I stumbled across this exhibit during a trip to The Public Theater to pick up tickets for
Love's Labor's Lost. [They're also doing
Titus Andronicus, which is a real bloodbath of a play. One rape, one tongue cut out, three hands chopped off, a castration and two ground-up heads baked into a pie. Shakespeare at The Public for only $15 bucks! Seriously, if you live in the vicinity, you owe it to yourself to take advantage of this.]
Believe it or not, this exhibit was commissioned by the NYC Department of Transportation. Who knew transportation funds were being allocated for public art? I approve!
Flaming Cactus, a product of the Animus Arts Collective, is a wrap project. Thousands of fluorescent colored cable ties are attached to lampposts surrounding Astor Place.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8grQ5wU4Mdmt4XjR_LCbkwjQAcXkn3au8DKHDoTxF2iCsRHpGkpj4z7YxdsCIsVehR3QKG9dLX49_BHoAzd0HVkFGDMfQxFLFGmTkfVuc55EVVWLhbPcKZfLdxlyFt93Ay9W3MdLwIk/s400/cact+1.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tH4oy77ycPrSRL3MP8X8ONVbV55mxYom_2cM2DfiiA7j5C1j7CVACesRtcfTlw3IFWdPWt6g2DdvpzYG61ikhbe06flAnZ0RN2bGSfJl2_uDeK2PrSDBdbAp00z-h_RXlMpnhcBM7Xw/s400/cact+5.jpg)
I was there during the afternoon rush hour and nobody stopped to look at it. It's been there for a month so perhaps they're locals who are sick of it. I think it's pretty neat. And it's weatherproof!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaooaXl2SQnBnyL3WChisG23_1R1yfELB3nZBa6o8K0AQ0OjOIKvPyZ-ShYd2EATeDmhTbRlAJWrO2kY5AdbGBwAPzPVjPYXHeU66HatcMdbrYH2Vu5SqenyXGBg7OhMMOvbrOCeJYrIM/s400/cact+2.jpg)
I appreciate the fact that the artists chose a color scheme that would compliment Starbucks' brand palate. How thoughtful!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxXq1v3wGHgG2iMNWNNYi1MNj7Wjfy8mroYL9ZaM3Vcne9gu-WjFKviApNKX9Fme_E4rTT3Qc_B85U_ip2ArV-6G7BbR8Q16KqpYAVizwUVwaG48psVapYF9FcErxrLTsYTFO4J7KbZU/s400/cact+3.jpg)
Each strip had to be put on individually
by hand. Imagine the amount of work involved! What a crazy, labor-intensive project. But it works.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8QZdgrYwdPfRo791mRjt5WqlYRyqQRyggm58UnS76GBbJaThrGTR-YBJqbIh9inJDv37vnkExoDou6nHJqtZfnTCuPv6cDjv66OGDGvhqN4PkWMZWTTFGvB1UWkxjkj_hbQMqJrJLsk/s400/cact+4.jpg)
They look more like fine hairs than cactus needles, especially from a distance.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_l5IpNQfqp4HKBwvLk3wU8FlEIwjD5BmHMPKe7HePg9gFKzXsqTELJD1W-wNfqagJrKUWO1iyMiatGOR6-5hobOPIqADJ2VICfTn9RoNCZZUJr5zXKVygcGjhg74zyHLOoAj6S24_VLU/s400/cact+7.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyPhvdf0MIvDgFwcp-nKzku8gJjDaICMJCm05AKxDZ3y5lJzEv9TPjCaHXHQXNS2wfECeQnQ8pSLO98VWkkgvZRzkIhDysbiFyT-gmSm2QNZlGbqktvlBX8XWXAqhRc91KU1RcMwOReA/s400/cact+6.jpg)
* * *
I was having a pre-theater stinky gyro and realized that I have been coming to this same gyro joint in Greenwich Village and sitting at this same table since I was 21. I've never revealed my age, and I'm sure as hell not going to do it now, but take my word for it, that's a loooong time ago and a LOT of gyros down the gullet. I'm happy to report that the quality has remained consistent through the decades.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHsW73dZ8TH3BC8vgercYinEdP6BzcAGJFxNXSCQMzROO6B0vnJ1u_m1PjfZ4DKJ1lYlVELExuueS0GF4cqpfoR5pU1F4lJxRZPFYam8EDtemrlK8ukWLic1ChZ02iBEMOTYQddXk4oA/s400/g+1.jpg)
This is where 6th Avenue, West 4th St. and Cornelia St. come to a point. The table is practically right on the sidewalk and is perfect for dinner and a show (the show being, NYC).
My long, lost buddy, Klinger, used to live two doors down in a tiny second floor apartment with French windows that opened onto Cornelia St. He would throw crazy, overcrowded parties. We were both utterly smitten with the same girl, Mimi (an actress,
of course). She thought we were two nice, funny boys but she was involved with a successful artist who would take her to his place in the Hamptons on summer weekends. Klinger and I would eat gyros, drink cheap draft beer and wallow in our broken-hearted loserdom. Good times.
* * *
Bad trades by a rogue trader cost the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS) $2 billion. That's
billion with a big B. Believe me, if that guy had MADE $2 billion, they'd have given him a raise, a corner office and a promotion, despite the rogue activity. That industry is amoral.
Labels: NYC: A Users Guide