'You Can See His Peepee is a Different Color Because People are Always Touching It'

Yes, I know, it's a very slow news day. Reminds me of that old bumper sticker that reads "If it's called tourist season, why can't we shoot them?"

Here's the rub.

One package at the Time Warner Center's mall is getting more attention than most from shoppers and visitors alike -- the genitals of a 12-foot-tall bronze nude statue that stands near the complex's entrance.

Fernando Botero's "Adam" has provided a titillating temptation to passers-by at the Shops at Columbus Circle to rub his miniscule manhood as friends snap their pictures.

In fact, there's so much fondling going on that the patina on the nude's nether regions has turned golden, making it stand out against the darker brown of the rest of the statue.

"I had a customer here who was laughing, saying, 'You can see his peepee is a different color because people are always touching it,' " recalled a store manager who requested not to be identified.

A building worker, who also asked that his name not be used, said, "Legend would have it that when they put him in here, he wasn't smiling."

Justin Kugel, 28, a student who was shopping last night, said, "I've seen people rubbing it and having their picture taken. That's kind of gross."

There's a Botero statue of Eve nearby -- and some people pat her bountiful booty, another shop owner said.