the plutoblog.

Adding Establishments

Pluto is expanding across the United States and all over the world with hundreds of new users each day. As a user built community, we give you the power to add your favorite establishments right on the app. 

Here is a quick run through of how you can add an establishment to Pluto without even having to be at the exact location!

Step 1: Search if your establishment is already listed.

Step 2: If you are the first to search for this establishment  click the “Add Establishment” button.

Step 3: The map automatically detects your location and determines your location to be the spot of the establishment. However, if you want to add an establishment that isn’t near you, simply tap the red pin and drag it to the exact location of the establishment.

Step 4: Fill in all the information to complete adding an establishment. 

Step 5: Make sure you let the establishment to get on our FREE merchant portal to update flyers, photos, menus and more! 

Pluto Featured By Apple App Store

Pluto has been selected to be featured by Apple as “New and Noteworthy” for Lifestyle Apps in the App Store!

Pluto was handpicked for our innovative code base, beautiful UI and for being the forerunner of unique local lifestyle discovery. This is a proud moment for our Pluto Team and all our fellow Pluto users.

We want to say thank you to all our users as you have made this possible. This is the first step till towards ruling our planet so continue to discover new establishments and share them with our community. We can’t do this with out you!

Booze and Pizza, a True Happy Hour.

The Pluto Fam would like to welcome our new partner, the Crocodile Lounge!

Located on East 14th St. is one of Pluto’s newest partners, the infamous CrocodileLounge. If you don’t know already, when you buy any drink, you get a free pizza! The pizza is absolutely delicious and made 100% fresh from the brick oven night in the bar. This is the perfect spot to get a meal and drink with your coworkers. Now nobody can complain they are drinking on an empty stomach. Beware, Friday morning meetings may get ugly…

Pluto Mobile is Going Global

It has been just three days since our launch in the App Store and the Pluto team has been overwhelmed by the response of the iPhone Community. Pluto is now live in 12 countries spread across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia!

Though we are located in New York City, we built Pluto to be an open discovery platform for any person to use regardless of where they live. We know that local people know the best local places, so we built the “Add Establishment” feature so that you can share your favorite places with your community. Businesses around the world can also register their own business on our app to be discovered.

The Pluto team would like to thank all of our users world wide and welcome our global community to the Pluto family! Don’t forget to hashtag #ruleyourplanet on twitter with your favorite discoveries. The team will pick a shortlist of the coolest establishments tweeted out and feature them on our blog!

Pluto Mobile is in the App Store!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. If you couldn’t tell from the title, we’ll say it again: Pluto Mobile is in the App Store!

We built an awesome app, tested it, tore it apart, built it again, tested it and tore it apart thirty times over. We now present to you the champion of our hearts.

We would like to thank our beta users, local New York City business partners, followers and everybody that has supported us in our Beta development of the app. We made this app for you! 

Download the app, rate it, use it and share it with your friends. Let us know what you’ve discovered by tweeting with the hashtag: #ruleyourplanet. Simply search “Pluto Mobile” in the mobile Apple App Store or visit this link to view it on your computer.

Pluto mobile was created to empower people to discover things around them that they would fall in love with. Now go and discover your city like never before!

Grand Central Station’s Perfect Imperfections

For Grand Central Stations 100th year anniversary, the NYTimes did a great video about all the stations little secrets.

1. The Whispering Gallery

This is probably the most shared secret about the Grand Central Station. Just whisper a message into one corner of the gallery and someone will hear it on the opposite side. Great to know if you and your friends want to work on a secret mission. 

2. The Clock is accesible by climbing a ladder to a tiny little room.

3. Always Ahead of it’s Time.

The train times are always scheduled one minute before the trains actually leaves. If you think you’re running late, you might have 60 seconds of sprinting left!

4. The deepest basement in NYC.

A secret staircase leads from the basement to an information booth in the middle of the station.

5. The sky is Backwards. 

An astrologer from Columbia University drew a map of the stars for the painters to replicate. Instead of placing the map above their heads, the painters viewed it from the floor and placed everything in reverse order.

6. When it was built in 1913, it was estimated that station would transport up to 100 million passengers.

Watch the NYTimes video here.

Have Fun Winter Weekends

Happy Friday, everybody!

We know it’s freezing out but before you consider being a hermit all winter, take these weird events under consideration for fun winter weekends.

1. Saturday: Idiotarod

Get your adrenaline pumping while acting like a fool. Decorate your a shopping cart (most people pick a theme and wear costumers to match) and race it to the finish line. The location will be announced tonight, so check their Facebook page for updates.

2. Sunday: NYC Chilifest 

Over 20 restaurants compete for your tastebuds! Sample a million different types of chili at Chelsea Market as you enjoy great beer and live music. 

3. Next Month: Hot Chocolate Festival

Try a new type of hot chocolate every day in February at the Hot Chocolate Festival at The City Bakery.

Six Ways to Prevent Freezing to Death

In case you haven’t noticed why you’re face is numb, it’s 15 degrees outside right now!

Here are some ways to stay warm in New York this week.

1. Bundle Up!

We don’t know what this is, but we like to call it the Ultimate Snuggy.

2. Find a heating pad. If you can’t afford one, get creative. 

3. Seal the cracks.

Finally, those stuffed animals serve a purpose!

4. Find a warming center. New York has warming centers set up in seniors centers all over the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Here is a list to find the closest one near you.

5. Get Fat. It’s a shield you can build with cake.

6. Drink warm beverages, like hot chocolate, green tea or apple cider, and eat your vegetables. 

Eating a full meal before you step outside is crucial to keeping you warm.

Good Luck!

Is Your Coffee Worth It?

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, everybody!

A lot of people have a day off for this holiday, but for those crazy New Yorkers who don’t, we hope you’ve had your coffee.

There are Starbucks at every corner of the city. Since Christmas, we noticed The Verismo, a machine that will feed your Starbucks addiction from home. SNL did a funny commercial to demonstrate all the crap we’ll go through for a cup of coffee, and they added a few features to The Verismo.

Survival of the Fittest: Prevent the Flu

Over the weekend, the NYTimes reported that Governor Cuomo declared a public health emergency over the flu epidemic in New York. About 20,000 cases of the flu have been reported for this season.

If you’re among the lucky survivors, congrats! Here are a few tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to stay that way from the flu. 

1. Rule number one, Cardio.

Seriously, exercise will strengthen your body and immune system against bacteria and viruses.

2. Use rule number one to keep away from the sick, leave them behind.

No close contact, just ignore them if you have to.

3. Keep your hands off you eyes, nose and mouth. In fact, just avoid your face.

4. You are what you eat, so eat healthy.

5. Disinfect everything. Clean your work desk, your school desk and any items you may share with people.

Don’t forget your video game controllers.

6. Wash your hands. You’re not an animal.

7. Hydrate with high quality H20

8. Sleep like a baby.

 9. Don’t freak out. Stress weakens your body to fight against disease!

10. Eat a lot of Vitamin C. Whether it’s an actual orange or a pill that you swallow/chew, make sure you take it daily.