New York City

Yesterday was the 97th annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, held on the Fourth of July in Coney Island. Joey Chestnut managed to not only win the championship title for the seventh straight year, he also set a new world record by eating 69 hot dogs in just ten minutes.

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club's annual New Year's swim looks like a great time. People in costumes, swimming, having fun. We probably should've gone, but there was that whole hangover thing to deal with. Which makes us wonder, does jumping into the freezing Atlantic ocean cure a hangover? If so, we're totally there next year.

The reasons why we love this excerpt from the 'Where I'm From' Jay-Z documentary are numerous. For starters, Jay-Z picked the one person to sit down next to who didn't know who he is. And to follow up, this lady is a delight.

In case you missed it -- there's a storm a-brewin'! Hurricane Sandy is lurching her way up the coast, heading for us all. Yesterday, the MTA announced it was shutting down trains in NYC at 7 pm and buses at 9pm. Here are some pictures from their official Flickr page taunting us with how delightfully empty all the stations are right now.

If you live in New York, you have to develop a pretty high tolerance for rats. They're all over the city's underground subway stations and their glowing, beady eyes are often seen in the trash that has been put on the sidewalk for pick up. But even the most hardened New Yorker doesn't want a rat anywhere near their personal space.

In amateur video that will gladden the hearts of the 99%, two apparent Wall Street-types engage in a silly fight over a New York City cab. But maybe we shouldn't judge. You know how hard it is to find a cab in Manhattan sometimes?

If you've been hearing about the "soda ban" that was just passed in New York City, and you were wondering just what exactly it entails, this is (sort of) the video for you.

It's hard not to be blinded by the lights of Times Square -- they're really, REALLY bright. But even temporary blindness can't excuse the lengths to which some people would go to say they've heard of Brett Cohen -- a regular guy who tricked Times Square into thinking he's famous.

Commissioned by the New York City Parks Department, an optical illusion display by the famed Miami sculptor Rafael Barrios has caused the busy citizens of NYC to actually stop in their tracks for once to take a second look at their surroundings.

For the past year, New York-based cameraman Andrew Clancy took the tool of his trade and shot footage of what was going on around him. The result is a five-minute ode to America's largest city.

According to a 'Travel + Leisure' survey of their well-trodden readership, New York City, true to its reputation, is the rudest city in the nation.

San Francisco, 1849.  Alaska, 1897. New York City, 2011? Is there a new gold rush in the Big Apple? There is for Queens native Raffi Stepanian, who literally struck gold after discovering he could make up to $300 a day by 'mining' the sidewalks in Manhattan's Diamond District for the tiny bits of gold, platinum and rare gems that fall from the clothes of workers when they leave their shops. Read M

You've probably heard her speak many, many times before, but now's your chance to attach a face to the disembodied voice. CBS News recently profiled 63-year-old Carolyn Hopkins of Maine, who's lent her voice to automated public address systems at subway stops, train stations and more than 200 airports across the world.

Conan O'Brien continues his stay in New York City through tonight, and on last night's show he went to a New York City pizza place to learn how to make a good pizza. Unfortunately, his time spent among the organic foodies of Los Angeles has given him an odd concept of what constitutes a good pizza topping.

A man wearing a pair of ear buds and a smile hung onto the exterior of a New York city subway car as it traveled between two stations.