The last guest will check out of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at noon on Wednesday, and the Manhattan landmark will not host another for an indefinite amount of time. The1,412-room hotel is closing for at least two years while it is transformed into a mostly-residential building by its new Chinese owners, Anbang Insurance Group, which bought the property for $2 billion in 2014.

Yet another train derailment on Monday at Penn Station has experts' wheels turning aboutthe apparent uptick in commuter train issues in the New York region recently, with four crashes occurring in six months. At around 9 a.m. on Monday, aNJTransit train carrying 1,200 passengers derailed at a slow speed while entering Penn Station.

A Japanese squid dish that pushes the envelope on the raw food fad may not catch on as quickly as sushi, judging from reactions to a viral video (first video below) that shows a squid writhing in bowl of food after being doused with special sauce. Odori-don, which literally means “dancing squid rice bowl,” according to Japanese food blog FoodJapan.net, is a delicacy in which a live squid’s head is removed and made into sashimi, and the rest of the body is served whole on a bed of sushi rice.

Scientists are saying that ecstasy-an illegal drug largely connected with hardcore clubgoers-can actually treat several forms of cancer. However, a market-ready medication doctors can prescribe to patients may take another ten years to develop, researchers told BBC Radio. "This is an exciting next step," said Professor John Gordon, lead author of a groundbreaking study on the topic, during a radio interview.

McDonald’s has reclaimed the Bush era catchphrase "freedom fries" with a light-beam tribute to the fried potato that looks remarkably like Tribute in Light, which shines annually from downtown Manhattan on September 11. As part of its "Best Fries on the Planet" campaign, McDonald's partnered with Chicago-based marketing giant Leo Burnett to design the "Fry Lights" billboard in the suburb Oak Brook, where it's visible from a three-mile radius, McDonald’s said.

Eating raw store-bought cookie dough not only might make you fat--it might make you sick. Raw, ready-to-bake cookie dough can contain pathogens like E coli, according to an MSNBC report on a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists investigating national outbreaks of E coli traced the illness of 77 people in 30 states to their habit of snacking on uncooked, pre-packaged cookie dough.

More than 1,100 dogs destined for a slaughterhouse were rescued this week by an animal-loving blogger in Chongqing, China, China Daily reported. The 1,137 dogs that had been cramped into cages stacked on top of each other into the back of a flatbed truck were intercepted with the help of a blogger, who goes by the surname Peng, as they were on their way to be made into food.

Gabrielle Union's hair is fly - but it almost grounded her at the airport on Wednesday. The actress said her "weave got 'flagged' by the bodyscan at security," on Twitter. TSA required a hair pat-down." The “Good Deeds” star, 39, expressed surprise that the "black female TSA agent" who stopped her was so naïve about her weave.

Spraying my proud blonde mane with a can of red Halloween hair color was my first hurdle in transforming myself into ex-Russian spy Anna Chapman. This week marks the two-year-anniversary of the racy 30-year-old's arrest in Manhattan along with the nine others in a spy ring that employed methods like hiding stuff under 5-pound rocks in Central Park.

The final curtain has fallen on the once star-studded Stage Deli. The midtown eatery, where the overstuffed sandwiches were named for celebrities like Mel Brooks, Larry David and Howard Stern, closed its doors for good after 75 years in business. “It’s a piece of history, and it’s sad to see it go,” said Michael Fezzey, a Detroit tourist who planned a Friday dinner at the Stage with his family.

The city Health Department has shuttered famous pizza parlor John's of Bleecker Street, apparently for violations including "filth flies," West Village patrons were shocked to learn Wednesday. "I hope it's not permanent," said longtime pie lover Duncan Hannah, 60. A notice slapped on the window of the 83-year-old standby Tuesday didn't cite a reason for the closure.

Jennifer Hudson's new same-sex wedding themed video for her single "I Still Love You" is a tribute to her LGBT supporters and her declaration of a love that doesn't discriminate. The Oscar-winning actress and singer told MTV that the concept for the video, released Wednesday off her "JHUD" album, was inspired by the invaluable support she had from the gay community growing up and the LGBT fans who have been her "biggest support system."

Kim Kardashian had a naked visitor to her hotel room in Cannes, France, and it was definitely not Kanye West. The pregnant reality star tweeted around 4 a.m. that a drunk, nude, belligerent woman was banging on her hotel room door and trying to use her credit card as a key. Though hilarious, the disruption of beauty sleep was not appreciated by Kardashian, who recently announced that she is expecting a baby brother for her 2-year-old daughter, North.

Misty Copeland, the African-American ballet dancer who rose from poverty and learned the art at the untypically late age of 13, was named Tuesday as the first female black principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater in its 75-year history. Ahead of the official announcement, Copeland remarked at a cocktail reception June 24 on her opening night as the lead in ABT's "Swan Lake," that she "never dreamed" she would become a principal dancer.

If you high-tail it right now you might make it to the last few days of Bonnaroo (June 11 - 14) in Manchester, Tennessee, to catch Mumford & Sons and Billy Joel. But if you can't, do not fret -- there are still many big music festivals left for summer 2015. Check out our quick guide to the best of the rest across the country for a sonic getaway.