album?
No. I do this thing where I write closers pretty early on. I feel like I do it really well. I could listen to a record and feel meh about itt, but if the closer is good, I’m going to completely reinterpret the record and be like, “Wait a second.” So, I think I wrote that somewhere in the middle because I couldn’t see the picture of the record yet. And then once I wrote the closer, I was like, “I get it now.”
In the context of what you talked about before, do you believe there’s a peaceful kind of haunting?
I think it’s something to aspire to, and I think, ideally, that’s what we turn our grief into. Ideally, that’s how you come to settle on something. But that’s if you’re fortunate to have closure on things, especially if it’s a faded friendship, maybe things are not resolved. So maybe the last song is also too idyllic. Maybe it’s like, “We strive for this, but is this attainable?” I don’t know. I think it’s a question for different people to consider.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Independence Day is a big deal in New York City — but sometimes, escaping the crowds is the ultimate celebration. Whether you’re landing at JFK or already living in the city, renting an SUV and hitting the road is one of the best ways to enjoy a festive, fun-filled weekend.
From charming small towns to scenic beaches and mountain hideaways, we’ve mapped out the top 4th of July getaways from NYC by car that bring the fireworks and the good vibes.
Why leave NYC for the 4th of July?
There’s no doubt NYC knows how to throw a party. But on the 4th, the city gets busy. Think packed parks, long lines, and shoulder-to-shoulder fireworks viewing.
Hopping in a rental SUV and heading out of town gives you the best of both worlds:
Less crowded celebrations in scenic, laid-back settings
Flexibility to stop where you want, when you want
More space for picnic gear, camping chairs, and coolers
A chance to explore small-town Americana at its finest
Whether you’re looking for family-friendly fun, a romantic retreat, or just fresh air and open roads — there’s a perfect destination waiting just a few hours from JFK.
Prepping for the perfect road trip
Before we hit the road, here are a few quick tips to make your July 4th road trip from NYC smooth and stress-free:
Plan your route (and leave early)
Traffic can be brutal on holiday weekends, especially if you’re leaving Friday afternoon. Head out early or late — or better yet, start your trip Thursday night.
Rent a Reliable SUV
Look for an SUV with:
Plenty of trunk space for all your gear
All-wheel drive for mountain destinations
Comfortable seating for road trip naps
Check out Drivo.com for SUV rentals from JFK Airport or other NYC locations. Pro tip: look for unlimited mileage options to avoid extra fees on longer trips.
Don’t Forget to Pack
Lawn chairs or picnic blankets
Sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses
Snacks and water
A cooler with drinks & BBQ essentials
Fireworks-safe gear (if permitted)
Light layers (yes, even in July — mountain nights can be chilly!)
Book Your Stay Ahead
Hotels, motels, and even campgrounds book up fast around July 4th — especially in smaller towns. Reserve early to lock in a spot.
Best places to celebrate 4th of July near NYC
Here’s your go-to list of the best weekend trips from NYC for the 4th of July, broken down by vibe: beaches, mountains, and Americana towns.
Beach Getaways with Fireworks
Long Island (Jones Beach)
Distance: ~1 hour from JFK
A classic New York favorite. Jones Beach puts on one of the biggest 4th of July fireworks shows near NYC, and you’ll find family-friendly boardwalks, sand, and surf. What to Do: Hit the beach early, walk the boardwalk, and stick around for the fireworks over the Atlantic.
Asbury Park, NJ
Distance: ~1.5 hours from JFK
This artsy beach town is perfect for a laid-back escape. Live music, craft beer, beach bonfires — and a colorful crowd. Fireworks: Look out over the ocean from the boardwalk as the sky lights up. Bonus: Don’t miss the vintage pinball arcade!
Cape Cod, MA
Distance: ~4.5 hours from JFK
Yes, it’s a longer drive, but Cape Cod is the definition of charming. Think lighthouses, lobster rolls, and old-fashioned parades. Fireworks: Multiple towns along the Cape host shows. Best Spots: Provincetown, Chatham, and Falmouth.
Mountain Getaways and Nature Retreats
The Catskills, NY
Distance: ~2.5 hours from JFK
Looking for a peaceful mountain getaway for 4th of July near NYC? The Catskills are ideal. Expect waterfalls, hiking trails, and cozy cabins. Fireworks: Check towns like Windham and Hunter for small-town shows. Activities: Tubing, kayaking, and stargazing.
The Poconos, PA
Distance: ~2 hours from JFK
Great for couples or families. Lake life, zip-lining, and water parks — plus small-town fireworks that feel straight out of a movie. Don’t Miss: Fireworks over Lake Wallenpaupack.
Lake Placid, NY
Distance: ~5 hours from JFK
Yes, it’s a trek, but this Olympic town is worth the drive. Surrounded by the Adirondacks, it offers cool mountain air and lakeside picnics. Fireworks: Set off over Mirror Lake — magical! Things to Do: Visit the Olympic ski jump, hike High Falls Gorge, or rent a kayak.
Historic Cities & Small-Town Celebrations
Philadelphia, PA
Distance: ~2 hours from JFK
There’s no better place to celebrate American independence than the city where it started. Events: Parades, concerts, and one of the best fireworks shows near NYC at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Top Spots: Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Old City.
Boston, MA
Distance: ~4 hours from JFK
Boston throws a major 4th of July bash with the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular along the Charles River. History + Fireworks = Perfect Combo Other Highlights: Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, and seafood feasts.
New Haven, CT
Distance: ~2.5 hours from JFK
Yale’s hometown offers small-town charm, green spaces, and a fantastic fireworks show over Long Wharf. Also Great For: Foodies (don’t skip the famous apizza) and casual walks through the historic campus.
Beacon, NY
Distance: ~1.5 hours from JFK
This small Hudson Valley town is trendy without being too busy. Art galleries, local breweries, river views — and a quiet but charming 4th of July celebration. Don’t Miss: Dia:Beacon art museum and Mount Beacon hike.
Bonus tips for the ultimate Independence Day adventure
Check local listings for parades, concerts, and town fairs — many towns go all out.
Parking: Arrive early or park just outside town and walk in. Bring cash for local lots.
Where to Watch Fireworks: Ask locals for their favorite viewing spots (often better than the crowded main areas).
Stay Safe: Keep fireworks legal, don’t drink and drive, and stay hydrated.
Your independence day, your way
With so many 4th of July celebrations near NYC, your weekend can be as chill or as festive as you want. Whether you’re watching fireworks from a mountain lake or dancing on a boardwalk, it all starts with one thing: the freedom of the open road.
So what are you waiting for? Rent an SUV from Drivo.com, throw your favorite playlist on, and make this 4th of July your most memorable one yet.
In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on July 4, 2025:
Kesha, . (PERIOD)
Kesha has released a new album, . (PERIOD), via her own independent label, Kesha Records. Bombastic and frequently funny, the Gag Order follow-up features the promotional singles ‘THE ONE’, ATTENTION!’, ‘BOY CRAZY.’, ‘YIPPEE-KI-YAY.’, ‘JOYRIDE’, and ‘DELUSIONAL’. “The muse for my other albums has been a lot of external factors or things I’ve been going through, things that were unavoidable to create art about,” Kesha told Paper. “And to be honest with you, this is my first album where I’m truly free in every way. And not only in all the legal ways, but also I’m really working on healing and feeling free from any residual emotional turmoil that’s left in my body.”
Kae Tempest’s Self Titled has arrived via Island Records. The musician and poet co-produced the record with Fraser T Smith, who encouraged him to write in the first person, resulting in some of Tempest’s most intimate and illuminating work to date. Neil Tennant, Young Fathers, Connie Constance, and Tawiah guest on the LP. “I was trying to make this other album and I played a couple of demos to Fraser and he said, ‘I don’t think this is what’s meant to be coming out of you right now,” Tempest told NME. “Let’s start again and see what happens’. So we got together and it felt like being caught in a strong current. It’s like something wanted to happen, this album wanted us to make it. That’s the only way I can put it.”
Dropkick Murphys, For the People
Celtic punk legends Dropkick Murphys have dropped a new album, their 13th, called For the People. Billy Bragg, the Scratch, the Mary Wallopers, and original Murphys singer Al Barr appear on the fiery LP, which ends with a tribute to Shane MacGowan who died in 2023. “We’ve always had the same message and haven’t been afraid to speak out about what’s important to us,” singer Ken Casey reflected in press materials. “But for me now, I think about my kids’ future, and the next generation. That could be anything from speaking out against injustices, or just simply making sure you take the time to tell the people close to you how important they are to you.”
Motherfuckers JMB & Co, Music Excitement Action Beauty
Brian Weitz, the Animal Collective member also known as Geologist, plays hurdy gurdy in Motherfuckers JMB & Co. Accompanying him are Jim Thomson, who helped found the cartoonish art-metal band GWAR, on drums, and Marc Minsker on bass, guitar, harmonium. Connecting via the DC/Maryland/Virginia experimental scenes, they named themselves after the German psych band Xhol Caravan’s 1972 album Motherfuckers GmbH & Co, and their new album, Music Excitement Action Beauty, rides out on textured, vibey, exploratory grooves. “Every group I’ve played with was usually organically formed and informed by the community and friendships in some ways,” Thomson remarked. “I was very attracted to playing with Marc and Brian because of the promise of repetition, drone, and psychedelia, and it delivered in spades.”
Rival Consoles, the moniker of UK producer Ryan Lee West, has released his ninth album, Landscape From Memory. “There is a kind of strange beauty to it because it involves the past, present and future in a very strong way,” West said of the record, which follows 2023’s Now Is. It’s warm and diaristic, like the lead single lead single ‘Catherine’, which is dedicated to his partner. “It’s extremely open, just a naked melody on drums, so exposed as an idea…” West commented. “I think because she was so excited by it, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m excited too, actually, I just didn’t realise.”
Merpire, Milk Pool; The Brains, Crazy Monster; The Brains, Crazy Monster; Dmitry Evgrafov, Research Center; Marc Neys, Sanctuary; Xu, Murmurs of the Machine.
For many e-learning entrepreneurs, selecting the best platform for designing and selling courses online is a momentous decision. Comparing Thinkific vs Kajabi is something many entrepreneurs and educators find themselves doing, due to their popularity in this space.
Users should understand where these platforms differ and where they are similar. With that said, here is a detailed breakdown of Thinkific vs Kajabi features to help potential users decide which platform is right for them.
Course Creation And Customization
Both Thinkific and Kajabi provide comprehensive tools to create courses and develop content through engaging lessons for learners. Thinkific features a super user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that makes course creation a breeze, with no technical knowledge necessary. It also provides several templates to customize and enrich the learning process.
By contrast, Kajabi encompasses a myriad of tools, from custom themes to advanced course-building options. Thanks to its ability to create multi-layered courses with assessments, quizzes, and feedback forms, users ensure that every student experiences complete learning. The response for both is yes, but Kajabi is more inclined to showcase more exceptional customization to its users.
Marketing And Sales Tools
Effective marketing tools for attracting and retaining students are necessary for any LMS platform. Thinkific has key marketing tools for your online courses, including email marketing, affiliate programs, and building landing pages. The tools allow course creators to reach a larger market and increase sales.
Kajabi does more than just marketing; it has highly complementary tools for digital marketing in general. For automation, it lets users build in-depth marketing campaigns. Plus, Kajabi also has some built-in analytics that can make tracking user behavior a lot easier, and it can inform your marketing decisions better as well. Although Thinkific is sufficient with the mere essentials, Kajabi steps it up a notch with an all-in-one marketing solution.
Pricing And Affordability
For many, cost plays an important role in choosing a platform. This includes a free version with limited features and several pricing plans. It makes this option perfect for beginners who want to give the platform a shot without spending a dime. More features are available on paid plans, including plans and budgets for everyone.
Kajabi is not priced the same way as Thinkific—It is premium all the way, so you can expect premium prices. There is no free plan, but the business does offer a trial period for customers to try out what it has to offer. For many people, the Kajabi price may appear to be on the high side, but due to having so many integrated features, it might be a worthwhile purchase if you want an all-in-one platform.
Community And Support
Considerations include community building, with features like discussion forums and integration with third-party community platforms offered by Thinkific. The service also has great customer support, complete with tutorials and a help center available.
Kajabi stands a step higher when it comes to great community support. The platform includes discussion functionality, where users can host discussions. Regarding support, Kajabi has comprehensive tutorials, live chat, and a customer success team. While both platforms provide great options for support and community-building, Kajabi has a more streamlined approach that incorporates integrated platform capabilities.
Ability To Integrate And Scale
As your business scales, a platform that integrates with other tools is a must. There are many Thinkific integrations available with many of the most popular tools, including email marketing services and learning management systems. So, your scalability also gets more horsepower through its API, which enables developers to build custom integrations.
Kajabi supports many integrations, payment processors, email marketing apps, and even CRMs. Its integration with various tools means that businesses can grow without having to change the platform. Although both platforms provide integration functionalities, Kajabi’s wide array of integration options makes it a more scalable choice.
Conclusion
Ultimately, comparing Thinkific and Kajabi comes down to understanding what is best for the user and their needs for the business. Thinkific stands out for its low-cost, beginner-friendly platform that caters well to those just starting or those with simple requirements. Kajabi, on the other hand, is a great choice for those looking for a robust, all-in-one solution with powerful marketing and community features. Every platform has its merit, and the right one is what the business needs at the right budget. From a cost standpoint, Kajabi vs. Thinkific offers affordable solutions for developing and marketing online courses.
At a time when blockbusters and other types of films instantly become available on streaming platforms, a completely different deep cultural trend is developing in parallel. Namely, the world of rare film collectors. These passionate connoisseurs are not looking for the next mainstream release, but for genuine cultural artifacts. Cult films and limited edition Blu-rays. Vintage films and unique releases that are not available in digital format. They are the ones who stimulate global demand for rare and classic films. It is therefore not surprising that they require smart logistics solutions to ensure that this valuable heritage can safely cross continents.
The World of Cinema Beyond Streaming
Despite the scale of the film industry market size, which is only growing in the age of digitalization, not everything revolves around digital film distribution. More and more enthusiasts are turning to physical media of:
Carefully restored films,
Limited edition Blu-rays,
Box sets complete with books, postcards, and director’s commentary.
For these enthusiasts, cinema is not just content, but a true cultural treasure. A treasure that has a physical form and demands respectful treatment.
Independent publishers and niche platforms such as Our Culture Mag play a significant role in this movement. Together, they support a global community of film lovers. They help to find lost gems of world cinema and collect archives of films that did not reach the mainstream. They create an alternative map of the global film industry. Thus, in addition to film and TV production, a whole new direction is emerging. Namely, the development of the collectible film market, or development in film in its material, almost museum-like sense.
Сultural treasuresanddelivery
Film reels are fragile and can be damaged in transit. At the same time, collector’s editions have aesthetic and financial value. This is where new logistics solutions that can combine culture and technology come to the fore.
An important role in this segment plays aPacky service. This innovative platform helps optimize and improve control over the delivery of valuable and fragile goods. Using https://packyapp.com/, users can easily manage shipments, namely, track the movement of parcels. Thanks to PackyApp, collectors of rare films, vintage publications, and other unique materials get a transparent and convenient service for tracking international deliveries. All this greatly facilitates the exchange of cultural values between different countries. Thus, Packy not only helps monitor the path of a parcel and clearly understand where it is at a given moment, but also becomes an important technological partner for communities seeking to preserve and disseminate film heritage around the world.
Film Culture. Its Impact on Rethinking Logistics
Traditional logistics is mostly focused on serial deliveries of mass-produced goods. But film is not just a commodity. It is an artifact that requires an individual approach. Film reels require:
Climate control,
Anti-vibration packaging,
Sometimes — Legal support due to copyright or museum status.
This is where innovative services such as SpeedX tracking or SpeedX shipping come into play. They:
Offer detailed tracking of each stage of delivery,
Guarantee the safety of the cargo.
They can be integrated with apps such as parcels app, allowing the recipient to know the following in real time:
See where their package is,
Understand its condition,
Know when to expect arrival.
This is critically important for exhibits that can cost tens of thousands of dollars and are irreplaceable.
Cultural globalism and niche distribution
In the past, rare films often remained within national borders. But today, thanks to platforms such as eBay, Discogs, and private exchange communities, films are migrating around the world. An American can buy a Japanese arthouse film from the 1970s. A French person can get a Bollywood film from the 1950s in its original edition.
All of this contributes to:
The spread of film literacy,
Breaking out of the Hollywood narrative,
Ultimately, the globalization of taste.
The rise of niche distribution is not based on large corporations, but on micro-communities. People who participate in this movement often shoot, restore, and translate subtitles themselves. They can also create their own covers for publications. It is a culture of interaction, where logistics plays the role of connective tissue. In other words, it allows one passionate person from one country to share a film with another passionate person from another country on another continent.
A New Type of Distribution
Interestingly, the role of distributor today is often played not by a studio or official company, but by a private individual. Fans can now build a collection and digitize it. They can also create a physical edition and send it around the world.
These are the kinds of projects we see on platforms that are alternatives to film and TV production aimed at a mass audience.
Such initiatives are changing the very nature of the film market. Instead of a single global market, we now have tens of thousands of local markets united by interests and delivery technologies. At the same time, logistics services have to adapt. In particular,
Offer flexible rates,
Provide packaging,
Take customs specifics into account.
Conclusion
Collectors of rare films and the growth of niche distribution channels are a vivid example of how culture and technology interact in today’s globalized world. Despite the dominance of digital platforms, physical media retain their value as cultural artifacts. They require special treatment and high-tech logistics solutions. This is where the importance of services that make international shipments transparent and convenient for collectors around the world comes into play. Niche distribution transforms cinema into a language of global cultural dialogue. The latter brings together passionate fans and preserves the heritage of world cinema for future generations.
In this new ecosystem, cinema becomes a bridge between continents, and modern logistics is a key element in ensuring the preservation of these priceless cultural treasures.
Kesha has released a new album, 
Kae Tempest’s
Celtic punk legends Dropkick Murphys have dropped a new album, their 13th, called 
Brian Weitz, the Animal Collective member also known as Geologist, plays hurdy gurdy in Motherfuckers JMB & Co. Accompanying him are Jim Thomson, who helped found the cartoonish art-metal band GWAR, on drums, and Marc Minsker on bass, guitar, harmonium. Connecting via the DC/Maryland/Virginia experimental scenes, they named themselves after the German psych band Xhol Caravan’s 1972 album Motherfuckers GmbH & Co, and their new album, Music Excitement Action Beauty, rides out on textured, vibey, exploratory grooves. 
Rival Consoles, the moniker of UK producer Ryan Lee West, has released his ninth album, 
