Quotes from RICE TO RICHES

These are some of the funny little quotes displayed at Rice to Riches where they serve a wide variety of the dessert classic, rice pudding. The dessert place offers more than 24 flavors of rice pudding and some funny quotes to ponder while enjoying your dessert. The dessert place is located at Spring Street, between Mott and Mulberry Streets.   

6 1/2 Avenue

In midtown Manhattan, there is a a series of public pedestrian plazas stretching from West 51st to 57th Streets between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The 6-block-long "avenue" has been named 6 1/2 Avenue. The project is part of the Department of Transportation's efforts to maximize the use and safety of the multiple public plazas that were created when the buildings were erected. These public plazas have served as shortcuts for pedestrians. Crosswalks connecting the pedestrian plazas are also in place.

Cornell University's Ithaca > NYC Campus Link

Cornell University's campus-to-campus express bus service has been operating since 2004. The executive coach service is a vital in link between the Manhattan (medical school) and Ithaca campuses of Cornell University. The coaches feature single and double seating for up to 32 passengers, ample work-room, internet service, a well-stocked galley, satellite radio, hot and cold running water and other amenities. The four-hour, nonstop trip from the Ithaca campus to the Cornell Club and Weill Cornell Medical College (photo above) in New York City operates seven days a week, year-round. For more information, visit  their website. 

Front Stoops in Brooklyn

In some neighborhoods in Brooklyn, stoops are very common in front of houses. Stoops are used not only as front entrances but also as front porches. The stoop was originally brought to New York by settlers from the Netherlands. The word stoop is derived from the Dutch word "stoep".

"Free Your Breasts, Free Your Mind" - Topless Day Rally At Bryant Park

Today is National Go Topless Day, a celebration of women's legal right to bare their breasts in public. A topless rally took place today in midtown Manhattan's Bryant Park. Topless women and men activists participated in the rally, including Moira Johnston and Holly Van Voast. The activists later on proceeded to Times Square. In New York City, it is legal to go topless. During the rally, This year, topless day falls exactly on women's equality day. The rally was organized by gotopless.org.

New York City's First Ever Balut (Fertilized Duck Egg) Eating Contest Hosted by Maharlika at Dekalb Market in Brooklyn

New York City's first ever balut eating contest was held earlier today at Dekalb Market in Brooklyn. Balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It is a street food delicacy in the Philippines and other Asian countries, but always on any Westerner's list of "extreme foods." Ten persons from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut participated to see how many balut they can suck down in a five-minute span. The participants were allowed to bring their own condiments to eat with balut. Wayne Algenio from Queens chowed down 18 eggs and became the first Maharlika Balut Eating Champion. The event was organized by Nicole Ponseca, owner of Maharlika, a Filipino restaurant in the East Village that bills itself as "Filipino moderno". Dekalb Market is located at 138 Willoughby Street in downtown Brooklyn. Maharlika is located at 111 First Avenue and 7th Street in Manhattan's East Village.

The Art Students League Of New York

Founded in 1875, the Art Students League of New York is an independent art school providing contemporary atelier studio art classes in painting, drawing, sculpting, printmaking, and mixed media. The school is unique and is modeled after the French atelier system of instruction. Students are allowed to learn at their own pace and the school is open for students at all levels. Students can start classes anytime at the league. There are no prerequisites for enrollment and tuition is affordable. Some of the prominent artists who have studied or taught at the league include Norman Rockwell, Roy Lichtenstein, Al Hirschfeld, Ai Weiwei, Georgia O'Keeffe, Mark Rothko, among others. The main campus in Manhattan is located in a historic building at 215 West 57th Street in midtown Manhattan.

Second Avenue Subway Construction

The Second Avenue Subway construction began in 2007. According to the MTA website, the project will include a two-track line along Second Avenue from 125th Street to the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. When completed,  the Second Avenue Subway will reduce overcrowding and delays on the Lexington Avenue line, improving travel for both city and suburban commuters, and provide better access to mass transit for residents of the far East Side of Manhattan. Yesterday, rocks and debris from errant blasting at the construction site shattered store windows near 72nd Street.

David Beckham Statue

Move over Andy Warhol. Ten-foot-tall silver statues of David Beckham are on display around New York City to promote his new underwear line for H&M.As part of the ad campaign, shoppers can win a $1,000 H&M shopping spree if they upload a photo of themselves with the statue to Instagram using the hashtag #HMBeckham. Runners up will win their own one-foot-tall naked Beckham statue. There are six Beckham statues in NYC, two in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco. The statues will be on display until August 31. The photo above was taken in South Street Seaport.

Free Lottery Tickets for Last Night's Final Performance of "GHOST The Musical"

Fans of "GHOST The Musical" flocked to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre hours before the final performance of the show to take part in the lottery for 24 seats yesterday afternoon. The producers of the Broadway show made all 24 lottery tickets in the first and second rows of the orchestra available free of charge for last night's final performance at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The lottery for the 8 PM final performance opened at 5:30 PM, with a drawing at 6:00 PM. 

The London pop musical based on the Academy Award-winning 1990 began Broadway previews March 15 and officially opened April 23. When it closes, Ghost The Musical will have played 39 previews and 136 regular performances.

Broadway Green - Sculpture with Nature by Patricia Leighton and Del Geist at the Fashion District

Six elevated green cubes have been installed in the Fashion District's Broadway Plazas from 36th to 41st Streets. Created by environmental artists, Patricia Leighton and Del Geist, the sculptures with nature represent an elevation of nature in an urban space. The elevated steel frames also blend with the surrounding architecture. The art installation continues through the end of summer.