Geophysicist and aspiring data scientist Ravi Shekhar recently plotted out pickup and dropoff location data from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) that covered the past 7 years in New York City. Plotting each location as bright as a firefly, the accumulation of millions of data points light up the City's most popular spots for hailing a cab, as well as the most popular trip destinations.

So I was curious, where do taxis pick up passengers, or more precisely, what does the distribution of taxi pickup locations look like? With 1.3 billion taxi pickups, plotting the distribution in a way that does not wash out detail is very challenging.

Check out the accompanying post to see how Shekhar created the colorful maps from billions of data points.

Opening just last year in 2016, The Hills on Governors Island is one of New York City's newest parks. Occupying over 30 acres of the small island, the park provides 360° views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, lower Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights, as well as the Verrazano Bridge and Staten Island off in the distance.

Rising 70 feet above sea-level, the Hills gives visitors a new relationship with the sea and sky, offering breathtaking never-before-seen views of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor. The opening of the Hills marks a new chapter in the transformation of Governors Island from an abandoned former military base to what is envisioned to be a year-round destination for recreation, culture and innovation.

In this aerial video from our Above New York series, see The Hills from a bird's eye view.

Good morning! Wishing you a happy Friday, June 23rd, 2017 from all of us at Viewing NYC!

Here's what the weather looks like in the City right now.