From the Titanic To Tut, Where Else But Times Square?

Walking through anything in New York City’s Times Square--whether the Sephora or Toys R Us Stores; the line at TKTS or the pedestrian mall--has a larger-than-life, slightly carnival-ish, sideshow feel.
So the Discovery Times Square Exposition on West 44th street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue; 866-987-9692) fits right in.
The exhibits there are larger, splashier and somehow more brazen than anything you’d find at another New York museum. Witness “Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition,” which runs through Feb. 28. Experience the ship’s maiden voyage! Take on the identity of a Titanic passenger! (Without the unfortunate end result.)
No, you won’t be getting that at the Guggenheim. You can also experience a recreation of the ship’s grand staircase and, to be fair, actually see artifacts from the ship (hence the name.) The objects recovered from the ocean floor include china, jewelry, clothing and documents.
While you’re there, you can also check out “Leonardo Da Vinci’s Workshop,” running through March 14. Gaze at full-scale models of some of his inventions, such as a self-propelled cart and a robot knight (chivalrous and high-tech.) Participate in a family workshop (there’s one today at 1 PM) and come up with your own invention. Or simply play with the touch screens that allow visitors to transform sketches into 3D models.
Coming in April: “King Tut: Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.” It opens on April 23. Ten galleries will showcase 130 artifacts, including some of the possessions from Tut’s tomb.
Bigger, larger-than-life, more over-the-top? Where else but Times Square?

Turn in a Car Seat, Ride a Ferris Wheel at New York's Toys R Us

Out with the old, in with the new: In New York City as well as across the country, Toys R Us is spearheading an initiative so parents and caregivers can trade in potentially unsafe, old, and used baby products as part of “The Great Trade In” event. Items that can be traded in include used car seats, strollers, play yards, high chairs, toddler beds, and cribs. (Many of these items are old and still in circulation, but should not actually be used or passed on to someone else.)
In exchange for turning in these products, consumers will receive a 25 percent savings on certain new baby items.
The program began yesterday, and continues through Feb. 20.
During the first trade-in event, in Sept. 2009, tens of thousands of items were brought in; used car seats were the number one item brought to stores--as well as the number one item purchased.
In New York, the place to head, of course, is the Toys R Us in Times Square. (1514 Broadway at 44th Street; 1-800-TOYSRUS). In addition to ridding yourself of those baby products that have been sitting in the attic, kids can partake of the giant Ferris wheel; walk-in Barbie Dream house; and the "R Zone," a 5500-square megalopolis of the newest in electronic games, DVDs, and other tech gizmos. Customers can play on giant plasma screens (and those over 30 are guaranteed to walk out with unsteady balance and buzzing in your ears, not to mention your brains, so be forewarned.)
Oh yes, watch out for the 5-ton, 20-foot-high, 34-foot long animatronic dinosaur inspired by “Jurassic Park.”
If you weren’t unsteady on your feet after the Ferris Wheel and the game room, you will be after an encounter with him.

For a Photo Finish to Your Week, ICP Offers a Wide Range of Shows

It’s a big week for Museum goings-on in New York City, what with paintings being accidentally ripped (The Metropolitan Museum of Art); and preparations for the Biennial (The Whitney Museum of American Art). Over at The International Center of Photography (ICP), four new shows open today (January 29).
Fist off, there’s ”Twilight Vision: Surrealism, Photography and Paris.” More than 150 photos, films, books, and periodicals have been brought together to show how photographic images were used to create both real and imaginary images of Paris. Man Ray, Ilse Bing, and Dora Maar all have works in the show.
In “Miroslav Tichy,” the exhibition highlights the work of the reclusive Czech photographer, known for his cardboard cameras and haunting images of women and landscapes. (In addition to photographs, a number of his homemade cameras are on view.)
“Alan B. Stone and the Senses of Place” explores the idea of “place” and memory through black-and white photos. Works of the Montreal photographer include both the photos of male pinups that he sold in the 1950s, as well as his photographs of his home city.
Finally, 31 vintage prints of the work of famed photographer Eugene Atget are on display in “Atget, Archivist of Paris.” All the images have been taken from the museum’s permanent collection.
All exhibitions run though May 9. ICP, which is located at 1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street, can be reached by calling 212 857-0000. The museum also offers a broad spectrum of classes, lectures and workshops.

Looking for a Little Controversy With Your Art? Get Ready for the Whitney Biennial

One of the great art world events opens in about six weeks in New York City: The Whitney Biennial comes to town on Feb. 25 and runs through May 30.
The 75th Biennial will feature 55 artists, as opposed to 82 in 2008.
The show is always known as much for the controversy it provokes as the survey of American Art it undertakes. This year, artists include Lorraine O’Grady, a performance artist who worked as an intelligence analyst for the government; Aki Sasamoto, whose performance art will take place in the galleries next to her sculptures, which incorporate objects from everyday life; and Suzan Frecon, whose work hangs in New York’s MOMA and who is known for her large paintings of geometric designs.
Video installations, which used to be scattered throughout the building, will now largely be offered on a single floor.
For the first time, women outnumber men.
And if you can’t wait until mid-Feb., in preparation for the event, a show that opened mid-Jan. at the Museum focuses on past artists who have been included in the Biennial. Entitled, “Collecting Biennials,” it focuses on a mix of artists, including some big names like Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock.
You can also go to the Museum’s website (wnitney.org) to watch a series of brief videos about the preparation for the event, focusing on artists and curators, as well as the installation and preparation of a number of the works.
The Whitney Museum is at 945 Madison Avenue; call 212 570-7721 for more information.

In New York, Even Scaffolding Can Get a Makeover

Walking under an ugly piece of scaffolding, or “sidewalk shed,” is as much a part of many New Yorkers' days as the morning subway ride or the line at the bank. But now, in an effort to make those dark, creepy, ramshackle enclosures less, well, dark, creepy and ramshackle, a new design is set to be unveiled.
The sheds are designed, ostensibly, to protect walkers from being hit by runaway debris while a building is being renovated or repaired. They’re found on both residential and commercial properties.
An international design competition was held to determine a new design: The winner was Young-Hwan Choi, a first-year architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania.
The design, entitled “Urban Umbrella,” will have customizable, transparent roofs. A UV-stabilized film could be used for the application of either different colors or a variety of art work; in other words, the roofs would become the basis for public art projects.
Mayor Bloomberg issued a statement saying that although the city changes, the sheds themselves have not. (Wouldn’t faster, more efficient work also be a solution, to get rid of the sheds faster? But we digress.)
A prototype should be up this summer. Supposedly more than 6000 sheds exist in New York City--this works out to more than one million linear feet. (You’re welcome for doing the math.)
So keep your eyes open—but your head covered--when you approach a sidewalk shed in upcoming months.

Come Hungry, Eat Hearty During New York's Restaurant Week

Feeling hungry...for someone else’s cooking? Longing for a nice meal...with somebody not related to you to wash the dishes? Well, grab your penny jar and head out, because it’s Restaurant Week in New York City.
The event, which began yesterday and runs through Feb. 7, offers three-course, prix-fixe lunches for $24.07, and dinners for $35 at some of the city’s top eateries. On the list: 21, Aquavit and Asia de Cuba; Blue Smoke, Butter, and Capsouto Freres. Down at the other end of the alphabet, you can dine at Orsay, The Palm, Rosa Mexicano and The Water Club. Several websites have additional information and ways to make reservations; check out nycgo.com.
While the restaurants don’t always bring their A game—expect a lot of chicken and fish--it’s still a chance to enjoy a meal in some of New York’s most famous dining establishments.
But even if you don’t feel like setting foot inside, say, Tribeca Grill, you can still enjoy soup from a roving Restaurant Week Truck. Hungry New Yorkers can find offerings from twenty-four restaurants at three street corners (Broadway between 50th and 51st from Jan. 25-29; Fifth Avenue between 18th and 19th from Feb. 1-3; and Greenwich Street, between Warren and Murray Streets, from Feb, 4-5.) The trucks, new this time around, will generally be there between 11 am and 2 pm, and will offer such soul-warming goodies as City Crab’s New England clam chowder, and gingered sweet potato and lobster bisque from The Sea Grill.
And if you need more incentive, $1 from every $6 truck purchase will go towards The Haiti Relief Fund.
Eat well; help others. A win-win deal all around.

Watch Your Step: Picasso Gets Tripped Up

Art has its perils—at least if you were a visitor to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street) on Friday.
A visitor--Overenthusiastic? Awkward? Cursed?--lost her balance and fell into the Picasso painting “The Actor,” valued at $80 million.
The visitor tore a six-inch gash in the lower right-hand corner of the painting, unusual in part for its large size—6 feet by 4 feet. The work is also important in that it signaled a move from Picasso’s “Blue Period,” in which he used mainly shades of blue, to a rose period. Picasso painted “The Actor” in the winter of 1904-05. It was donated to the Met in 1952 by automobile heiress Thelma Chrysler Foy, and has hung in a second-floor gallery since then. The painting shows a stick-thin figure in a pink stage costume, and is displayed with some of Picasso’s other early works.
The woman who damaged the painting was participating in an adult education class in the afternoon, and somehow stumbled and fell.
A Museum statement says that the damage can be fully repaired, and that the hole was not made in a focal point of the painting.
The painting, which was removed from the gallery, will supposedly be repaired in time to be displayed in an exhibit of 250 Picasso works entitled “Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art” that opens April 27 and runs through August 1.
Considering the sheer numbers of people that move through the Museum each day, if not each hour, it’s actually a wonder that more accidents don’t happen more often.

What Lurks Beneath? Open the Manhole Cover and Find Out

Of all the urban legends about New York, one of the greatest and most prevalent has to be what prowls under the city streets. Well, now is your chance to find out, sort of. The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel tours are running this weekend, as well as on Saturday, January 30, and many folk will get the chance to hop on board. Or, rather, to descend under the yawning bowels of the city and see what lurks beneath.
The tours are part of openhousenewyork, an organization that take visitors behind the scenes to see some of the inner working of the design and architecture of the city. In October, for instance, free tours that showcase some of New York’s startling design innovations are offered. (ohny.org for information).
This time around, the organization, along with the Brooklyn Historical Railway Association, offers a guided tour of the world’s oldest subway system. It was constructed, amazingly, using only basic hand tools—in just seven months. Bob Diamond, who rediscovered the tunnels in 1980, leads the tours. He will set off twice each day though the half-mile space. (Tours fill up very quickly.) It works sort of like a secret society--meeting times and so forth are given to you after you've purchased your tickets; go to the website for info.
All sorts of caveats exist, apart from the obvious (no high heels, duh.)
The tunnel entrance is a manhole cover in the middle of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. (How Secret Agent!)
Even if you don’t go, isn't it kind of cool to know that such a thing exists?

The Economy May be Hairy, But "Hair" Helped with a Food Drive

With many raises cut, jobs in question, and unemployment up in New York, donations to food pantries and shelters are down in this less-than-stellar economy. So the New York Daily News/City Harvest food drive found a unique way to chip in yesterday—aspiring performers auditioning at an open casting call of the musical “Hair” were asked to bring canned goods along with their resumes.
Glossy headshots, pages of sheet music and cans of baked bean, soup and other staples were a common sight at the Public Theater on Friday, where the tryouts were held. By 8:30 am, more than 960 actors had already lined up for their chance to belt out 16 bars of a song and hand over their cans.
But New York, don’t despair if your singing chops weren’t up to par and you weren’t possessed by that renegade-counterculture hippie spirit—you can still donate food.
Donations are accepted at all police and fire stations across the city; Modell’s sporting-goods stores across the five boroughs; and the lobby of The New York Daily News (450 West 33rd Street in Manhattan).
The latest incarnation of “Hair” opens on Broadway on March 9.
So come on, New York, grab a can of pasta fagioli or black bean soup, and get yourself to your nearest police or fire station. Or combine a trip to buy sneakers for little Bobby with a drop-off that’s seriously needed.
Hair, hair!

Ahoy, New York: It's the New York Boat Show

Stop anchoring yourself to your couch, New York, and sail off for the Javits Center. Yup, you guessed it--the annual New York Boat show has arrived. The 105th show, at the Javits Center through Sunday, Jan. 24, is the Holy Grail to boat aficionados. The world’s longest-running boat show is in port from 10 am to 10 pm today and Saturday, and from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. (The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is at 655 West 34th Street; the main entrance is on 11th Avenue and 35th Street; 212 216-2000.)
The show primarily features boats and marine gear for sale. Perhaps with a nod to the economy, it includes an “Affordability Pavilion” (their phrase), with boats costing less than $250 a month. Also in store: boaters (or those who love talk) can enter the “Fish Tales” contest: Share your best fishing tale, and if the judges deem you triumphant, you could win a Fishfinder/Chartplotter. Isn't fishing lingo the best?
New this year: A traveling Nature and Maritime Museum on Wheels. Yes, mom, when dad gets that fanatical gleam in his eyes, you and the kids can slink off to this exhibit. The space is designed to feel like a boat (surprise, surprise) with some pirate-ship-like features thrown in. Nautical artifacts, interactive exhibits, educational displays, and other exhibits designed to highlight ocean and estuary life take center stage.
And clearly, someone over at the Boat Center has a sense of humor; because here are some of the seminars you can attend: "Don’t Wake for Me!" (Basic Rules of the Road, Safety, and Navigational Aids) and "What Knot to Know" (Basic knot tying and uses).
It’s all shipshape over there, so cast away!

Like Your Thrill Rides Nausea-Inducing? You'll be in Luck at Coney Island

If you live for over-the-top thrill rides, daring drops, nauseating spins, and stomach-churning twists, then New York’s Coney Island is the place for you this coming summer. As part of the amusement park’s major renovation, Zamperla USA has won the right to bring their wares to a 7-acre parcel of land; it includes the now-defunct Astroland. Zamperla USA runs the very popular Victorian Gardens Amusement Park in Manhattan’s Central Park each summer. They were competing with other vendors such as Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and Steel Pier. Zamperla could have the rights for the next 10 years; after that, a permanent developer is expected to turn Coney Island into a year-round entertainment and retail spot.
The city hopes that at least some of the rides will be ready by Memorial Day weekend, but a final agreement has not yet been reached.
Proposals were submitted by all the competing companies, which had to put forward plans for development of at least one of the three available areas of land. Zamperla’s proposal covered all three areas.
The company won’t reveal which rides will be unveiled this summer, but a list of their most popular attractions include The Disk-O-Coaster, a mix of a spinning ride and roller coaster that spins in circles while going over tracks (why not just pump riders’ stomachs while they’re at it?); and The Vertical Swing, a swing ride 125 feet in the air that moves at dizzying speeds. Also a hit with riders: The Giant Discovery, which flips riders from a giant pendulum and turns them upside down; and The Flash Tower, offering freefalls from 120 feet.
Please--no hot dogs beforehand.

A New York Novel for Children Takes the Newbery Award

A novel set in New York, and written by an author who was born in the city and resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, has won the Newbery Award, the most prestigious award given for children’s literature.
The announcement was made Monday that the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature was given to Rebecca Stead for “When You Reach Me.” The novel takes place in 1979, on the Upper West Side, and focuses on the story of Miranda, a sixth-grade girl whose best friend stops taking to her; she also starts receiving notes telling her that it’s up to her to figure out how to prevent a tragic event from happening in the future.
The novel deals with issues of time travel, class, and friendship; has a rich, complicated structure; and has spent eight weeks on "The New York Times" best-seller list for children's chapter books. The classic children’s book “A Wrinkle in Time,” which itself won the Newbery Award in 1963, also plays a vital part in the novel.
The neighborhood in the book resembles the one in which Ms. Stead grew up, she has said, and the lives of the characters are modeled on her own experience growing up in the city. The apartment in the story was inspired by her mother’s apartment; the school was patterned after the one she attended on New York’s west side.
In fact, Manhattan becomes as much a character in the novel as any of the characters themselves.
So congratulations to Rebecca Stead--and to New York for being such a great role model.

New York's WQXR Gets Hip, and Celebrates the Grammys

WQXR, the only remaining full-time classical music station in New York, and one of the only ones left in the country, is celebrating Grammy Month. (No, it’s not all about Lady Gaga.) Each week leading up to the awards ceremony on Sunday, January 31, WQXR will focus on one of the categories in which classical performances have been nominated. (WQXR switched to a public-radio format this past fall, and can now be found on 105.9 FM.)
Each week, pieces from the nominated albums will be played throughout that week, and also streamed on WQXR.org.
Categories include Best Classical Vocal Performance; Best Small Ensemble Performance; and Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra).
You can vote for your faves on their website, and these days, you can even follow them on Twitter and read a series of blogs; yes, classical music has entered the digital age.
In other WQXR news, venerable WQXR radio host George Jellinek, 90, passed away over the weekend. Jellinek created the radio program “The Vocal Scene” in 1969, a year after becoming the station’s music director. The show, which ran for 36 years, focused on opera and opera singers. It was syndicated on classical stations around the country, and became synonymous with WQXR.
Although he retired as music director in the mid-1980s, Jellinek stayed on as a consultant with the station until a few years ago. He was one of the great old-time classical-music voices in New York.

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Go Out and Do Good

It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and to celebrate here in New York, you can get out there and donate your time to the Day of Service being held across the city. Community Service projects are being touted with the slogan, “It’s a day ON, not a day OFF.” You can check the website serve.gov/mlkday for a list of suggested events in your community. (At the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, for example, New Yorkers can help by making kits for hospitalized children, preparing meals for the homeless, and more. The JCC is at 334 Amsterdam Avenue and West 76th Street; 212 505-4444)
Over at New York University, an entire week of events is being presented; they run the gamut from films to lectures to exhibits and community service initiatives. Check nyu.edu for details.
The littlest freedom fighters can head over to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan all day today, from 10 am to 5 pm (212 West 83rd Street; 212 721-1234). The Martin Luther King Jr. Festival features crafts projects, a performance by the Harlem Gospel Choir, and discussions of Dr. King’s work.
To cap off the evening, the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space is offering a free evening of music built around the theme of peace and justice. (2537 Broadway; 212 505-4493).
So get out there and celebrate, New York--and do some good in the process.

If You Text While You Drive, Your Government is Sending You Mixed Messages

It’s illegal to text while driving in New York City, right? That includes receiving as well as sending texts, correct? And that also includes reading texts while behind the wheel, no?
We’re just checking; because in what can only be called a magnificent piece of irony, New York state agencies send traffic-alert texts about road conditions that drivers receive…while they’re driving.
Which is illegal.
In part because the agencies that are sending these texts made it so.
Government in action.
The New York State Legislature outlawed texting while driving in New York this past fall. On November 1, it became illegal to use cell phones, ipods, and other electronic devices while driving. But Notify NYC, run by the Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, alerts subscribers about traffic conditions and city emergencies by email, phone messages…and text messages. More than 25,000 New Yorkers subscribe to the service, which was launched last May.
A spokesman said drivers could check their messages when they stop, or can sign up for phone calls that can be answered with hands-free devices while driving.
The State Department of Transportation also sends out emails and text messages through TransAlert, which gives drivers information about traffic problems. Last November 772 alerts were sent out to drivers...who presumably read them while driving.
Hey, New York drivers? Be smarter than your local and state governments, OK? Act like grownups behind the wheel--not like 13-year-old girls at recess.

Even the Empire State Building Supports the New York Jets

It’s not St. Patrick’s Day, but green and white are the colors to display this weekend in the city in honor of the New York Jets football team. Even New York’s Empire State Building is getting into the action—the building will glow green and white all weekend in honor of the team’s making it into the playoffs.
The official lighting ceremony took place on Friday; former Jets wide receiver Wayne Chebret had the honor of flipping the switch that set the building aglow in the team’s colors. The Jets ”Flight Crew" cheerleaders and some former players joined fans for the ceremony.
The Jets are heading to San Diego, CA for the divisional playoff game on Sunday, at 4:40 pm. They play the widely favored San Diego Chargers. The Jets, if they win, will be one game away from the Super Bowl.
However, the Jets, for those keeping track, have not made it to the Superbowl in more than 40 years--since 1969.
Can’t make it to San Diego? Well, at least you can turn on your TV—and also go gaze upon the Empire State Building.
By the way, upcoming lighting schemes for the Empire State Building include red, black and green for this Monday, January 18, and the celebration of Martin Luther King Day; all red for the National Heart Association “Wear Red Day” (February 5); and red, pink and white for Valentine’s Day weekend.

Times Square Adds Criminals to its List of Billboards

If you go to New York’s Times Square in part to gaze at the never-ending display of oversized billboards featuring lingerie ads, celebrities gleaming down at you, and skinny sullen teenagers hawking perfume, you’re in for something different.
Starting today, the FBI will display an enormous billboard in Times Square near the TKTS Booth on 47th Street. The digital board will display a rotating list of New York fugitives as well as the number of an FBI tips hotline. Images of missing children will also be displayed. In addition, the board will take advantage of the number of international tourists by featuring information about criminals from abroad.
The billboard is being provided free of charge by advertiser Clear Channel Outdoor.
The nationwide project was launched in December of 2007. It’s now active in 20 cities, and features more than 1,000 billboards across the country, including many on major highways.
Believe it or not, at least 14 criminals have been apprehended through the use of the billboards, including those whose crimes have included money laundering, armed robbery, and kidnapping.
It’s hoped that the sheer number of people who pass through the Time Square spot, one of the most crowded corners in the city, will lead to some good tips.
In Albuquerque, NM, a mother and son were driving by a billboard when the mother noticed that the image on the board looked like her son.
It was. She took him into the local police station.

Project Runway Struts its Stuff in New York Again

Like many transplants, “Project Runway” just couldn’t make it away from the Big Apple, so for its seventh season, it has returned to New York City. The show kicks off its new season tonight on Lifetime TV. Yesterday was declared “Project Runway Day” in New York, in celebration of the show’s return, and Fashion Avenue was renamed “Project Runway Avenue.” (Don’t streets in the city have real names any more?) The day highlighted the show’s contribution to fashion in New York--the retail industry provides jobs for more than 175,000 people.
The show foundered in LA, losing viewers as well as a real sense of drama and purpose.
Regulars Heidi Klum (supermodel et al), Tim Gunn (snarky-but-kind mentor), Nina Garcia (fashion director for “Marie Claire” Magazine) and Michael Kors (uber-successful designer) will be back this season, and Nicole Ritchie, celebrity-for-no-real-reason, will be showing up as the first celebrity guest judge--just, gasp, four months after giving birth.
Sixteen new designers will compete for their shot at a chance to show their collection during New York Fashion Week and the tents in Bryant Park. They will also receive the chance to sell their line on the web site Bluefly, as well as a cash prize and other goodies.
Viewers familiar with the show will recognize the Atlas Apartments, Parson's School of Design, and other New York landmarks previously featured on the snow.
Let the snarking and backstabbing begin!

Grand Central Terminal Awaits Its Entrance

Commuters will soon have a new way to access New York’s Grand Central Terminal. (And by the way, “terminal" is the correct word—Grand Central Station refers to the nearby post office, as well as a previous rail station on the site. It also sometimes refers to a subway station at the same site.) The project is part of the larger East Side Access plan that will allow Long Island Railroad Trains to enter Grand Central. It will also be available to Metro-North riders.
The plan is expected to cost 6.3 billion and will add four two-train platforms. The new connection should shorten travel time for commuters going to Manhattan’s East Side.
A new entrance is being constructed on East 47th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. It will be inside the lobby of 245 Park Avenue and is set to open in September 2011. The new entrance will feature an escalator from the street to the 47th Street cross passageway, and a staircase from the street to the platform shared by Tracks 11 and 13. At the moment, the end of the 47th Street cross passageway has no outlet.
Ground was broken this past Monday for the $14 million entrance. The new platforms should be completed by the end of 2016.
Going by number of platforms, Grand Central Terminal is the largest railway station in the world. The original Grand Central opened in 1871.

Absolutely Love Eloise? Head to the Plaza Hotel

If you are in search of a rawther precocious shopping experience in New York City, then you must hurry hurry hurry to the new Eloise Shop at the Plaza Hotel (Fifth Avenue at Central Park South and 58th Street; 212 759-3000). The 2,100-square-foot shop opened last month, and it’s a tribute to Kay Thompson’s famous little girl who made her home at the even more famous hotel with her Nanny, dog Weenie and turtle Skipperdee.
With its child’s-playhouse-feel, the shop evokes the illustrations magically brought to life by Hilary Knight. The original series of books was written in the 1950s and has become legendary.
The store features a sea of pink in various colors—the full Pepto-Bismol experience awaits in the form of furniture, drapes, carpet, bean bags, and more.
A portrait painted on the wall mimics the original in the lobby; this one was painted by a local artist.
Mums and their darlings will enjoy the Fashion Room, with its tiaras, tutus, sweatshirts, bathrobes, and more, many with the Eloise logo. Across the floor, the Tea Party Rom will soon start offering private tea parties and other special events. A reading room offers Eloise books to read and DVDs to watch; computers will soon be installed.
Also upcoming: A beauty salon as well as an Eloise-theme suite designed by Betsey Johnson.
A ”Live Like Eloise” package was offered by the hotel starting June 1.
And if your little darlings want get in touch with the famed six-year-old directly; a pink mailbox beckons for their notes.
Perhaps, if they’re lucky, a pink note will await them in return.

For Way-Out-There Theater in New York, Go Under the Radar

The “Under the Radar” Theater Festival has kicked off at the Public Theater as well as venues around New York City, so get ready to see 20 productions from seven countries, or, at least, some of them.
The Festival, now in its sixth year, celebrates contemporary theater and had its debut at the St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2005. It has since become an outlet for new theater from around the globe.
This year, the Festival includes such works as “Space Panorama,” in which British director Andrew Dawson recreates a documentary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The catch? He uses only his hands and a black-draped table. (January 7-17 at the Public Theater, 435 Lafayette Street.)
You can also catch "Silver Stars,” which features a community chorus of gay men (January 8-16, also at the Public); and (at the far end of the out-there spectrum); “Chekhov Lizardbrain,” presented by Philadelphia’s Pig Iron Theatre Company. The…event? play? spectacle? combines neuroscience and Russian Melodrama. Really. (It's at the CSV Cultural Center; 107 Suffolk Street; January 7-17).
Fans can meet at the LuEstehr Lounge at The Public after the shows for drinks and discussion.
You can check undertheradarfestival.com for more information, or at the phone numbers for the individual venues. (The Public Theater can be reached at (212) 967-7555.
So get your adventure on--where else but New York, after all?

This Weekend in New York, It's the Running of the Bulls

New York City is home to many kinds of events and things to do--everything from ballet to boxing, classical music to competitive sports, world-class restaurants to whirling on an ice-skating rink.
But ever thought of New York as a venue for professional bull riding?
Nope, neither had we. But that hasn’t stopped the Professional Bull Riding Competition from setting up shop in Madison Square Garden this weekend--the last day to catch the action is today.
The 2010 Professional Bull Riders Madison Square Garden Invitational hosts the top 40 bull riders in the country--along with the fiercest 2,000 pound bulls--and 700 tons of dirt.
Want to sound like you know what you’re talking about? Riders can earn a possible 100 points--they’re scored during the ride –or “out”--for such factors as control and good body position.
The bull’s performance determines the additional 50 points, believe it or not. Those points are given for factors like “kick on the back end” (we’re quoting here), spin, and direction changes. Who knew?
The current defending (human) champ is Kody Lostroh, but the bulls have fans as well—diehard supporters often sport belt buckles with the names of the bull champs, or, yes, even stuffed animals resembling championship bulls, complete with names like Voodoo Child and Code Blue. Well.
The event takes place at 1 pm today; Madison Square Garden is located on 7th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets. Call (212 465-6741.

Get MAD With an Art And Design Family Day

Looking for something to do with kids on these cold winter weekends? Most, if not all New York museums offer family workshops designed to engage both adults and kids, and some of the smaller, lesser-known institutions offer small classes with a lot of personalized attention.
So don’t get mad--go to MAD. That is, drop by New York’s newish Museum of Arts and Design in its home at 2 Columbus Circle (212 299-7777). The exhibition space, formerly the American Craft Museum on West 53rd Street, offers exhibitions and a collection that focuses on crafts, fashion, performing arts and the design-driven industries, as well as other areas.
Today (January 9), you can get mad about kids during the museum’s Mad Family Day. Adults and kids can partake of hands-on workshops, with an emphasis on paper. Tear into activities that highlight paper cutting, shredding and tearing, and view four cut-paper animation films. The latter includes a story in silhouettes (“Princes and Princesses”) and Tomoko Oguchi’s “FolkLore Restaurant” and “The Magic Stamp.”
While you’re there, you can peek into their open studio program, the only New York museum that has such a studio. Visitors can watch artists at work and ask questions--and maybe even offer a hand. This winter, six artists showcase work in textiles, ceramics, wood and rubber.
Sundays bring hands-on workshops for kids; while tours take off for families six days a week.
What are you waiting for? Grab your kids--and go mad.

Stand Up and Be Counted: The 2010 Census Kicks Off

Times Square is having its moment: First New Year’s Eve, now the Census Bureau has kicked off its national tour there.
The Census Bureau revved up its “Census Portrait of America Road Tour” in New York City’s Times Square this week, starting the trip across the country to remind people to fill out their census forms--and mail them in. A 46-foot trailer and 12 vans will traverse the USA in the coming months. The trailer is nicknamed “Mail It Back” (catchy..yes? no?) and offers an interactive representation of the census form. The smaller vans offer technology that allows participants to track the tour online as it happens. Updates will be available on social media postings through outlets like Twitter and Facebook.
Well, it beats doing the laundry.
The population count takes place once a decade, and this tour will be part of the largest civic outreach program in US history. It will stop at more than 800 events during the next four months, including the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four, as well as smaller venues like local parades.
The 10-question forms (one of the shortest ever) will arrive in your mailboxes March 15-17; they're supposed to be an account of everyone living in the United Sates. Results are used to reapportion congressional seats and decide how more than $400 billion a year in federal funding is distributed to local and state governments.
So stand up and be counted, New York!

Classical Music Lovers, This Deal's For You

If attending more classical music and ballet performances was part of your New Year’s resolution, you’re in luck: Starting today, you can take advantage of the “$20 Tickets for 20 Days” promotion at New York’s Lincoln Center.
The promotion, which runs through January 20, offers $20 tickets for certain same-day performances, starting at noon daily. They’re available at the David Rubenstein Atrium (Broadway at 62nd Street; 212 875-5500), and are limited to two tickets per person. Starting at 8:00 am on weekdays and 9:00 am on weekends, visitors can get a wristband that guarantees them a place on line for the box office (but not an actual ticket.)
The Atrium offers a public gathering space as well as a ticket center, and also includes free wi-fi access (who knew?) as well as gardens and a fountain.
It’s also the location of the free weekly performances that are part of Target Free Thursdays. The latter offers an array of musical performances, ranging from salsa and swing to jazz and world music.
“Meet the Artist” Saturdays are also presented the first Saturday of each month at 11:00 am. The program, now in its 30th year, is aimed at families, and often includes an interactive component.
Local restaurants are also getting in on the event. Hang on to your wristband, and you’ll get a special offer at neighborhood establishments including La Boite en Bois; the Russian Tea Room; and the way-cool, first upper west-side branch of Tom Colicchio’s ‘wichraft.
So eat, drink, and be merry. Oh, and listen to classical music, too.

New Yorkers, You're in the Right Place: Tourism Reaches a New High

New York, you have excellent taste.
Whether you’re here for work, play, or something in between, a study released Monday confirms what the rest of us might have modestly predicated: New York is the most popular tourist destination in the country.
Although tourism was actually down slightly (45.2 million visitors last year as opposed to 47 million in 2008), the city has in fact overtaken Orlando, Florida (read: Disney World) as the most popular tourist spot in the USA. We always knew the mayhem could beat the Mouse.
The city was the top spot for visitors from overseas as well: 8.6 million international tourists stopped by, more than twice the number that visited Los Angeles. (Movie stars have nothing on Abercrombie and Fitch.)
New York took the top honors for the first time since 1990; unusual in a time of economic downturn. Mayor Bloomberg also stated that employment levels rose in the leisure and hospitality areas, even passing the pre-recession levels.
Interestingly, predictions for tourism in 2009 in New York were fairly grim, planning for a 10 percent decrease. A combination of strong promotions, perhaps coupled with the city still being a good value for foreign visitors, most probably led to the high turnout. In addition, Americans are taking the opposite approach from those foreign visitors--staying closer to home and not traveling overseas as much.
An increase in tourists is expected for next year, with a potential 46.7 million visitors alighting in our fair city.
New York is aiming to receive 50 million visitors a year by 2012.

Cleveland Rocks More Than New York? Say It Ain't So

New York, you didn’t rock--so the Hall of Fame is rolling on out.
Just a year after opening up in New York City, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, located in SoHo, is gone. The doors closed on Sunday for the last time.
While the original Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is still going strong in Cleveland, the satellite just couldn't make a go of it in the Big Apple. The stagnant economy and fewer tourists over the past year are most likely to blame. (Surely it couldn’t be New Yorkers’ inherent lack of rock-fabulousness? Let’s hope not.) More likely were the pricey tickets ($26.50, $4.50 more than the price of admission in Cleveland.) In a time when attractions are competing for tourist dollars, the not-that-well-known museum in a somewhat-out-of-the-way location (Mercer Street, not necessarily a mecca for tourists) clearly suffered.
The museum had a wide array of memorabilia, ranging from the king’s jumpsuit (that would be Elvis, folks) to a tribute to John Lennon’s years in New York and Bruce Springsteen’s Chevy. It opened to huge press in 2008, and was hailed by Mayor Bloomberg as another must-see stop for tourists.
The Cleveland museum employs more than 900 people and adds $100 million to Cleveland’s economy every year.
Those of you who missed the wooden phone box from the music club CBGB at the New York branch need not despair—opportunities to take the objects on tour are currently being reviewed.

Football, Glee, and House: You'll Still Have Them

Hey, New York, can’t wait to find out what happens with Finn and Quinn on “Glee”? Itching to tune into “The Simpsons”? Now that Time Warner Cable and Fox have settled their dispute, your TV viewing on Fox is safe this winter.
Signals will now continue on Fox for millions of viewers who use the Time Warner Cable service. (You may have noticed dire warnings flashing across your screen last week, urging viewers to write in and stop the cut.)
The contract expired at midnight last Thursday, and Fox had threatened to drop its broadcasting signal, effectively cutting its programming, from 14 of its TV stations and many of its cable stations. Dropping the signal would have meant that more than 6 million subscribers across the country--including New York and Lo Angeles—would not have access to such programs as the college football bowls, as well as the season premieres of “American Idol” (Jan. 12) and “24” (Jan. 17) as well as the 20th anniversary special of “The Simpsons” coming up on January 10.
Fox faces enormous competition from other cable channels and fickle viewers. It wanted to be paid per subscriber for the broadcast signal, which it was giving away for free. The dispute (which focused on how much Time Warner should pay to deliver the Fox network) ended when the companies negotiated through New Year’s Day.

Engine Companies Add Back Staff in the New Year

New Yorkers who read about the cuts in firefighting teams at engine companies last month can rest easier. Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano has restored the fifth member to teams that were reduced to four people.
The change to a four-person team at approximately 49 out of the 194 engine companies across all five boroughs was made after a record number of firefighters called in sick during the last months of the year, taxing the overtime budget. (The companies that were affected the most significantly were those in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, with 15, 14, and 12 companies respectively.)
The Fire Department insisted that the cuts wouldn’t affect response time to fires. The union, however, protested that reducing staff members increases the time it takes firefighters to start properly attacking the fire.
By last December 1, the annual medical-leave rate for firefighters in the city had risen above 7.5 percent. That’s the number at which the New York Fire Department begins to cut staff. The Fire Department made these cuts for the third time in seven years.
Since the cuts were made at about a quarter of the engine companies, however, absenteeism has been lowered significantly, by about sixteen percent, allowing staff to be added.
The city has about 8,800 firefighters. The average number of them out of work during the last three months of November due to various forms of sickness was 500-700 people.

Beat Those Post-Holiday Blues with Gilbert and Sullivan

Feeling down because holiday pastimes in New York are fading away?
Never fear—the "G&S Fest 2010” kicks off at City Center next week (Jan.8-17) after being absent last year.
The Gilbert & Sullivan Players will do four shows during their run, including the big three: “The Pirates of Penzance” (Jan. 9; 15); “HMS Pinafore” (Jan. 10; 12); and “The Mikado” (Jan. 8; 9; 16). The company is also presenting an all-new production of “Ruddigore, or, The Witch’s Curse” (Jan. 14; 16; 17).
This last offering includes sets inspired by the work of master-of-the-macabre writer/illustrator Edward Gorey (among many other things, he was responsible for the animated titles on PBS’s “Mystery” series.) It hasn’t been part of the company’s offerings for more than 10 years. The musical tells the story of the baronets of Ruddigore, all of whom are cursed and must commit a crime every day or meet with a horrible demise. (But this is Gilbert and Sullivan after all; satire abounds.)
The matinees are preceded by Family Overtures, which introduce kids to the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire.
While you’re at it, check out the rest of the City Center winter/spring season. “Encores” presents “Fanny” (Feb. 4-7) the 1954 musical about a young man whose love for the sea trumps his love for a young woman; plus the New York Flamenco Festival (Feb. 11-14, now in its 10th year. The Paul Taylor Dance Company and a production of “Anyone Can Whistle” are among the rest of the season’s offerings.
City Center is at 130 West 56th Street; call (212) 581-1212 for more information about tickets.

Yet Another Top Ten List for 2010, New-York Style

Happy 2010! Whether you’re recovering from last night’s revelries, wondering if you can forget that second resolution, or hopping on the treadmill to keep your first one, the year has that unused feeing that signifies that anything is possible.
And since it’s the time of top ten lists, we hereby offer 10 ten great things you should see, do, or remember about New York this upcoming year, in no particular order:
1. How many boroughs except Manhattan and maybe Brooklyn have you actually been to? Uh huh, we thought so. Go discover the amazing array of foods in Queens or the shoreline in Staten Island.
2. If you only go to the big-name museums in the city, check out one of the smaller ones, like the Rubin or The Jewish Museum.
3. Rent a rowboat in Central Park. (When it’s warmer.)
4. Take a backstage tour: Radio City; Madison Square Garden--you’ll be amazed at the choices.
5. Eat something you’ve never eaten, whether from a restaurant in Chinatown or a sushi restaurant in midtown.
6. Find somewhere in the city and take a hike. We mean that literally.
7. Go to one of the Botanical Gardens in the spring (Bronx; Brooklyn) and see either the cherry blossoms or the roses.
8. Check out Times Square on a Wednesday afternoon when the matinees let out and all the lights are coming on and simply drink it all in.
9. Trace your history: Visit Ellis Island and discover your family tree.
10. Open a guidebook, close your eyes, point at random, and go do whatever you pick.

This is New York after all. If you can’t be adventurous here, then there’s really no point at all.
Happy 2010!