I love New York City and if you watch my YouTube Channel, you know that. There's a few things that are a bit new and different coming, and I wanted to share. So, here we go!
1. The FIFA World Cup is bringing soccer to New York and New Jersey this year. The area will host 8 games beginning June 13th and ending with the finals on July 19th. There will be fan zones at the Rockefeller Center Complex and in Flushing Meadows at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Where are the games? Met Life Stadium at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ.
There will be a lot of activity in those six weeks. This will be a busy time in New York and the surrounding areas. Make note of that when planning travel to the area. Should you plan your trip around this time? No. Enjoy the chaos. New York is really spectacular with chaos. You'll probably meet some really nice people from all over the world during those weeks as well.
https://www.nyctourism.com/worldcup26/
https://www.metlifestadium.com/events/fifa-world-cup-2026
https://www.newyorkcityfc.com/fwc26
2. There will soon be four additional stops on Metro North. The Hell Gate Line will provide stops at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-op City. All four stops are in the Bronx, and the Hell Gate Line will run from Penn Station instead of Grand Central.
I had a lot of questions. It should be ready sometime in 2027. It is designed to bypass Grand Central and take customers from the East Bronx to the west side of Manhattan. It runs along the tracks currently owned and operated by Amtrak. It will connect to the New Haven Line at New Rochelle. That's all I know for sure. If you happen to live or be visiting the east Bronx, this will be a great thing for you!
https://www.nyc.gov/content/planning/pages/our-work/plans/bronx/bronx-metro-north-area
https://www.mta.info/project/penn-station-access
3. The light pollution bill currently being considered in New York. This affects the entire state, but nowhere more than New York City. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I get it; light pollution is a thing. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all see and appreciate the stars at night? It would be nice.
However, this is New York City we're talking about. This bill states that most venues will either have to have lights specifically aimed down at buildings or the ground or turn their lights off between 11 pm and 5 am. It's my understanding that sports venues, constructions sites, emergency services, highways, motion detected lights, and low wattage Christmas lights will be exempt and possibly some other stuff too. What about Times Square? I'm not sure.
The specific reasons for the proposed law is light pollution, human sleep disruption, and intrusion into the world of birds. Apparently, it's been determined that along the major bird migration corridor that runs through New York, things are being disrupted for the birds. Will this pass? Will this work out if it does? I don't know, but plan on getting your night pictures of those beautiful bridges before 11 pm if it does.
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-york-could-go-dark-at-night-if-bill-passes-through/
https://hudsonvalleypost.com/new-york-state-proposes-dark-skies-law-to-cut-light-pollution/
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A4615
https://nycbirdalliance.org/blog/next-big-steps-for-lights-out-legislation-in-new-york-city
4. The ABBA Hologram Tour. This is something truly original and it's been in London since 2022. ABBA remains popular around the world, but they quit performing live years ago. In a landmark idea, a tour with holograms of the singers has been playing for the last few years. I actually got to dance with a set of the holograms at the ABBA Museum in Stockholm, Sweden last year. They are lifelike and amazing.
The proposed venue will be built on the west side between 45th and 46th streets, well within the theater district west of Hell's Kitchen. It will seat 3,000 people per show, and will become a semi permanent to permanent location. This show has been wildly successful and brings a whole new meaning to concert. Will this happen? It looks like it, but it's not official yet. London currently houses the show and the contract details aren't carved in stone. The plan is to sort it all out and bring the ABBA holograms to NYC in 2028.
https://propmodo.com/abbas-hologram-concert-heads-to-midtown-west/
https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/abba-voyage-eyes-nyc-transfer
https://nypost.com/2026/03/09/real-estate/new-abba-theater-will-take-up-half-a-block-on-11th-avenue/
5. Personal information that I've recently learned about taking the Northeast Regional on Amtrak. I took the Northeast Regional to Boston last fall and took the Acela back to Connecticut. I compared my experiences and discovered that I actually liked the Northeast Regional better. Now, I'm taking another trip to Washington D. C. on the Northeast Regional from Connecticut and I made a few discoveries that I thought I'd share.
Making this trip gave me several options as to where to pick up the train. I live along the New Haven Line of Metro North, so I can literally pick this train up at any of its stops from Bridgeport to Philadelphia. When I first looked, I thought Moynihan Hall in Manhattan would make the most sense. But when I started looking at fares, I found out that maybe there was a better way. I discovered that it cost less for me to catch that train to Washington from Bridgeport, CT than from New York City, even though NYC was far closer to my destination. After looking at all of my options from Bridgeport to New York; I discovered that the same train was far cheaper from Bridgeport. It's the exact same train, not just the same route. Bridgeport is the farthest from my destination of all stations checked.
Needless to say, as I travel Amtrak more, I'm learning that I have a lot of work to do to get the most bang for my buck. I've never found Amtrak particularly easy to navigate, but there always seems to be something else that makes it easier for you to get where you're going. My advice? Check all your alternatives if you have them when booking with Amtrak. It can save you a lot of money. And honestly, skip the Acela. It's not worth the extra money.
https://www.amtrak.com/northeast-regional-train
https://amtrakguide.com/routes/northeast-regional/
https://railrat.net/routes/NortheastRegional/
https://travelswithkev.com/amtrak-northeast-regional-schedule/
That's some news I ran across for the week; all kind of centered in New York. The more time I spend there, the more news I get about the city. If you'd like to follow my current adventures as they unfold, check out my YouTube channel, "Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon" on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresforanyone2025
I'll have some cool stuff about Washington D. C. Soon! Enjoy!
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