You can now see if your train line is delay before you start your commute. A new website RealMTA.info is giving straphangers real-time updates on subway delays by wiping affected lines right off the MTA map. Disrupted lines disappear from the user’s view. Web developer Eric Markfield created it to use publicly available information to highlight subway delays.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is putting into place a plan to keep cars off Central Park’s roads, except for the four main transverse roads through the park at 97th, 86th, 79th and 65th streets.  Most areas of Central Park will go car-free this summer. The plan will go into effect at the end of June, banning cars on several park drives below 72nd Street.

To many New Yorkers, winning the affordable housing lottery is pretty much the same thing as winning the actual lottery. But many people find it to be a hassle applying to Housing Connect lottery. The qualifications for individual lotteries might be a bit confusing, many people feel it’s not easy to snag one these newly apartments. While the online application process is pretty straightforward. Finding a low-cost apartment in New York City is not an easy task, but the city does offer programs to help out.  Check out AM NY as it breaks down the process.

The Head of New York City Transit Andy Byford is opening himself up to questions on Twitter tomorrow morning beginning at 10:30am.  He says no subject will be off limits during the 90 minute session. He will be using the handle NYCT Subway, which has more than 900,000 followers.

The Twitter forum comes on the heels of a report the MTA may not be telling the complete truth about why subway trains are late. According to the Daily News, transit officials were unable to determine why more than 10,000 trains were delayed in January. They reportedly divided those numbers into 14 existing delay categories like weather, police investigations, and sick passengers. But none of those causes may have actually been the reason for the late trains. The last thing we would want is our Transit System to be telling tales to millions of customers who ride the trains delay.

As soon as you join, you can enjoy this $5 Ticket Tuesday offer at the box office! You’ll also start earning points toward $5 rewards and get a FREE refill on your large popcorn purchases. $5 Tuesday tickets are available for AMC Stubs members only at participating AMC, AMC DINE-IN and AMC CLASSIC locations for a limited time only. Offer is available at box office and AMC Stubs membership must be presented at time of purchase to be eligible for discount. Offer not combinable with any other ticket discounts, including AMC Stubs member Tuesday ticket discounts.

Earlier this week, the National Portrait Gallery unveiled former President Barack Obama’s official portrait, painted by the artist Kehinde Wiley. While the painting was highly praised on social media, it turns out the former president and I have something in common.  Over 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to be painted by Kehinde Wiley after answering an ad on Craigslist.

Now called, St. Dionysus, the portrait hangs in the Milwaukee Art Museum. Check out my interview on WNYC Radio.

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“I remember it like it was yesterday,” says WNYC’s Darnell Jefferson, who, in 2005, answered an ad on Craigslist — and wound up becoming a model posing for Wiley. “I remember wearing that blue bubble coat, with that crown — I was probably 24 years old when I did that portrait with him.”

“I never knew that Kehinde would be this big today. The fact that our former President chose him to be his portraitist, is like ‘wow.’ I never knew that when I first did that shoot with him, that he would be that huge. I’m glad to be in the same class as our former President.”

Not only was I in a portrait, I also found out I’m in Reginald Baylor’s coloring book drawing. The Milwaukee Art Museum Reginald Baylor Collector’s Edition Coloring Book is available online and in the Museum Store.

A Harlem neighborhood loss is a sweet gain for the Upper West Side. After 22 years at 116th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, Make My Cake is closing its doors at the end of the month due to rising rents. It is slated to reopen next month at 795 Columbus Ave., in a space that formerly housed Crumbs, the cupcake shop. Make My Cake’s new store will be a 500-square-foot bakery that will serve everything from pies and cobblers to cakes, cupcakes and cookies. It will have seating for eight. The 2380 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd location in Harlem will remain open.

Via is ready to paint the town blue — you can now get Via EVERYWHERE in New York City! In a congested city like ours, everyone can and should benefit from smart shared rides. Together with you, and loyal Via-istas, we all help built the most affordable and convenient way to get around all five boroughs. Now, whether you’re grabbing dim sum in Flushing, checking in on the tigers at the Bronx Zoo, or commuting from Staten Island, Via will get you there. Via New York operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

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A new program in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, offers free classes to women who don’t speak English but want to improve their language skills. For example, student Maria Luna wants to practice writing and speaking before taking the GED at the end of the year, but she couldn’t find someone to watch her three-year-old daughter.

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It’s called Mother to Mother, and in this program, both the English lessons and childcare are free. Sarah Wang, co-founder of the program, said it was also the perfect way for her to start teaching again after her son turned one. The kids play while volunteer teachers hold class a few feet away. It can be noisy at times, but Wang said the moms are used to it.