New York City has always been a place that people flock to—to live, to work, to visit, or to play. It’s big and exciting, and there’s almost always something happening: a new play, a new exhibit, or a new restaurant opening.

According to a 2024 report by venture capital firm SignalFire, NYC experienced a tech boom in 2023, becoming the top destination for people relocating with tech jobs, with around 15 percent of them choosing the Big Apple as their destination.

This isn’t the first time the city has seen an influx of technology workers; the 1990s tech boom saw Manhattan’s Flatiron District take off as a hub for high-tech companies, even going so far as to being nicknamed “Silicon Alley.”

That area has since spread, moving its way downtown to Soho, west to Hudson Yards, and more recently over the bridge(s) and into Brooklyn—specifically Dumbo, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Downtown Brooklyn, forming the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.

Dumbo, which stands for “Down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass,” is situated between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges on the East River waterfront. The popular neighborhood has great views of Manhattan and the bridges, and an ever-expanding food and drink scene to keep you fed while working and making time to play.

Where to Stay

60 Furman St., (347) 696-2500

If you’re going to stay in Dumbo, you’re going to want views of the Manhattan skyline, the East River, and the iconic bridges that extend between the two, and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge offers that and more. Yes, there is a gym and spa, but there’s also a rooftop pool, which comes in quite handy on those stupidly hot summer days. James Beard Award–winning restaurateur Jonathan Waxman recently brought his iconic West Village restaurant, Barbuto, to the hotel. On the 10th Floor, find Harriet’s Lounge for sushi, bao buns, and wagyu toasts. From 10 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays, listen to live DJs spinning sets while you enjoy craft cocktails and the view.

Don’t forget to end the day with a sustainable drink (or two) at Harriet’s Rooftop, just one floor up from the lounge, for more iconic sunset views. The hotel is pet-friendly, and there’s a café serving espresso, fresh-pressed juices, and artisanal and locally sourced snacks. There’s also a farm stand in the lobby daily from 7 am to 4 pm; grab seasonal fruits that, while they may look “ugly,” are perfect in taste, and all part of the hotel’s sustainability mission.

85 Flatbush Ave Ext., (718) 329-9537

About a 10-minute walk to the bridges and Brooklyn waterfront, The Tillary is a slightly more affordable stay for the area, but still boasts a lobby cafe and rooftop garden bar. Featuring pet-friendly rooms and a fully-equipped gym, this hotel is a great option for still being close to the action, but saving a bit more money. The lobby café offers an affordable range of options (think $4 for an English muffin with egg and cheese and up to $14 for a vegetarian wrap), while the rooftop has a variety of sandwiches, salads, and beverages (both n/a and boozy) to keep you from needing to stray too far.

Courtesy of Ace Brooklyn

252 Schermerhorn St., (718) 313-3636

Technically in Boerum Hill, bordering Downtown Brooklyn, the Ace Hotel is a boutique hotel with trendy furnishings and warm vibes, plus a fitness center. They feature a rotating artist in residence and DJ’s spinning in the lobby most weekend nights. For food, there’s Lele’s Roman, featuring a rotating selection of Roman Aperitivo bites daily from 5 to 7 pm, or hit them up for breakfast (lots of egg options!), lunch (panini, pizza, salad!), and dinner (pasta! pizza! classic contorni!). Don’t feel like Italian? Try Koju for an omakase experience set to a carefully curated vinyl music program.

Where to Work

Photograph: Michael Lee/Getty Images

68 Jay St., (718) 210-3650

Whether you’re looking for fully enclosed office spaces monthly or long-term, a coworking space, or a conference room, Greendesk has got you covered for a very reasonable price. The space is fully furnished with 24/7 access, high-speed internet, kitchens, and a cleaning service.

Multiple locations

From the SOHO House team, SOHO Works is a network of office spaces; rent a meeting room or use the shared lounge space, plus get access to SOHO member events and amenities. Work at either location—10 Jay Street or 55 Water Street—by the hour or rent by the day.

295 Front St., (347) 414-8782

Located in Vinegar Hill, the Bond Collective has numerous options for you to work, whether you need a dedicated desk, private office, team suite, conference rooms, coworking, or simply a day pass. You’ll have 24/7 access, Wi-Fi, fruits, snacks, and breakfast, plus unlimited printing.

Where to Get Your Coffee

Courtesy of Jacques Torres Chocolate

66 Water St., (718) 875-1269

Located on Water Street and open daily from 10 am to 7 pm, this flagship location of the famous chocolatier is where it all began 25 years ago. Here, you’ll find handmade confections, hot chocolate, and ice cream sandwiches. Sample it all, then grab a few things to take with you to share with friends (or not—sharing is overrated).

85 Water St., (718) 797-5026

Almondine has been in Dumbo for over 20 years. Opened by French baker Herve Poussot, this unpretentious bakery thrives on tradition, innovation, and evolution. You’ll feel as though you’ve been transported right to Paris with the fresh bread, croissants, and cakes. They even have a daily lunch special from 12 to 3 pm; choose from a half sandwich, then pair it with a soup, salad, cookie, and half-priced drink for only $18.

45 Washington St., (212) 924-7400

Grab a coffee here before strolling down Washington Street (it’s literally located at one of the most iconic spots that people snap photos of the bridge, so beware of influencers posing in the middle of the street) to the waterfront for a nice break and some fresh air.

Where to Eat

Courtesy of Vinegar Hill House

72 Hudson Ave., (718) 522-1018

This is the place you go when you want a relaxed environment with incredible food in cute surroundings. Dining in the outdoor garden is cozy and comforting, while the inside is vintage-inspired and laid back. The menu, while also simple and comforting, is consistent and hits every time.

68 Jay St. #119

Open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 2-ish, this unassuming French-style bakery from Ayako Kurokawa is tucked away in the lobby of 68 Jay Street. The pastries, though French in style, are inspired by Kurokawa’s Japanese upbringing. Scones, cookies, cakes, and slices of pie are all served on silver platters, with handwritten labels on blue paper. The gateau basque is a popular item; go early, as they sell out daily.

1 John St., (718) 522-5356

Opened in 2017, Celestine is the kind of spot that feels chill enough to be your neighborhood go-to, while also special enough to go for a celebration. The menu includes thoughtful vegetable-heavy starters and sides, as well as whole branzino and a 14-ounce ribeye. With floor-to-ceiling windows, there’s not a bad seat in the house to enjoy your meal with a view of the East River and all its happenings.

147 Front St.

This intimate, 10-seat chef’s counter offers a tasting menu and à la carte menu, featuring oysters, crudo, and natural wines by the glass. Try the caviar Frito pie: an open bag of Fritos topped with entirely too much caviar and creme fraiche.

1 Front St., (718) 858-4300

Originally opened in 1990 by Patsy Grimaldi and his wife, Carol, Grimaldi sold the business in 1998 to Frank Ciolli. Grimaldi is of the Patsy’s of Harlem lineage (Patsy is his uncle, from whom he learned to make pizza at age 12). In 2000, Grimaldi’s moved locations next door to their original spot where they continue to sell whole pies in a coal-fired oven.

19 Old Fulton St., (718) 596-6700

If you like a side of gossip with your slice, then Juliana’s is the place to go. Patsy and Carol Grimaldi opened Juliana’s in the original Grimaldi’s location at 19 Old Fulton Street in 2012, which caused a stir in the pizza community, since it’s located next door to Grimaldi’s, their previous business. They even got their original coal-fired oven back. Named after Patsy’s mother, Juliana’s serves coal-fired pizza, meatballs, and salads. They also sell four flavors of par-cooked pies to “take & bake” at home. Try an egg cream—a New York City classic of milk, chocolate or vanilla syrup, and seltzer made frothy by whisking the three ingredients vigorously until foamy. Grub Street called it the best in the city in 2017.

A large measles outbreak in South Carolina is finally showing signs of slowing down as the total number of cases in the state nears 1,000.

For several weeks now, the state has experienced a downward trend in new infections, with approximately 10 cases being reported per week. At its peak in mid-January, the state was reporting around 200 new cases a week.

The South Carolina outbreak is the largest measles outbreak in the US in more than 30 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has confirmed 1,281 measles cases across the country this year, as of March 5. That is already more than half of the documented cases in 2025, which totaled 2,283.

Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, a status attained when there has been no ongoing transmission within the country for longer than a year. Even with cases in South Carolina abating, the US is now at risk of losing its measles elimination status. According to the CDC, there have been 12 outbreaks in the US this year, including ones in Arizona, Texas, and Utah.

Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist, is encouraged by the decrease in new cases in her state, though she notes that with schools going on spring break in March and April, there is a potential for more exposures as families travel and visit tourist attractions.

“We remain concerned and must be mindful of the fact that we can see cases increase again from the low number that we’re seeing now,” she said in a March 4 press briefing. “We are very hopeful that the downward trend continues, but we have to be vigilant about the risk that we can see another surge.”

The outbreak began with just a handful of cases in October and has centered in Spartanburg County. Low vaccination rates in schools helped spread the virus, with social events around the winter holidays fueling a surge of cases in January. Churches have also been a major source of exposure, according to Bell.

Measles symptoms, which include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, typically don’t appear until one to two weeks after exposure. The characteristic measles rash takes another several days to develop, which contributes to a lag in diagnosing the infection. Measles can cause severe complications, such as pneumonia and brain swelling, both of which have been documented in South Carolina. More than 93 percent of the cases in South Carolina have occurred in people who were unvaccinated. The vast majority of infections have been in children under 18.

Bell said that modeling from earlier in the outbreak showed that South Carolina’s outbreak could go on for six months or longer. Now, it may end sooner than predicted.

The outbreak has prompted an uptick in vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in Spartanburg County and across the state. Compared to February 2025, there was a 133 percent increase in measles vaccination in Spartanburg County, representing roughly 900 additional doses given, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. An additional 7,000 doses of measles vaccinations were administered statewide in February, a 70 percent increase from the same time last year.

The Met Office has celebrated one year of “supercomputing as a service” from Microsoft. 

The occasion presented an opportunity for the weather forecasting and climate prediction organisation to offer its view on why artificial intelligence (AI) is peripheral to its scientific modelling core activities and why cloud is suited to the delivery of supercomputing services.

The Met Office’s Microsoft cloud supercomputing capability was launched a year ago, and provides around 1.8 million processing cores, with peak performance of around 60 quadrillion calculations per second.

Reported availability for the system in the past year has been 100% for critical workloads, with 99.77% for the supercomputing element. 

Microsoft delivers supercomputing-like performance remotely via the cloud. But what makes the cloud suited to delivering such services, when latency might be an issue compared with on-site hardware?

According to the Met Office and Microsoft, cloud latency is comparable to what it was between the Met Office headquarters and where its previous supercomputers were located. 

In addition, it pointed out that latency is only one factor taken into account when deciding whether to go to the cloud. Others include cost, reliability, flexibility and the ability to take advantage of innovation, which might have been limited with a multi-tonne, multimillion-pound supercomputer lodged in a Met Office facility. 

The Met Office’s work is still largely physics-driven numerical weather prediction and modelling. AI is therefore not the lens through which things are viewed, said Met Office CIO Charles Ewen, but one tool among many.

“People are struggling because they’re looking through the narrow lens of AI at the moment,” said Ewen. “And before that, it was cloud. AI is certainly happening faster and quicker. And not to diminish AI and its importance, but we have to think more of AI as a catalyst and an accelerant for broader innovation.”

So, what makes it a supercomputer if it is merely computing delivered via the cloud? Ewens defined supercomputing as typically used to do things like the kind of scientific simulation that is intrinsic to the production of weather forecasts and climate predictions.

“The services we’re consuming today are really enterprise-scale cloud computing for scientific supercomputing. It is certainly in the top five of CPU [central processing unit] clusters in the world. In my assessment, at least, the only truly cloud-integrated scientific supercomputer.” 

While AI is currently peripheral to scientific modelling, Microsoft Copilot and generative AI are in use in the Met Office organisation more widely, and are being looked at for scientific work, said Ewens.

“AI methods are coming along, and one of the benefits of the work we’re doing is we are already well into planning how AI methods, data-driven methods, sit alongside physics-driven methods or the more traditional numerical weather prediction methods in the best blend to deliver the very best of both.”

On data sovereignty, it is understood that all Met Office operational datacentres are in the UK, and that Microsoft can supply sovereign cloud capability that ranges from fully connected to the cloud to fully disconnected. 

The Microsoft-powered cloud capability is the Met Office’s 14th iteration of its supercomputing capability. Numerical weather prediction began in the early 1950s, when the first experimental forecasts used the EDSAC computer at Cambridge. 

By 1959, the Met Office took delivery of its Ferranti Mercury computer at its Dunstable site. The Met Office produced its first operational computer forecast in 1965, following the arrival of an English Electric KDF9 computer at Bracknell. 

In the past decade or so, the Met Office went from buying a 140-tonne Cray XC40 system in 2014 – its fourth supercomputer at the time – to opting for cloud-delivered supercomputing in 2024, with the current Microsoft-operated, fully managed “supercomputing-as-a-service” model.