Passage in the Garment District

A new art installation is lighting up the Garment District! The interactive piece, called “Passage,” consists of twenty glowing rings that react with swirling color and sound as people pass through them. The artist, Serge Maheu, has a background in engineering, and is adept at creating artworks that use his technical skills in creative ways. This work was conceived as a meditation on the idea of transition and change, drawing on ideas of “passage in reference to the enigmatic moment between life and death.” Sponsored by the Québec Government Office in New York, the installation will only be in place for a few weeks, but in that time, it will bring color and fun to the chilly nights in midtown.

The Great Debate by Hebru Brantley

The Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan, is home to a new larger-than-life sculpture. The piece, titled “The Great Debate,” is part of artist Hebru Brantley’s Flyboy series. The artist is known for creating narrative-driven art, often featuring his signature character, Flyboy. Described as “an exploration of what a superhero character of color would look like,” Flyboy can be found in comics, on murals, t-shirts, skateboards, and stickers, as well as in more traditional paint-on-canvas artworks. The 16-foot-tall statue in The Battery “features Flyboy in a stance that represents confident optimism.” The artist, Brantley, suggests, “My hope is that The Great Debate at The Battery will serve as a consistent reminder to hold your head high, stand firm in what you believe in, and keep pushing forward with confidence.”

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is one of the most iconic symbols of Christmas in New York City. Tourists and locals alike come to Midtown Manhattan every year to see the enormous, brightly lit tree. This year, the tree is a 79ft tall Norway Spruce, which was carted to the plaza from Maryland and decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored lights strung on approximately 5 miles of wire. This Christmas Tradition has a long history – this year’s tree was not even planted yet when workers at Rockefeller Center put up the very first one and decorated it with garlands made by their families. 90 years ago, that first tree was modest, bought with money pooled together by the workers. Today, the search for the perfect tree takes all year, and it is a major operation to transport it to New York City and decorate it. The Christmas tree lights up Rockefeller Plaza through the holiday season, before eventually being donated to Habitat for Humanity as lumber to help build homes.

Office Holiday Party

This week, we had our annual office holiday party! We celebrated by taking a cruise around the southern tip of Manhattan, where we got to see landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge up close. The Statue of Liberty, of course, has been welcoming immigrants to New York City since 1886, holding up her torch to light the way to America’s shores. The Brooklyn Bridge has been a notable feature of the city for even longer, as it was designed by a Prussian immigrant in the 1860s and was completed by his daughter-in-law in 1883. After taking in the views of the skyline and the city’s rich history, we headed over to the Spanish Diner at Hudson Yards for delicious food and drinks and lots of lively conversation. We had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays in our beautiful city!