Photograph by Maria Baranova-Suzuki courtesy of Times Square Arts.

With the new ban on single-use plastic bags hitting New York on March 1, a conversation has been started–and in some cases, continued–about the effects of our consumption on future generations. As important and complex as the topic may be, award-winning Brooklyn-based artist, puppet designer, and director Robin Frohardt has found a way to shine a creative light on consumption, conveniences, and the impact of single-use plastics. Located in Times Square, “The Plastic Bag Store” is an immersive, site-specific public art installation and three-act puppet show, on view from March 18 to April 12 at 20 Times Square.

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Photos by Ian Douglas

Times Square Arts debuted the 2020 Times Square Valentine Heart yesterday, a tradition that started in 2009. This year’s installation, Heart Squared, was selected by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and designed by MODU and Eric Forman Studio. The sculpture is composed of a 10-foot-tall cubic steel lattice structure that approximates the form of an anatomical heart and 125 mirrors that are suspended within and tilted at various angles to create a kaleidoscopic collage of the urban environment. The arrangement of the mirrors might seem random at first but they’re precisely calibrated to form an anamorphic projection—meaning that the mirror array creates a surprise image when viewed from a specific vantage point, which is marked on the ground with white paint.

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Renderings courtesy of Krispy Kreme

Iconic doughnut chain Krispy Kreme announced in June that it will bring its “doughnut theater experience” to a 45,000-square-foot retail space at the corner of 48th Street and Broadway in Times Square where visitors will be able to watch the doughnut-making process–complete with glaze waterfall–or just grab one to go at the walk-up window. It won’t open until May, but to hold you over, Krispy Kreme will soon open five new Manhattan locations, in addition to reopening their long-time Penn Station outpost after a renovation (h/t Time Out NY).

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Rendering courtesy of TSX Broadway

A mixed-use development project hopes to bring even more bright lights and theatrics to Times Square. A team of developers, led by L&L Holding Company, will provide the ultimate New Year’s Eve experience at its new luxury hotel, part of the plan to transform the historic Palace Theatre into TSX Broadway. New renderings of the $2.5 billion project, which involves raising the theater more than 30 feet and building a 669-room hotel above it, show off suites with perfect views of the Times Square ball drop, the neighborhood’s first outdoor stage, and immersive retail experiences.

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Photo by Ian Hardy for Countdown Entertainment

The new year has arrived in New York City…at least in numbers. Two seven-foot-tall numerals, the “2” and “0” in 2020, are currently on display in Times Square, offering the public a chance to snap a photo with the famous digits before they are placed on top of One Times Square. The 2020 signage sits below the crystal-filled New Year’s Eve ball and will light up at midnight on December 31, marking the start of a new decade.

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Rendering courtesy of Target

New York City is getting another Target. The retailer announced on Thursday plans to open a small-format store in Times Square, its 10th store in Manhattan. The 33,000-square-foot location will be located at a five-level retail complex on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The property, owned and managed by Tishman Realty, is currently undergoing a $60 million renovation. The 42nd Street shop is expected to open in 2022.

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Rumors of War © Kehinde Wiley. Used by permission. Presented by Times Square Arts in partnership with the Virginia Museum of Fine Art and Sean Kelly, New York. Photographer: Kylie Corwin for Kehinde Wiley.

The artist widely known for his portrait of former President Barack Obama unveiled last week his first public sculpture. Nigerian-American visual artist Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumors of War“ will be on display in Times Square until December. Standing 27 feet high, the artwork features a young African American man dressed in ripped jeans and a hoodie sitting on a horse, a direct response to the controversial Confederate monuments found all over the United States.

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Nik Wallenda on the tightrope at Canada’s Wonderland in 2009; via Flickr

A brother and sister tightrope walking duo will attempt to travel 25 stories above Times Square next month. Nik and Lijana Wallenda will balance 1,300 feet on a tightrope between One Times Square and Two Times Square on June 23, ABC announced Thursday. The television network will broadcast the “never-before-attempted” daredevil stunt live during a two-hour special.

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Via Flickr

The most looked-at building in the world is getting a makeover. According to Crain’s, Jamestown will redevelop One Times Square, the 23-story building that garners the attention of millions for its famed ball drop every New Year’s Eve. The owner plans on installing 32,00 square feet of new signage, including a 350-foot-tall digital sign. To cash even further on its prime location, Jamestown may construct an observatory for NYE revelers to be at the heart of ball-drop festivities.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy L&L Holding Company

A year after renderings were released and three years after the project’s approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, L&L Holding Company, Maefield Development, and Fortress Investment Group have revealed plans for TSX Broadway at 1568 Broadway, beginning with the demolition–planned for this winter–of the existing 1,700-seat landmarked Palace Theatre, which will be replaced by a 46-story tower with 550,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space. The theater will be elevated 30 feet and secured within the new building and will be completely renovated, after which an entirely new structure containing a 669-key luxury hotel will be built around it.

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