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by sam on 02/27/2013My most recent engagement has me working in the Helmsley Building. Otherwise known as the classic building that sits astride Park Avenue north of Grand Central Terminal that is NOT the horrendously ugly MetLife Building. While I have no view to speak of (sitting in an internal cube), I sometimes sneak into one of the offices to take this view in.
One of my favorite things to note about the grid plan in NYC (and something I learned watching New York: A Documentary History by Ric Burns), is that, despite the tall buildings, we almost never feel claustrophobic in Manhattan because you can stand at almost any intersection and see for miles in at least three, if not all four directions. The prescience of such a decision made over 150 years ago, when few could have foreseen the elevator, much less the skyscraper, is astounding.
Tags: architecture, good things, new york city, photos