Do It Go

When traveling in Manhattan this summer, those tourists and vacationers will want to leave for walks, from the rooms of the best hotels.  New York City is currently home to the ‘living’ sculptures of Christian Jankowski.  Many who have visited the city, or who live there are quite familiar with the amount of street performers, the musicians and the theater that happens on just about every corner and in every subway station.  One may assume upon looking at Jankowski’s work, that this is just another public performance.  However, these are bronze sculptures, realistic interpretations of those who have performed over the years on the streets.   Jankowksi has been inspired over the years, by these folks, and pays tribute to them for that inspiration.

The three sculptures that are on display currently, were inspired by a trip Janowski had taken to Barcelona, Spain.  Performers there, presented themselves as art, as bronze sculpture.  One in the form of Julius Caesar, another as Che Guevara, and third was a woman, who presented herself as the piece by Salvador Dali, ‘The Anthropomorphic Cabinet Woman’.  These are historical forms, real, and the imagined…as in the Dali sculpture.  Janowski was so moved, that he created replicas of those who were pretending to be sculptures.  Many performers do just the same thing, along Hollywood Boulevard and on the Santa Monica Pier.  Painted and motionless, only to move at the last moment, thoroughly terrifying those walking by.  Janowski’s work will be on display at the entrance of Central Park throughout the summer of 2009.  Central Park contains many famous works by sculptors.  Over the years many have been viewed and become even more well known as they appear in films based in the city.  This is just one of New York’s many sites, that should not be missed.

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Valencia is a great Spanish city, full of culture and rich in historic architecture and landmarks. Entertainment is also a well-recognized aspect of the city. It is the third largest city in Spain and tourists are greatly attracted its grandness. The beaches and the city proper have an exuberant nightlife, and an annual festival attracts some of its greatest attention. Las Falles was a local festival that has become famous. It takes place in March of every year and draws multitudes of area residents and also outside guests that fly in just for the festival. The best Valencia hotels are extremely busy every March during the days of Las Falles.

The festival began as a celebration of Saint Joseph, which has become its tradition. There are a few theories as to exactly when and how it got started and one of them begins it in the middle ages. This is an annual event, though preparations and planning for it occur throughout the year. Each section of the city is organized into groups of people, or neighborhood planning committees. They work hard through the year planning various fundraising events and dinners. Most often the dinners will consist of the Paella. Each of the Casai fallers, the neighborhood groups, will create a special falla, which is a sort of torch that will be burnt during the festival.

The La Crema occurs on the final night, which is around March 19^th, of Falles, and is the point at which the torches are burned. This creates a great bonfire that is known as the crema, ‘the burning.’ The burning begins close to midnight, while there is a separate children’s crema that occurs earlier and in a different location. This is a citywide festival and people run through the streets in a frenzied celebration of la crema. There are also numerous street vendors who sell snacks and miscellaneous items. This festival is very similar to carnival festivals and may have begun around the same time. It is definitely an exciting time for tourists to visit the vibrant city of Valencia.

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