Tacky Tourist Photos

Q: What do you call a hairy shirtless guy in a tutu lying on his back in the middle of the street? A: If you’re in Times Square, you call it Tuesday. Brooklyn photographer Bob Carey got some quizzical stares from New York City Police, who asked him if he was “well” based on his […]

SUBMITTED BY: Erik Paulsen   LOCATION: Times Square, New York City (2012) When posing for a Tacky Tourist Photo, it is usually customary to embrace the quirky statue or mascot as if you are best friends. Yet, there is something rather skeevy about getting intimate with a Naked Cowboy you just met. Enter the brilliance […]

SUBMITTED BY: Aaron Whitehead   LOCATION: New York, NY (2011) Legend has it that rubbing the brass balls of the Wall Street Bull statue, formally known as “Charging Bull,” will bring good luck to your portfolio.  Is it only a matter of time till the Occupy Wall Street mob attempts castration?

SUBMITTED BY: Kaeli Conforti   LOCATION: Nassau, Bahamas (2011) Young women just dig guys in silk ruffled shirts and unscrupulous morals. But an honest gorilla looking for love? — Forget it! (Kaeli Conforti is a New York City travel writer with a weakness for wax museums).

SUBMITTED BY: Peggy Dillon and Adrienne Lopes   LOCATION: Ellis Island, New York (2010) A brilliant exercise in historical product placement, Mattel and Ellis Island have teamed up to let you explore your ethnic heritage through cocktail dresses and itsy bitsy pairs of shoes. “Wouldn’t Barbie have had a pink boat, complete with a hair […]

SUBMITTED BY: Al Kaufman   LOCATION: New York, NY (2011) Beyonce’s “Heat” perfume was so hot that it was banned from the British airwaves. Maybe it’s time for the diva to launch her own deodorant? (Al Kaufman is an Atlanta music writer who avoids using the term “diva,” yet is pining for a Destiny’s Child reunion […]

SUBMITTED BY: Wendy Keefe   LOCATION: Liberty Island, New York (2011) As Tacky Tourist Photos has dutifully documented, it is a proud American tradition to pick the noses of our heroes. Years ago, elementary school children needed to be taken by helicopter to scrape out the nasal passages of Miss Liberty.  But today, thanks to a […]

The only lingering question about the Naked Cowboy’s campaign for president is will he take a page out of the Obama-Clinton playbook and name the Naked Cowgirl as his Secretary of State? Despite their shared love for shocking Manhattan tourists, the Naked Dynamic Duo are actually bitter rivals. As for offbeat presidential candidates, our pick […]

SUBMITTED BY: Alyssa and Samantha Jamal   LOCATION: Darien Lake, NY (2009) We’ve seen this fiberglass (?) shark dangling outside water rides at several amusement parks owned by different corporate conglomerates. We’d love to track down the shark factory, because we want one for our living room! Most tourists are happy posing triumphantly NEXT to the […]

Before you get all judgmental, what do YOU wear for a night out at the ballpark? Lady Gaga just strategically pulled off the Tacky Tourist Photo of the Decade by not only provocatively posing for 49,220 fans (we looked it up) during Friday’s 7th inning stretch, but also by prancing right past security for some […]

SUBMITTED BY: Ilya Mirman    LOCATION: Times Square, New York (2009) When the chain restaurants, Ferris wheels and wax museums replaced the strippers during the Rudy Giuliani administration, Times Square became just another mall, albeit with much tougher parking. How refreshing, then, to stumble across Ms. Naked Cowgirl, a gregarious grandmotherly figure who’ll bite your head […]

SUBMITTED BY: Ilya Mirman        LOCATION: New York City (2008) The surefire way to know who the classy guys are? They’re the ones with the courtesy NOT to snap Jessica Simpson’s wax bra strap. (Ilya also loves to shoot rock concerts, and was recently a guest guitar player for Mr. Brownstone, the infamous Guns ‘N Roses […]