Times Square Jamboree: Boy Scouts of America Centennial

Today, the Greater New York Area Boy Scouts of America celebrated 100 years of scouting with the Times Square Jamboree. The full day of events featured Scouting Expo with booth displays and activities including canoe canal, wall climbing, virtual archery and kayaking. The festivities culminated in an evening show called "A Shining Light Across America"via satellite from Fort AP Hill, Virginia.

KING TUT, Limited Engagement at the Discovery Times Square Exposition

After more than 30 years, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs returns to New York City for a limited engament at the Discovery Times Square Exposition. The extraordinary exhibition of the splendor of the ancient Egyptian world features the legendary treasures of King Tut, as well as antiquities representing his family and contemporaries. Discovery TSX is located at 226 West 44th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenues, directly across from the Shubert Alley.

Sunday in Central Park: The Lake

The Lake in Central Park offers great vistas including this one near the Loeb Boathouse and the Bethesda Terrace. I made this charming image of the Lake with the twin towers of the San Remo in the background last Sunday. 

From the Central Park official website:

Created originally from a large swamp the lake has provided generations of park visitors with startling vistas and countless opportunities for exploration. The most popular use of the lake today is for row boating and the sturdy vessels can be rented at the Loeb Boathouse at the northeast corner of the Lake. Probably the best way to experience the variety of terrains that surround the man made body of water is a boat trip, and there are few greater pleasures to be had in Central Park then a leisurely cruise around the shoreline. Around the lake you can see places as diverse as the Bethesda Terrace, the Loeb Boathouse, theBow Bridge or Hernshead, not to mention the fauna which includes ducks, mallards and a rather extended family of turtles. For the many years preceding the construction of Wollman Rink in 1951 the Lake was also the center of ice-skating in the park. This was a wildly popular diversion, especially at the turn of the century when as many as 40,000 people were reported to have skated in one day. It offered New Yorkers valuable exercise, as well as a socially acceptable place to socialize (although for many years one end of the lake was designated strictly for use by women).

Jollibee in Queens, New York's First Branch of the McDonald's of the Philippines

Jollibee is a fast-food chain from the Philippines that opened its first New York branch six months ago beneath the No.7 train tracks in Woodside, Queens. Also known as the McDonald's of the Philippines, Jollibee is now the largest Filipino food company. According to food experts, Jollibee owes its success in the Philippines to the fact that it caters to local tastes, unlike McDonald's. Gene Gonzalez, a restaurateur and food consultant who runs the Manila-based Center for Asian Culinary Studies, said Jollibee adjusted its burger to taste like the meatballs that Filipinos like. "Unlike Americans, Filipinos do not like pure beef patties, which can be bland. They like their burgers to taste like meatballs, which are stronger-flavored, with flavor extenders - spices, garlic, onion, celery," he said. Jollibee is located at 62-29 Roosevelt Avenue at 63rd Street in Woodside, Queens.

"Seinfeld" Soup Man ("Soup Nazi") Reopens Famed Soup Store in Midtown Manhattan

Al Yeganeh, the Original Soup Man, who rose to fame after he was caricatured in an episode of the hit NBC Television Show, "Seinfeld" as the "Soup Nazi," reopened his famous soup store today at 259 West 55th Street near 8th Avenue. Yeganeh, who first opened the store in 1984, closed the shop in 2004. He kept the lease to pursue franchise opportunities and a line of frozen soups (as well as T-shirts) with the Original Soup Man brand.  In "Seinfeld", he was portrayed as a cranky and demanding soup stand cook who yells "No soup for you!" to customers who didn't follow his strict ordering procedure. Yeganeh's infamous rules, aimed at keeping lines moving, are still posted above the counter in 10 languages: "Pick the soup you want. Have your money ready. Move to the extreme left after ordering."

Giant Bubbles at Central Park's Bethesda Fountain

These photos of giant bubble show were taken at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park last weekend.

Statuesque in City Hall Park

Aaron Curry (American, born 1972) Yellow Bird Boy (2010, powder coated aluminum)

Aaron Curry (American, born 1972) Big Pink (2010, powder coated aluminum)

Thomas Houseago (British, born 1972) Untitled - Sprawling Octopus Man (2009, bronze)

Pawel Althamer (Polish, born 1967) and the Nowolipie Group (Poland, est. 2004) Sylwia (2010, aluminum) 

Aaron Curry (American, born 1972) Horned Head Trip (reclining) (2010, powder coated aluminum)

Thomas Houseago (British, born 1972) Untitled - Red Man (2008, bronze)

Huma Bhabha (American, born in Pakistan 1962) The Orientalist (2007, bronze)

Currently on display at the New York City Hall Park in downtown Manhattan are sculptures of a dynamic group of six international artists as they reinvent figurative sculpture for a new era. Statuesque features the works of art by Pawel Althamer, Huma Bhabha, Aaron Curry, Thomas Houseago, Matthew Monahan, and Rebecca Warren. Photos of some of the artworks were taken yesterday.

From the official website:

The exhibition is the first time these artists have been shown together, revealing a striking interest in the figure that transcends national boundaries. As the first project curated by Public Art Fund's new Director and Chief Curator Nicholas Baume, Statuesque also marks the New York debut of each work included. In conceivingStatuesque, Baume makes a persuasive argument for the renewed significance of the figure in international contemporary sculpture.

Statuesque celebrates the return of figurative sculpture, but not in the classical sense. Neither literal portraits nor traditional monuments, these works push the expressive potential of sculptural forms and materials. While the approaches and backgrounds of the artists are very different, their work shares a number of key characteristics. They tend towards abstraction over realism, assemblage over the readymade, construction of form over casting from life, and physicality and texture over refinement of finish. Conceptually sophisticated, historically informed, and expressively direct, Statuesque finds in the human figure a sculptural tradition ripe for experimentation. 

2010 Jamaica Underwear Run, Another Typical Summer Evening in Central Park

Video from NauticaNYCTriathlon

Last night, the JAMAICA UNDERWEAR RUN, a 1.7 mile fun run took place in Central Park. 448 scantily-clad runners, a few dogs, and even a baby, participated in this event that takes place in Central Park every year on the Friday before the more serious New York City Triathlon. The Naked Cowboy was there, of course. One winner for the "Best Jamaican Gear" wins a roundtrip airfare to Jamaica and free stay at the chic Rose Hall Resort and Spa.