New York City is also a really great place for street art.  From the typical to the wildly different, like the city’s inhabitants, the street art scene is varied, fun and offers a little something for everyone.

I absolutely love this shot of the massive “LOVE” sculpture on 55th Street.  The best part – check out the t-shirt the girl’s wearing.  What a great capture – double the love for New York!

Photo credit: ForsterFoto

This is a great shot of one of my favourite types of street art – the chalk drawing.  There’s something really special about watching art in the process of being made, and the fleeting nature of these pieces.  The minute the rain (or street cleaner) comes along, they’re gone forever*, so it’s important to enjoy them while they are there to be appreciated.  The best part is that there will be new pieces quickly popping up where the old ones once were.

(*Photographer Ed Yourdon has commented that the Michael Jackson piece that he photographed [below] actually withstood winter rain and snowstorms and is still visible – that’s amazing!  Thanks Ed for the photo and for the insight!)

Photo credit: Ed Yourdon

I love the smugness of this little guy who was spotted in the East Village, along with his big heart!

Photo credit: SliceofNYC

Dr. Spock in drag?  Sure, why not?  This is a great reminder of the “anything goes” mentality of New York City where you can go to reinvent yourself and anything is possible!

Photo credit: dandeluca

I’ve saved the best for last today.  Check out this interactive, mobile and “personal” installation by artist Agata Olek.  A Polish artist specialising in hand-crocheted pieces, Olek created quite a stir with her head-to-toe crocheted bodysuits made especially for the “Art in Odd Places” festival in 2009.   While the piece itself is certainly eye-catching, perhaps my favourite part of this photograph is the guy sitting next to it.  In a total “only in New York” type of moment, he sits there as though there’s nothing out of the ordinary whilst reading his Michael Jackson book.  The whole scene, including the subway map in the background, is just fantastic.

Photo credit: See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

I had to include another photo of one of Olek’s human pieces because the reactions of the passers by is just priceless.  I know I’d probably react the same way if I stumbled across this unusual and unique street art in New York!

Photo credit: See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

Head to New York City this summer to enjoy all the city has to offer and spot some of your own favourite street art while you’re at it!  Direct return flights from London to New York City start at only £361 this June.  Consider me there!

The construction of these wooden churches dates back to the beginning of Christianity and the construction methods used are unbelievable.  The traditional style of wooden church construction requires that these structures be built without the use of nails.  However, apart from this similarity, there are many other differences in style of construction, including varied features such as spires, tin or metalwork, and roof style.  Most of these differences depend on region and all are quite interesting.

Here’s a look at some of my favourite examples of wooden churches around these areas.

Kerimaki, Finland

Photo credit: robin-root

Suzdal, Russia

Photo credit: kyllaris

Haczow, Poland

Photo credit: Michael Tyler

Larga, Moldova

Photo credit: liviuss76

Poiana Brasov, Romania

Photo credit: cod_gabriel

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales

Photo credit: Rob Gale

The longest officially recognised place name in the United Kingdom, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch or “Llanfairpwll” for short is a coastal Welsh city with a population of about 3,000 people.  Literally meaning “St. Mary’s Church in a hollow of white hazel near the swirling whirlpool of the church of St. Tysilio with a red cave,” this town was named in the 19th century in an attempt to distinguish it from other villages.  And distinguished, it most certainly is.  I don’t even want to attempt to pronounce the name.

What Cheer, Iowa, United States

Photo credit: k_hargrav

The United States has no shortage of funny and interesting town names.  What Cheer in central Iowa is definitely one of them.  A town of 678 people, the name makes you wonder if it’s a terribly unhappy place to live.  Apparently an ancient English greeting dating back to the 15th century, many believe that “What Cheer” was named after this expression, though there is not one officially held belief as to the origins of the name.  Guess I should visit to find out for myself!

Batman, Turkey

Photo credit: Bryce Edwards

Talk about lost in translation.  The eastern Turkish city of Batman is named after the Bati Raman Mountains that are located in the area.  Home to the Batman River and the capital of the Batman Province, this city is rather large with over 300,000 inhabitants.  In 2008, Batman mayor Kalkan looked into suing the Batman movie franchise and Warner Brothers for the use of the name “Batman” without permission from the city.  No word from the caped crusader himself on this one, though who’s to say he doesn’t have a bat cave located here in the town with which he shares his name?

Saint-Louis du Ha! Ha! – Quebec, Canada

Photo credit: scazon

Yes, Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is really the name of this Quebec municipality – exclamation marks and all!  Taken from the ancient French word haha, meaning an unexpected obstacle or end to a path, it is supposed that the parish’s name refers to the nearby lake, and refers to one of a number of famous men named “Louis” who had an influence on the region in its early days.  The exclamation marks were added later and have now become an accepted part of the area’s name.  It makes me wonder if people would be more excited to live in London!! or Los Angeles!!?! than they are currently without the excess punctuation?

Why, Arizona, United States

Photo credit: Venturist

All of these unique and funny names lead us to the last in today’s post – Why, Arizona.  Why? A small community in southern Arizona in the United States, Why gets its name from the fact that its located just at the intersection of two major highways.  These highways originally intersected in a “Y” shape and town founders named it after this unique roadside feature, but spelled it “Why” to comply with regulations requiring all town names to be at least three letters.

This post has been so much fun to write, that I’ll be preparing another one soon with some more funny and interesting names that I’ve found.  Feel free to share ideas if there’s a place you’d like to see featured!