Neverland Ranch has been in a state of turmoil long before Michael Jackson’s death, but now it looks like it might be coming back for a finale.
State Assemblyman Mike Davis thinks that the California Department of Parks and Recreation should take over the estate and open it as a state park. It sounds like a great idea, but California probably doesn’t have the cash to buy a 2,500-acre mega mansion right now. Maybe the state’s governor can chip in a few bucks before he leaves office. ]]>
Most tourists don't realize this, but real New Yorkers don't hang out in Times Square. In fact, they avoid it whenever possible, giving a wide berth to the crowds packing Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. and the ESPN Zone in favor of more authentic hangouts downtown. But Times Square suddenly got a whole lot more palatable to natives this week with the introduction of several new pedestrian-only zones, where you can hang out and gawk at all the neon and plasma without worrying about being mowed down by a taxi. It was a move I never thought I'd see in a city that has seemingly favored drivers over walkers in recent years, so I had to check it out. Armed with a camera and a copy of The New Yorker, I explored the new car-free oasis of Times Square during my lunch hour on Thursday, and I've got to tell you: it's great. ]]>
New York will get another big time public art installation before its waterfalls have even been put away for the winter. Tadashi Kawamata's "Tree Huts" will start going up in Madison Square Park beginning September 23, and the exhibition officially opens October 2.
The pieces, which basically look like treehouses, will be created on site, using at least some found materials from the park. Maybe that means Shake Shack burger wrappers will be involved?
The huts will be similar to installations the artist created for Art Basel 2007 and other recent shows in Europe. It'll be the first time Kawamata's worked in New York since 1992.
Related Stories:
· Madison Square Art/"Tree Huts" [Official Site, via]
· Public Art coverage [Jaunted]]]>
Whenever we're watching action blockbusters and the hero's tearing up highways and crashing through buildings, we often wonder, um... who's cleaning up the mess?
"Hancock" is sort of a version of that story. Will Smith plays a down and out drunken superhero in LA who spends lots of time saving lives but causing millions of dollars of damage in the process. Obviously, he has a very love-hate relationship with the public.
One day he saves the life of a PR guru (Jason Bateman) who decides Hancock could use a better image. When he sets out to help as a favor, Hancock gets involved with the man's hottie wife (Charlize Theron) and all sorts of self-examination ensues.
We hear it's entertaining--and, hey, it's really the only decent opening this holiday weekend. Just don't go into this one thinking Hancock's a Marvel comic.
The feature was filmed entirely in Los Angeles, so we're giving you some things to explore there with your superhero self.]]>
Hazel and Phinnaeus, twins of megastar Julia Roberts, ran around in New York City's exclusive Gramercy Park recently while younger brother Henry tagged along with the nanny.
Too bad you won't be visiting the lovely oasis of Gramercy: Keys to the private park are granted only to people who live in buildings surrounding it, and the property is tightly controlled. But those who have keys often don't use the park, the president of the Gramercy Park Block Association told The New York Times:
It was always an ornamental park. A lot of people don't even go in to enjoy it. They're so thrilled just to see it. It's like a hotel room with a view of the ocean."
Of course, with Madison Square Park and Union Square within walking distance, it's not as if neighborhood residents lack for park space, but as the old saw goes, the grass is always greener in the park you can't get into. Just ask London residents!
Related Stories:
· The Guardian of Gramercy Park [NYT]
· Julia Roberts' Kids [ONTD]
· Greenspace Travel: Act All Civilized Like in London [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Celebrity Baby Scoop]]]>
If Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons have always seemed a little too, er, remote, try Governors Island: The former military base-turned-public park in New York Harbor is back for another season of wild-enough fun with a skyline.
An operational base for the Coast Guard and Army until 1996, the island is now co-managed by the National Park Service and a nonprofit which last year solicited plans for a redesigned isle to suit its profile as "the park at the center of the world." Until that's underway, though, you can enjoy the creepy old army hospitals and footpaths which mark the grounds.
Governors Island opens Saturday and will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through October 5. Catch the free ferry from the Battery Maritime Terminal (at South Street and Whitehall Street) and you can stay all day for free.
Related Stories:
· Governors Island [Official Site]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: epicharmus]]]>
First screened at last year's Rome Film Fest, "Noise" is an indie film now in limited release about how horribly loud New York City can be. Tim Robbins plays a vigilante car alarm destroyer with co-stars Bridget Moynahan as his wife and William Hurt as Gotham's mayor.
Anyone who's spent more than a night in the city knows it can indeed be a terribly loud place to hang out, so we're bringing you some relief with a few quiet places where you can enjoy a moment or two of silence.
Where to Stay: The Library Hotel It's hardly on the quietest block in the city (at 41st and Madison) but the Library keeps things hush-hush with only six rooms per floor and Dewey Decimal-inspired decor. The thousands of books scattered throughout the hotel will certainly dampen footsteps in the hall, and if that's still not enough, the New York Public Library is a couple blocks away on 42nd and 5th.]]>