Astor Place and ?

New Yorkers, what's up with this thing (these things) that I spotted in Astor Place a while ago on a visit?

And on another trip I spotted the following, which caused me to wrinkle my brow at first, but then a light bulb went off in my head and I figured it out =)

First reader to comment with the correct location of the bike rack above gets a pack of Bike Hacks stickers!  I'll also toss in a sticker pack for the person who correctly identifies what the heck the thingamajigger(s) in Astor Place are - bonus points for insightful commentary.

Comments

[Bicycle Bill]

The unidentified gizmo in the top picture is something called a "cyclophone".  It's a bicycle-powered musical instrument (undoubtedly in much the same way a vuvuzela is a musical instrument) and is part of NYC/DOT's "Summer Streets" program.  Here's a link to an illustration of how it worked — http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/IMG_3434.php

As for the bicycle rack with the word "art" in the circle, I'm afraid I can't tell you the exact location, but it's in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Coming from the Ann Arbor Art Center and paid for by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, they are commemorating both the 100th anniversary of the Ann Arbor Art Center and the 50th birthday of the Ann Arbor Art Fair this year.  They can be sponsored by local businesses and individuals, who are then identified with a plaque at the base of the rack — and according to the CEO of the Ann Arbor Art Center, one couple purchased a rack and had it installed at the place where they first met.

-"BB"-

[Bruce Putnam]

The racks are being installed on Main Street, State Street, and South University Avenue areas in downtown Ann Arbor. They have produced 50 of them. Cost $350 each. Designed by Mary Thiefels.

[Rick Bissell]

The unidentified gizmos in the top picture may, in fact, actually be a pair of "uni-cyclophones" which when spinning in unison play "Entrance of the Gladiators" in two-part harmony.