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Times Square Art – The Beginning Of The End Installation with Tips For Those With Kids

I purposely opted not to enroll Juliet in school on Fridays so we would have the freedom to take long weekend getaways or get to sleep in and enjoy mommy and me city adventures.  This is the last year we will have after all, before she has to attend school regularly M-Fri.  While the weather is still nice here in New York, we like to go out and explore all of New York’s offerings.  There’s so much to see and do and Times Square is one of the many locales that offers so much in terms of attractions, shopping and now art!  I’m excited to share with you some new Times Square art! “The Beginning of the End,” is an interactive and reflective monument in the heart of Times Square’s Broadway Plaza (between 46th and 47th streets).  It asks visitors to “reassess their perspective on an entirely different visual reality, how they see themselves in the environment that surrounds them, and how that relationship changes as the reflections create new visual possibilities.”

Seeing Times Squares skyscrapers and flashing lights multiplied through all the mirrors was pretty spectacular!  If you’re in the area, you have to see this while you can.  It’s only around for another week (website says it closes down Nov 21st).  Who knows, it might just inspire a little dancing in the streets!

It encourages even the most jaded New York-ers to look up, and really look around to appreciate the magnificent skyline and energy of the city.  There is art all around us if you really look.  We are so lucky to live in this vibrant place.

                                                                                                                                                                  Juliet's dress is care of Sprouting Threads

I just wish Cuban artist Rachel Valdés Camejo could see all the joy she brought to the heart of this city through her Times Square art.  It brought smiles and such joy to tourists and NY-ers alike!

Tips for parents:

1. Nearby restrooms can be found at McDonald’s across the street
2. The Disney store (which also has a restroom on the 2nd floor),  and the Hello Kitty TS store are great stops before/after
3. There are tons of family-friendly restaurants nearby, (Carmine’s for Italian and Ellen’s Stardust Diner for dinner with a show are my top picks)
4. Dave and Buster’s is at 234 W 42nd St, 3rd Floor
5. Hershey’s Times Square is at 1593 Broadway
6. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! is at 234 W 42nd Street
7. Midtown Comics is at 200 West 40th Street
8. You’ll see lots of opportunities to snap photos of your child with costumed characters found along the streets of Times Square (think Mickey, Minnie, Elmo, Hello Kitty and superheroes) but beware, you will be expected to tip!

Where else would you recommend hitting in the heart of Times Square?  And what’s your favorite source of Times Square art?

For more of our artsy adventures, click here!

 

 

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Refinery 29 rooms a Must-See NYFW Art Installation

These days with the social media craze, it seems like everyone is searching for the latest and greatest and most Instagram-able moments.  Refinery 29 understands this inherently and has created Refinery ’29 Rooms’ to draw us all into their creative, fashionable world.  “29Rooms brings to life a lot of the themes Refinery29 covers in its digital content to a physical space, said Piera Gelardi, co-founder and executive creative director of Refinery29. “We live in an increasingly digital world, so people want to have memorable experiences, but they also want to be able to share them with their digital friends,”  As a former brand director, who created press-worthy integrated marketing campaigns, I found this immersive branding concept so up my alley and couldn’t wait to explore everything!  Since I had a VIP pass to 29 rooms, I knew I could skip the crazy long lines and bring Juliet along for the adventure and I’m soooo glad I did!

The transformed 80,000-square-foot warehouse felt like a cool, artsy maze with which you could weave your way in and out constantly discovering colorful new reasons to smile.

I loved how Juliet perked up at the sight of each cool new fantastical room.

Each showcased, design, style, beauty, art, and even technology in the coolest, weirdest and unexpected ways.  But what topped our list as the most memorable rooms were the interactive ones!  Most were super kid-friendly like the ones that encouraged writing on the walls…hoping Juliet doesn’t get used to this bright idea…

 

And we totally enjoyed getting goofy and making art with our bodies!

Our top 4 favorite rooms out of the 29 rooms however were:  Celebrate You, Wig Wonderland, Texture room, and the Panda room!

I loved the Papyrus sponsored Celebrate You room for obvious reasons.  I’m a party planner after all and I live by the self-made motto, “celebrate the everyday in style.”  So this confetti filled room enveloped in party supplies had me in my happy place!  Juliet yelped, “it’s like a party in here!” And it sure was!

We posed for silly GIF photos and threw endless confetti around ‘cuz that’s what you do in a party palace.  All mommy needed was some rose’ to really make it a party on this blistery hot day!

Juliet’s favorite (cuz she adores dress up) was what I like to call the wig wonderland.  Juliet loved trying on each whimsical wig and guests couldn’t stop taking selfies of themselves here!  The social shares here must be through the roof!  Apparently Ru Paul collaborated on this room hence, his famous saying lit up for all the world to see, ‘you better WORK!”  Juliet came back to this room for a 2nd time it was that good!

The next room was filled with textural surprises.  Juliet and I explored, danced, laughed and played in it for far longer than warranted.  You just never know what will inspire a toddler, I guess! She started playing around with the fur as if it were Rapunzel’s long locks flowing from the top of her head and me?  Well I just sort of got danced around getting my groove back!

Last but not least, the room we both were obsessed with was the Panda room!

 

Having seen this room all over Instagram before coming, I knew to pack Juliet’s panda fashions. So out came her Gymboree panda shirt and matching shoes.  The artist and staff loved her outfit so much that they insisted Juliet take home one of the coveted but never given away, blow-up pandas that you see here.  What a souvenir!!  She was honored!  THANK YOU!

Braving the heat wave was worth it just for this Instagram-able room by Nicopanda.  Everyone was frantically snapping up a storm in here, knowing soon their time would be up and they’d have to stop sinking deliriously into this panda pit and return to reality.  This truly immersive art project will not soon be forgotten!

If you’re in the NY area, it’s worth a visit!  Just know that typically lines are at least an hour wait so be prepared!

When: September 9 through 11, from 12 to 8 p.m.
Where: 8 Ingraham Street, Brooklyn, NY

For more photos (so many to share, so little space!), follow me @fabgabblog on FB, Instagram and Twitter where I’ll be posting scenes from more rooms!

We had so much fun here and hope this post put a little joy in your day!  Please leave a comment!

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