Come On, Everyone: Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve for New York

Do you love New York? Or, rather, do you (heart) New York? The creator of the iconic New York logo, Milton Glaser, has just been awarded the National Medal of Honor by President Obama.
Glaser created the logo in 1977 pro bono for advertising agency Wells, Rich, Greene. The agency had been hired by New York State's Department of Commerce to develop a marketing strategy for New York. Glaser is quoted as saying that he thought the image would be used briefly, and then disappear. Now, the image is so familiar it can be seen pretty much everywhere in the city, everyday. It has also spawned pretty much an entire industry of other "I (heart)---" logos.
Glaser is also known for founding “New York” magazine, along with Clay Felker, in 1968, as well as creating the “DC Bullet” logo used by DC Comics for almost 30 years. He also designed the “Brooklyn Brewery” logo, a graphic black, green, white and yellow image that can be seen hanging in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; as well as a striking, near-psychedelic profile of Bob Dylan for a poster.
The “I (heart) NY” logo is set in a typeface called American Typewriter. It is still used to promote tourism in New York. Although the image was intended to promote New York State as a whole, it is now thought of largely as a tribute to New York City, and the image on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and mugs is ubiquitous. It was widely used after the September 11 attacks in 2001 to rally support for New York City.

It's a Dog-Beat-Dog World at the Nation's Top Dog Show

Who let the dogs in?
If they’re purebred, groomed to the hilt, and strutting their stuff in front of adoring fans at New York’s Madison Square Garden, then they’re there by invitation only, thank you very much, and they’re competing in the 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
The show began last night and finishes up tonight with the all-important Best in Show award. (Rumor has it that a Scottie named Sadie is strongly favored.)
Last night, four groups competed: Hound (Whippets, Greyhounds) Toy (Poodles, Pekinese), Non-Sporting (Bulldogs, Chinese Shar-Pei) and Herding (Pulis, Bearded Collies). Tonight we’ll see the Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, as well as Best in Show.
The event is limited to 2,500 dogs, with individual breed judging taking place between 8 am and 6 pm on both days.
Although records are fuzzy, the show has its origins possibly as early as 1876, when a group of gentlemen met regularly to talk, among other things, about their talented dogs. They form a group--and name it after their favorite hotel. A dog show is eventually held--and more than 130 years later; toy poodles with pink bows in their hair are flouncing across the floor of Madison Square Garden.
So if you couldn’t score tickets, never mind: tonight it will be televised on the USA network from 8-11 pm, and you’ll most definitely see a bump in interest in whatever breed wins.
So tear yourself away from men’s Olympic curling for one evening, and watch competitors of a furrier, cuddlier nature for just one night, pink bows and all.

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.

Revelers, This is Your Night: It's Finally New Year's Eve

Those of you who enjoy late-night reveling, close proximity to millions of other people, and staying up really, really late in the freezing cold will be in your element tonight--it’s New Year’s Eve, and the biggest party in town is in New York City’s Times Square.
Streets start getting roped off as early as 2:00 pm, and partiers often start gathering in the late afternoon to ensure a prime spot.
Festivities continue throughout the evening, with musical performances, opening ceremonies at 6:00 pm, and handouts of hats and balloons given out to revelers starting a little after 7:00 pm. Performers and celebrity guests this year include Jennifer Lopez, Daughtry, Taddy Porter, and Anderson Cooper. (Now there’s an eclectic mix).
At 11:59 pm Mayor Bloomberg and a special guest will push the button that signifies the dropping of the Waterford crystal ball. This year, the ball has been redesigned to include 300 Waterford crystal triangles woven into a Celtic knot--they are etched with ribbons, angel wings and flames to indicate the theme "Let There Be Courage." The new lights, for those of you on green-watch, replace halogen bulbs, last three times longer, and use about the same amount of energy as it take to light up two regular ovens.
At midnight, following the dramatic countdown, confetti is released, shouting and kissing of your neighbor ensues, and we welcome 2010. More than 1 ton of confetti will be dropped.
And for those of you who were wondering, the ball-drop tradition goes back to 1907, and the ball tonight will drop 70 feet in 60 seconds. It weighs almost 12,000 pounds.
Happy New Year!

A Great Musical Institution Simply Fades Away

One of New York’s great musical institutions, the Boy’s Choir of Harlem, is no more. The announcement was made last week by a choir alumnus, after former members of the group performed in Harlem.
Although the Choir gave its last official performance two years ago, in 2007, no official announcement of its demise was made. After its founder, Walter J. Turnball, passed away, attempts were made to revise it, but without success.
The choir’s downfall can be traced to both financial issues as well as an abuse scandal; the group was removed from the Choir Academy of Harlem in 2006 and never really recovered their footing.
In its heyday, however, the choir sang for almost every United States president since Lyndon Johnson. They performed everywhere from Royal Albert Hall in London to their final home at the United Methodist Church in Harlem; appeared on TV Christmas specials; and had a repertoire that included works in German, Latin and English. They sang Mozart and Stevie Wonder; Cole Porter and Bach. The group was awarded the National Medal of Arts by former President Bill Clinton. Its original goal was to help kids--often from underprivileged backgrounds--develop more fully through music.
People still call to try to book the group for events, and a splinter group of musicians does exist. It includes both male and female voices, and has performed at venues as diverse as a Brooks Brothers store and an arts festival in Shanghai.
Some members hope the original group will find its way back to its beginnings. In the meantime, the rest of us will just have to dig out one of their old recordings and remember what made them such a New York legend.

New York: Not Just the Best, But the Safest, Too

New Yorkers, tourists to this fair city, and hawkers of New York-themed merchandise now have another reason to gloat: New York is not simply the coolest big city in the country, but now it’s also the safest.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced yesterday that New York is the safest large city in the U.S. Their findings are based on the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, released yesterday by the FBI. The report covers the first six months of 2009, and shows that the violent crime in New York fell by eight percent, a larger decline than the national average. In addition, property crime fell by six percent during the first six months of the year.
The news is not only encouraging, but somewhat surprising, considering the state of the economy and the almost-always rise in crime that occurs in a downturn.
Other safe cities out of the 25 largest cities in the country included in the index? Several in California made the list: Los Angeles (really?); San Jose, and San Diego, as well as Los Vegas, Dallas, Houston, and others.
Out of 253 cities in the United States with populations of more than 100,000 people, New York’s crime rate ranks it 241st-but when you consider that the city falls between Amherst, New York and Sunnyvale, California, that doesn't seem so terrible.
Go forth into the Big Apple and celebrate!

A New City Service Eliminates a Giant School Headache

File this under the why-didn’t-anyone-think-of-this-before category.
Want to know if your child is eligible to take the school bus? Wondering if you can sneak a peek at your child’s school data online? Tired of making 387 phone calls with no result?
Wonder and dial endlessly no more. A New York City service will have (just about all the) answers: Calling 311--just ONE phone call--will get parents; prospective students and their families; and the just plain curious up-to-date information about New York City public schools.
No, really.
This round-the-clock service will come as a giant relief to those who had no idea how to access public school information. (Read: Most everybody). Education experts will be on hand to answer questions, without the frustration of being bounced around among endless government agencies and hotlines.
Among the questions most likely to be posed: What time can I expect my child to be dropped off/picked up by the school bus each day? How do I register my child for school? And the ever-popular and always-mind-numbing, “How does the admissions process work for kindergarten/high school/middle school, etc.?
If you have a specific question about your child’s schedule or school, however, parent coordinators are still on hand in each school to answer those questions.
In the meantime, hooray--one less thing to make parents crazy.

Free Crosstown Buses? Maybe, if Mayor Bloomberg Has His Way

Tired of paying $2.25 for bus fare? We certainly are. But if New York’s Mayor Mike Bloomberg has his way, transit riders on crosstown buses will get a break--the mayor has proposed that all crosstown buses be free.
The plan makes sense: It would both encourage ridership (fewer cars; good for the environment) and ease people's financial burden (good for people’s wallets and psyches.) Bloomberg explained that by drivers not having to collect fares, they would be able to load and unload passengers much more quickly. Many crosstown bus riders are already using the subway, so not much revenue would be lost. (Crosstown buses are also arguably among the slowest in the city.)
Any lost revenue, Bloomberg argued, would be made up by faster travel times, which would allow fewer buses on those routes.
Bloomberg has proposed a number of transportation-related incentives in recent weeks as part of his re-election campaign, but the MTA, oddly enough, is not subject to much control by the mayor (he controls 4 of the 14 votes on the board.) The proposed incentives have included reopening several Long Island railroad stations in Queens and extending the V line from the lower east side into Brooklyn.
Whether the mayor actually has the power to put any of these initiatives into effect remains to be seen--but using the word "free” to lure voters in an election year is often a good ploy.

Tim Burton Career Retrospective Coming To MoMa This Fall

Can’t wait for next year’s Alice in Wonderland, Hollywood cult film director Tim Burton’s cinematic take on the novel by Lewis Carroll? The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City will have a major career retrospective on Burton that should satisfy the appetite, on display from November 22, 2009, to April 26, 2010.
Burton is known as the legendary director and creative mastermind behind such classics as Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The exhibit of all things Burton will consist of a film series, early childhood and recent drawings, and storyboards created during the production of his famous movies. Over 700 of his distinct drawings, paintings, photographs, moving-image works, costumes, props, and other personal items will be on display. Burton is not only a director, but a producer, writer, concept artist for live-action and animated films, fiction writer, photographer and illustrator, with success spanning his 27-year career. Burton’s work often deals with cynicism, sentiment, the intriguingly grotesque, humor, and the themes of adulthood and adolescence.
This exhibition at MoMa coincides with the publishing of The Art of Tim Burton, a limited edition hard cover book featuring over 1,000 illustrations on 430 pages. Entry to the Tim Burton career retrospective is included with admission to MoMa. Museum tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors, $12 for full-time students with I.D., and free for persons under 16.

Severe Storm Causes Worst Damages In Decades To Central Park Trees

On the night of Tuesday, August 18, a very brief and violent storm pounded on New York City that left Central Park ravaged with tree limbs scattered and whole trees on their side and uprooted. Officials are saying it’s the worst damage the park has seen in decades. An estimated 500 trees were injured, but thankfully no one was hurt.
Some trees destroyed dated from the 1920s or ‘30s, making the destruction an even bigger shame. The upper half of Central Park was hit hardest. Wood chippers have been hard at work since, eating away at the piles of fallen lumber needing to be discarded. The lumber being mulched into piles are being put to good use to moisten the soil throughout the park. Due to the infestation of the Asian longhorn beetles, the fallen trees unfortunately won’t be used for furniture or firewood. What’s even worse, many trees that lost large limbs are at risk of dying from decay, so those may need to be removed as well.
The storm has also had an unfortunate effect on wildlife, leaving many creatures homeless. Many paths with tree limbs now lying across them have been marked off with yellow tape.
Restoration could cost the Central Park Conservancy nearly $500,000, which will have to be paid by donors. Clean up crews still have a lot of work to do from the widespread damage even a week later.

Hurricane Bill Causes New York City Beaches To Temporarily Close

Six New York City beaches were closed to swimming today, August 21, due to Hurricane Bill looming in the Atlantic Ocean. Rip Currents, heavy surf and tall waves will most likely keep the beaches shut down through the weekend. Manhattan and Brooklyn beaches have been closed, including Coney Island. Also closed is Rockaway Beach in Queens and Midland, and South and Wolfe’s Pond beaches in Staten Island. Rockaway Beach is the city’s only official surfing area, which could disappoint many surfers looking to take advantage of the heavy surf. The hurricane could create seas as high as 10 feet at New York City and Long Island beaches.
Concerned about staying cool? There are 63 pools in New York City. All beaches at Fire Island National Seashore on Long Island will be closed by tomorrow and are expected to be closed over the weekend as well. Robert Moses State Park on Long Island was closed today and Jones Beach State Park may be closed soon. Orchard Beach in the Bronx is still open to swimming for as long as conditions will allow.
Hurricane Bill closed in on Bermuda today on track to move up the east coast of the United States and even to northeastern Canada by this weekend. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory that winds of 110 miles makes Hurricane Bill a Category 2 storm.

The Metropolitan Opera Sets New Record For First-Day Ticket Sales

The Metropolitan Opera in New York City truly has something to sing about! The Met set a record in ticket sales on Sunday, August 16, the first day of individual box office sales for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. The Met sold $2.5 million worth of tickets at its box office, telephone call center and through the Web site. The first-day sales for the new season was up sharply from the previous record of nearly $2.1 million that was set in 2007.
The record setting amount of tickets sold for the upcoming season is a surprise to the Met’s management considering the bad economy. However, they have been committed to maintaining the Met’s artistic excellence throughout, drawing new audience members and delivering a distraction from the economic climate.
The Met’s 2009-2010 season opens with the gala premiere of a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca” on September 21, conducted by James Levine. The season features eight new productions, four of which are company premieres. Season premieres include Rossini’s “Armida,” Verdi’s “Attila,” Shostakovich’s “The Nose,” and Janáček’s “From the House of the Dead.” New productions include Bizet’s “Carmen,” Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” Thomas’s “Hamlet,” and Puccini’s “Tosca.” There are also 18 revivals from the company’s repertory that will be in the season lineup.

Ceiling Collapse In 181st Street Station Causes Disruption In No. 1 Train Service

Officials are scrambling to fix where a huge part of the ceiling collapsed in the 181st Street subway station in Washington Heights where the No. 1 train runs. Upper Manhattan is expected to not have No. 1 train service through this weekend and possibly into next week, with service suspended from 168 Street to Dyckman Street stations. Both tracks and the edges of the platforms were covered with rubble when the incident occurred Sunday at 10:30 p.m. No one was injured.
While the debris is being removed and a protective barrier is built where the ceiling gave way, free shuttle buses are running between 168th Street and Dyckman Street stations. Although this will somewhat ease the problem, it takes the equivalent of 20 shuttle buses to make up one full train of passengers.
The 181st Street subway station is 103 years old and complaints about crumbling tiles and water leaks poured in from local residents, but transit officials did too little too late. Local officials believe water seepage was the main reason for the collapse, a regular complaint at many of the deep No. 1 line stations that are not well kept or well lit. At three stories below, the 181st Street station is one of the deepest and dampest subways in New York City, with the elevators often under repair. A contract for construction is expected to be set in early 2010.

Crazy For Cupcakes? Come To New York City

New York City is truly a cupcake lovers paradise, famous for its cupcake bakeries since a “Sex and the City” episode in which Sarah Jessica Parker eats a pink-frosted cupcake in front of Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street. Nine years since the episode aired, tourists still flock to Magnolia Bakery.
New York City is crazy for cupcakes; cupcake bakeries can often be seen with lines out the door. Manhattan’s Institute of Culinary Education leads cupcake tours and offers cupcake-making classes. And cupcake bakeries are being more creative than ever to cater to the masses, offering everything from vegan to gourmet cupcakes. Here are some of the best cupcake shops in New York City worth a visit:

Babycakes NYC (248 Broome Street) serves up dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free vegan cupcakes, sweetened with agave nectar.

Buttercup Bake Shop (973 Second Avenue) cupcakes are have decadent touches like German chocolate cake and almond white cake.

Crumbs Bake Shop is a popular bakery with 10 locations throughout Manhattan that have large, sugary sweet cupcakes in flavors like watermelon, key lime, and cappuccino.

Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker Street) is arguably the most famous cupcake bakery due to its exposure on Sex and the City and for their cupcakes baked fresh all day, every day.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine (126 Rivington Street) is a vintage-themed bakery serving small buttercream cupcakes in simple flavors like red velvet and pistachio.

Cruise The Waterfront With New York Water Taxi Hop-On, Hop-Off Summer Service

Looking for a fun new way to tour New York City? How about by boat? The New York Water Taxi offers a hop-on/hop-off weekend boat service around New York Harbor, making stops at 10 of the city’s best neighborhoods and attractions. This service will run from May 2 to October 11, 2009, every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. A day pass ($20 for adults, $15 for kids) allows for unlimited travel.
The Water Taxi’s first stop is West 44th Street at Pier 84. Check out the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Pier 86 at West 46th Street to tour the large aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. The second stop is West 27th Street at Pier 66 in Chelsea. Cool off from the summer heat by ice-skating at Chelsea Piers. Next up is Greenwich Village at Pier 45. Stroll the West Village and Hudson River Park. Traveling further south, the Water Taxi docks at the World Financial Center for a great opportunity to see the World Trade Center Memorial.
The fifth stop is Battery Park, the very Southern tip of Manhattan, with views of the Statue of Liberty. Round the island to South Street Seaport for shopping and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by Fulton Ferry Landing, the oldest ferry landing in New York City. The Water Taxi then stops at Hunters Point for access to Water Taxi Beach and Long Island City. The tour ends at East 34th Street, with sites like the United Nations Building and the Empire State Building in the vicinity.

Tourists Take To The Skies To See City's Sights Despite Tragic Collision

A Liberty Helicopter Sightseeing Tours helicopter and a small plane that took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey collided midair above the Hudson River on August 8, killing nine with no survivors. All bodies and wreckage have since been recovered from the river. The passengers taking a tour of New York City on the helicopter were five Italian tourists.
The accident occurred in a busy corridor over the Hudson in which pilots are free to decide their route, as long as they stay under 1,000 feet and don’t get too close to skyscrapers. Despite the tragic accident, tourists have remained unfazed and took to the skies for tours the very next day after the accident. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has even encouraged helicopter tours to continue, and that “there’s no reason why having helicopter tours shouldn’t be safe … I certainly don’t think that we should ban them.” A city councilwoman is pressing to ban tourist helicopter rides over Manhattan.
Taking in a birds-eye view from a helicopter is an increasingly popular tourism attraction in New York City and a thriving business despite the risk and high cost. Liberty Helicopter Tours offers a Lady Liberty tour costing $135 for 6 to 8 minutes, Big Apple tour of Manhattan landmarks for $165, a 16 to 20 minute tour of all five boroughs for $230, and a romantic private ride around Manhattan at night for $1,010.

Newly Opened Brooklyn Boulders Rocks Its Way Into New York City

A new alternative to rock climbing at the usual New York City health club and Chelsea Piers has opened: a venue solely dedicated to indoor rock climbing. Brooklyn Boulders, an indoor rock climbing gym that is said to be a first for the borough, opened in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn on August 5 and is already a hit with locals.
The gym is co-owned by Jeremy Balboni, 26, and Steven Spaeth, 25, who did all of the construction of the walls and padded floors themselves along with employees of Spaeth’s family’s design marketing firm (that also happens to design Macy’s holiday windows.) The 18,000-square-foot former Daily News warehouse at Degraw Street and Third Avenue has thirty-foot ceilings and tasteful graffiti art and cartoons decorating portions of the wall where there aren’t nylon climbing grips. Climbing walls are tilted from just under vertical to totally horizontal for the most advanced. A scalable mock-up of a tower of the Brooklyn Bridge is a focal point in the gym.
Brooklyn Boulders is open to memberships. A day pass is $20/day with your own gear, or $30/day with provided gear and instruction. A yearly membership is $600 and a lifetime membership can be purchased for $5,000. It can be hard for gyms to survive on membership revenue alone, so to help Brooklyn Boulders survive, it’s available for corporate team-building, private special events and birthday parties.
The hours are irregular as the finishing touches are being made. Brooklyn Boulders is currently open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays with classes taking place at a few different times. Visit www.brooklynboulders.com for more information.

Big-Name Comedians Added To New York Comedy Festival Roster

Headliners of the New York Comedy Festival have officially been announced as Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg and 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan, joining the bill of an already stellar line-up of the country’s best comedians. The diverse group of performers include actor/comedian Dane Cook, British comedian Ricky Gervais, “Howard Stern Show” regular Artie Lange, actor/comedian Mike Epps, and comedian/television show host/author/political commentator Bill Maher. This is the sixth installment of the festival, with an estimated 150 comedians expected to perform. It will take place over the course of November 4 through 8 in New York City.
If a certain presidential election distracted you from the festival last November, then there is no excuse for not attending the festival this year. The comedy acts will be held at various locations throughout the city, at about 10 different venues, like Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Town Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the Beacon Theatre. The festival is presented in association with Comedy Central. Panel discussions will also be held at the Paley Center for Media. The line-up of panelists is yet to be announced.
November 4 kicks off with “Stand Up For Heroes,” a special benefit presented by New York Comedy Festival and the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Town Hall. For more information and tickets, visit www.nycomedyfestival.com

Take A Self-Guided Tour Of Illuminated NYC Structures

A new take on the usual New York City architectural tour has come along. There are apparently a surprising amount of visitors and locals who are interested in seeing the city through LEDs, mercury vapor lamps and the prism of gels, as odd as that sounds.
Three months ago, a self-guided tour map of New York City lighting designs was published by the Illuminating Engineering Society of New York in conjunction with the Designers Lighting Forum of New York. The self-guided maps have been so popular that only 1,500 of the original 20,000 are left in the office of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Much of the $25,000 spent on the project was provided by sponsors, and the society is currently considering a second printing.
The large foldout map leads people to different areas of New York City. The tour highlights the ethereal lighting of buildings and structures, along with the lighting designers and firms associated with each. Some examples that can be viewed at nighttime are the Alexander Hamilton Customs House, the Brooklyn Central Library, the TKTS kiosk in Times Square, and of course the illuminated glass Apple Store at Fifth Avenue. Much of the tour’s purpose is to bring attention to the overlooked lighting design industry that places a crucial part in how we view structures. Attention to lighting has also become more relevant as buildings look to become more energy efficient. Copies of the map can be purchased online at www.iesnyc.org/CityLights.aspx

Pop-up Wedding Chapel Opens in Lower East Side, Protests Gay Marriage

Despite a ban on gay marriage in the state of New York, a pop-up wedding chapel has opened on the Lower East Side that can perform marriage ceremonies for both homosexuals and heterosexuals.
No bigger than a garage, the narrow space known as “Grand Opening” is a rotating storefront, with a new concept opening every three or four months. The space, owned by Kevin Fey and Joseph Peter, has been a drive-in movie theater and a ping-pong parlor in the past. It can be found at 139 Norfolk Street, currently with several rows of chairs for guests, flowers on the walls, and dreamy lights strung across the ceiling.
The marriages are performed by Fey, who became a reverend over the Internet through Universal Life Church. Ceremonies can cost between 100 and 500 dollars at Grand Opening. Heterosexual couples can get legally married in just 10 minutes, as simple and as valid as a wedding in city hall or in a Las Vegas chapel.
The ceremonies are without religious references and include the traditional exchange of rings and vows. The homosexual marriage ceremonies performed are not legal due to the state’s gay marriage ban, but are symbolic acts of protest. Couples who are native New Yorkers will still marry legally, or have already married legally, but choose to get fake married so they can have a ceremony at home with family and friends. Gay marriage is currently legal in six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Iowa and Vermont.