New York Cares Day (Fall)

New York Cares was founded by a group of friends in 1987 who wanted to take action against social issues in New York City. Today, the organization engages 56,000 volunteers in service each year, helping 400,000 New Yorkers in need. Today is New York Cares Day Fall, one of the signature programs of the organization. It is also the organization's largest volunteer day, mobilizing about 6,000 volunteers to over 90 NYC public schools. The event is a 'serve-a-thon', in which volunteers raise money in honor of their work they do. Volunteers paint, organize, clean, and revitalize classrooms of public schools. I joined several groups of volunteers in painting hallways and murals in the Alexander Humboldt School PS 115 in Washington Heights in northern Manhattan.

Banksy's Japanese-Themed Street Art in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Day 17 of "Better Out Than In"

Street art aficionados flocked to Williamsburg, Brooklyn today to see the British-born artist, Bansky's latest stencil. The piece shows two silhouetted Geisha girls meeting at a "bridge" which is actually a curved section of the building's façade at Cook Street near Graham Avenue. A small bonsai tree sprouts at one end of the "bridge". Today marks Day 17 of Banksy's "residency" on the streets of New York, which he's dubbed "Better Out Than In." Banksy has set up a residence on the streets of New York for the month of October, unveiling one piece of art a day, which fans can follow on a website.

The Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx

T he Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum exhibition is back at the New York Botanical Garden. This year's display at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory features hundreds of large chrysanthemums coaxed from a single stem and precisely arrayed in serried ranks; countless tiny chrysanthemums, shaped into bright cascades suspended from wire armatures; anemone-form chrysanthemums twisted around a piece of wood in a reinterpretation of bonsai. The kiku, (chrysanthemum’s Japanese name), is the central image in the imperial seal and the symbol of Japan’s monarchy, traditionally referred to as the chrysanthemum throne. It is the most revered flower in Japan. The exhibit continues through Oct. 27.

Banksy's Street Art in New York City

Artworks created by the mysterious British street artist Banksy have been appearing in various locations in the city after he announed a a month-long residency in New York City. Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti using a distinctive stencilling technique. His artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy’s artwork, when removed from its always pre-existing urban settings, has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions. The artist has not shown his face or revealed his identity, aside from a shadowed interview in which his voice was altered in the award-winning biographical documentary, "Exit Through the Gift Shop." Some of the pieces created here in New York City include "Concrete Confessional" in the East Village and a truck filled with stuffed animals with amplified toy animal noises called "Sirens of the Lambs" to highlight animal cruelty and factory farming.

Cory Monteith

Cory Monteith (1982-2013), photographed outside Grand Central Terminal in May last year, was a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role as Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.  He died in a Vancouver hotel in July of a heroin and alcohol overdose at age 31.

Diana Nyad Attempts 48-Hour Swim for Hurricane Sandy Relief in a Pool Set Up in Herald Square

Diana Nyad, the 64-year-old Native New Yorker who swam from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage is attempting to swim in a pool set up in  midtown Manhattan for 48 straight hours to benefit victims of Superstorm Sandy. Yesterday, she dove into the 40-yard pool set up in Herald Square in front of Macy's and began doing laps shortly before 9 AM. Her goal is to raise money for people still struggling a year after Sandy. Last month, she became the first person to have swum from Havana to Key West, Florida without a shark cage. Contributions are being accepted by the disaster relief agency AmeriCares Foundation, which will distribute the funds to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.