“A man with a ponytail sold tickets to a comedy club, while guys in green vests hawked tickets for a bus tour. The crowds inched past. In the interstices of the mob were a Power Ranger, a Spider-Man, a Woody from Toy Story, Minnie Mouse, two Cookie Monsters, a Super Mario, Hello Kitty, two more Elmos, and a Batman.” The New Yorker’s Jonathan Blitzer takes you inside the world of a Times Square Elmo. I can’t picture Travis Bickle driving his cab through this Times Square … though by now, I suppose he’d be driving for Uber.

+ In honor of Canada Day, here are seven ways Canada is better than the United States.

+ “If you’re staying for a month or two, you probably want to behave yourself and be a good neighbor, but if it’s just for a weekend, it’s probably just to party.” AirBNB visits the Hamptons.

+ GM might have to start recalling cars made by other manufacturers. They’ve already recalled more cars in 2014 than they sold in the last seven years.

+ Want your listicle to succeed? Make sure it has an odd number of items.