Postcard from Midtown New York City
I worked in Midtown for about a year: starting and ending my day at Grand Central Station, eating lunch in the sunshine on the steps of the New York Public Library, heading to Bryant Park for outdoor yoga in the evenings. I loved being able to see the Empire State Building from my office window and peeking up at the Chrysler Building as I exited the train station, bustling through the streets packed with business suits, clicking with high heels, crowded with tourists and advertising gimmicks.
The ONA office moved to SoHo at the beginning of 2014. I love being close to independent coffee shops, the cobblestone streets of West Village, the vibrant university life that pulses in Washington Square. But sometimes I miss the obvious, in-your-face, utter New York-ness of Midtown. On a recent (rare) day when the sun was shining and the skies were blue, I wandered around Midtown like the rest of the tourists: eyes pointed straight up to the tips of the skyscrapers, dwarfed by buildings on either side.
Gorgeous Art Deco doors at Rockefeller Center.
Just another anonymous skyscraper.
The iconic Radio City Music Hall: like any good new New Yorker, I saw the Rockette Christmas Spectacular last holiday season!
42 Street: the bright lights of Times Square ahead, the trees of Bryant Square behind.
Fun fact: the marble lions in front of the New York Public Library are named Patience and Fortitude!
One of my favorite quotes about writing from the great Mr. Hemingway, immortalized on Library Walk:
“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.”
New buildings, old buildings.
Shadow play.
One of my favorite things about the Empire State Building is that you never quite know if you’re going to see her. Sometimes, you can be right around the corner and craning your neck to find her–and then you’ll hook a left turn and see her in all her glory.
What’s your favorite photo of Midtown New York City?
p.s. if you’re visiting New York City and want to go to the tops of the Empire State Building (for a sunset like this) and Rockefeller Center (for views like this), I highly recommend checking out a CityPASS. Also, if you’re visiting New York City, I do NOT recommend staying in Midtown. Spend a day here seeing the sights, but stay in local neighborhood like the Lower East Side or Williamsburg for the liveliest atmosphere and best food options.
