[UPDATE BELOW] All the single ladies (and whoever), Grammy-award winning Beyoncé Knowles has a new perfume out! Exciting, right? Anyway, in order to get you to buy it, DNA Info reports that she's playing a free show for the people tonight, right in Union Square. But is she? Every other listing has simply stated that "the visionary artist is illuminating the central destination with fiery red light and smoky fog... an unprecedented, spectacular display will vividly capture the spirit of Beyoncé Heat." That is significantly less exciting. We'll get to the bottom of this, in the meantime, she is having a private launch party tonight at 15 Union Square, where sister Solange will be deejaying; and tomorrow she's making an appearance at Macy's Herald Square at 5 p.m. In any case, if Union Square looks like it's on fire between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m., don't worry, it's just the glow of marketing. more ›

As crews begin dismantling Olafur Eliasson's four arboricidal waterfall scaffolds, the mayor's office has released a report asserting that the economic impact of the installation was better than expected. When the waterfalls were turned on back in June, Bloomberg predicted the city would see some $55 million in revenue from the exhibition. A study commissioned by the city’s Economic Development Corporation says that the NYC Waterfalls generated an estimated $69 million for the city. According to City Room, that figure breaks down like so: more ›

Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials joined artist Olafur Eliasson and Susan K. Freedman of the Public Art Fund at a press conference this morning at the South Street Seaport, where all four of Eliasson's waterfalls can be seen at once. An aide to the mayor noted that there was more press attending this event than when he announced he was switching his party to become independent. more ›

Commuting by canoe gets a little easier today as the Parks Department launches the NYC Water Trail Map & Guide. The Parks website features the first interactive map of the citywide water trail system, with detailed information about 28 locations where you can launch a kayak, canoe or retro submarine. more ›