times square

Times Square gets Coast ad

Mississippi Coast tourism gets a spot in Times Square in new York, just in time for the nation’s largest new Year’s Eve celebration.

A tourism promotional spot created by the Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership will be showcased on the CBS Superscreen at 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, for a three-month run beginning Dec. 31.

“To our knowledge, this is the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s first presence in the heart of one of the most visited cities in the world,” said John McFarland, chairman of the tourism group.

“Leave Your Winter Coat at Home” is the concept of the first advertisement. It was developed by Gulfport and Jackson-based advertising agency GodwinGroup, said Kay Maghan of GodwinGroup.

McFarland said the digital message will be changed several times over the three months.

The promotional spot will be displayed at least 16 times a day between 6 a.m. and midnight. The tourism group did not reveal the cost of the ad.

The initial Times Square segment features several outdoor activities visitors can enjoy year-round on the Coast, juxtaposed with new York’s cold winters, Maghan said.

“On this massive digital screen in Times Square, we are hitting millions of people with vivid, full-color, action-oriented imagery of our unique blend of amenities, attractions, culture and events — golf, dining, gaming, outdoor and water recreation — that reinforce the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s appeal as an authentic, affordable, warm-weather getaway for people who are ready to escape their dreary cold weather locations,” said Kim Fritz, chair of the marketing committee for the tourism group.

Coinciding with the Times Square promo, the Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership has joined the Mississippi Hotel and Lodging Association for special winter packages starting at $150 per person per day for golf or fishing.

Customized packages are also available.

“Timing this promotional spot to hit on new Year’s Eve and run through the winter draws attention to the Mississippi Coast leading into our peak travel season,” McFarland said. “this ‘Superscreen’ will not only show off our region to millions of potential visitors, but will also be a daily reminder of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to hundreds of travel media, travel agents, and meeting, event and convention planners who work in or are visiting the media capital of the world.”

New Year blossoms in Fayetteville; pickle, flea drop elsewhere

Fayetteville, N.C. — People celebrate new Year’s Eve in some of North Carolina’s cities a little differently than at the traditional party Times Square ball in new York City.

While the lighted ball drops at midnight to kick off 2012 in the big Apple, a dogwood flower will rise to the sky in Fayetteville, a flea made of wood, wire and foam will drop in Eastover and a glowing vegetable will have already plunged from a pickle company flagpole in Mount Olive.

The Wayne County town dropped the three-and-a-half-foot pickle at the Mount Olive Pickle Company on the early side of the evening – at 12 a.m. Greenwich mean Time or 7 p.m. locally – so revelers could move on to other festivities.

At the coast, a crab pot will descend in Morehead City and, to the west, the community of Brasstown will gently lower a live opossum from the sky.

To be sure, the state’s traditions are unusual, but the message is the same: out with the old year and in with the new.

About 10,000 people gathered at Festival Park in Fayetteville to welcome 2012 with a blooming dogwood flower and a fireworks display.

Times Square – A Visitor’s Guide

Times Square was formerly called Longacre Square; in 1904 it grew to become known as Times Square eternally. It is often debated as to whether it was at the bidding of New York Times owner Alfred Ochs when the New York Times headquarters were developed or whether the proprietors of the independently owned subways in the vicinity made the switch come about. 1904 was an important year in the story of Times Square, as it was then that the first New Year’s Eve festivities were held there. over 26 million people gather in Times Square each year, some to attend the areas scores of Broadway shows, some to eat at the finest restaurants, and all to encounter the bright lights and Glamour of this well-known area.

Times Square has been fixed up in recent years. the seamy history it had in the 1990s has vanished, and new legislation has meant the adult industry has had to make way for more family friendly franchises. That doesn’t mean the adult industry has vanished all in all, but it isn’t as prevalent as it once was in this area. Nowadays big name stores and dinning establishments vie for space beneath the huge billboards and travelers assemble there to stand in the renowned square and have their images taken to show everyone back home that they’ve explored New York

Part of the joy of shopping in Times Square is seeing your desired stores in a new circumstance, one very much dissimilar from the suburban shopping mall experience. From such stores as the Toys ‘R us to the delicious M&M flagship store, consumers of all sorts can find an unforgettable experience to suit them. From its once-gaudy history, the area has been developed into the greatest consumers paradise–one so sparkly and dolled up that it’s almost bizarre. no matter if these emporiums have flashing lights and outlandish floor plans, shopping in Times Square is something unique to New York and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything like it elsewhere.

And besides all the themed and pretentiously branded stores, there is still that infinite array of cheesy memento shops within this 10-block area. every few steps throughout Times Square, you will stumble upon a heap of stores with every silly NYC entity, from snow globes of the Statue of Liberty to FDNY caps; these stores have a generally matching stock of each possible New York trinket–so if you can’t stumble on it in one spot you can always locate it in the next one.

And do not forget the dozens of street vendors, crowded along the Avenues, and down 42nd Street, selling stomach-toughening products like kebobs or knishes and offering everything from cell-phone accessories to sunglasses. That’s Times Square for you–and the rest of the world to enjoy.

If this is your first vacation to the big Apple, Times Square is part of New York’s past and present that is a definite must See on your New York itinerary.