Can the Super Mario Bros. save the Princess from the hands of Donkey Kong?  It’s a real life video game that takes place up and down the Las Vegas Strip!  You can bet the tourist cameras are rolling and we get viral video gold!   This hilarious video was uploaded last December by the Youtube group known as Bangakang.  They have some pretty outrageous videos online, including jumping into the world’s biggest pile of leaves and creating a slip-n-slide with 52 gallons of chocolate syrup.  The last one sounds like a blast! Costumed characters are becoming all the rage in New York, Los Angeles, and on the Las Vegas Strip.  Usually, the performer (some of those dressing up don’t technically qualify as performers) will pose for pictures and interact with tourists for a small tip.  Just be warned: some of these guys can get hostile if you don’t tip.  One dirt bag was recently arrested in New York City for dressing up as Elmo and hurling racist slurs as tourists – all while having a criminal background.  Yeah, that worked out well… Super Mario and Donkey Kong made their video game debuts in arcades in 1981.  Mario was forced to climb a series of ladders to rescue the Princess being held by the large ape above.  Donkey Kong would get several sequels and Mario would be paired with his brother Luigi for their first sequel, Mario Bros, where they had to battle creatures in the sewers of New York.  Later, they would move into the Mushroom Kingdom to again save the Princess from the evil King Koopa.  Super Mario Bros. is one of the best and highest selling video games of all time. Costumes for Mario and Luigi are sold online and at Halloween...

I first saw the giant illuminated snowflake hanging over 57th Street & 5th Avenue in New York City as a tourist well over a decade ago. It hangs right over the bustling flow of traffic and pedestrians. At the time, I thought it was only a cool decoration, but it turns out, this illuminated piece of frozen precipitation is helping a lot of children around the world. Get anywhere near the area and you’ll see tourists snapping photos, pedestrians looking up and cars slowing down. You can see it from blocks away. There’s no way you can miss this seeing giant snowflake! First erected in 1984, the dazzling snowflake quickly became a tourist attraction. In 2002, it was officially rededicated the “UNICEF Snowflake” by the Stonbely Family, to raise money and awareness for the organization. It acts as a beacon of peace for children around the world. When first constructed, it featured 12,000 handcrafted crystal prisms, was 17’ x 14’, weighed 1,600 pounds, and had 125 lights.  It was designed by Douglas Leigh, who also had a hand in designing lighting schemes for many New York City skyscrapers. UNICEF was created by the United Nations in 1946 to provide food and medical care for children in countries that were ravaged by World War II. Their work still continues providing education, nutrition, health care and sanitation to children in developing countries. UNICEF’s goal is to have zero children die from preventable causes. Each year, the flake is illuminated from Black Friday through end of January. The lighting ceremony is kicked off with a star studded black tie ball featuring appearances from big named celebrities.  In 2011, Angie Harmon had the honor of throwing the switch. This year, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Matt Lauer, Tony Bennett and many more were in...