The Time Warner Center

The Time Warner Center, located on Columbus Circle (intersection of 59th Street, 8th Avenue and Broadway), originally had a different name: The AOL Time Warner Center.

With construction beginning in 2000, this building was yet more proof of the so called erection effect: Cities, countries, and most notably companies, inevitably build monuments to themselves right at market tops. Construction of many of Asia's biggest skyscrapers began just months before the late 1990's Asia crisis. The Empire State Building was begun literally months before the 1929 stock market crash.

And in a fit of poetic irony, AOL had just made their top-of-the-market bid for the old media company Time Warner in January of 2000. And in one of the worst acts of timing from any tech company during this era, AOL announced plans for the combined companies' audacious new headquarters.
Construction on this building officially began in November of 2000, just months after the tech bubble had popped.

By the time the building was complete, AOL went from the "owner" of Time Warner to a despised and irrelevant subsidiary.

Now the building is not just a popular tourist destination, it features a number of excellent restaurants, lots of shopping outlets, and of course one of Manhattan's most popular Whole Foods Market stores.
We were here just before Christmas this year, and thoroughly enjoyed the enormous decorations suspended in the building's atrium. These stars changed colors in a beautiful and stunning display.
However, some people in this town still don't have much respect for this building:

Columbus Circle

Even on a rainy, cloudy day, it's worth making a trip to visit Columbus Circle in Manhattan.

The statue in the center of the Columbus Circle roundabout, is, not surprisingly, a statue of Christopher Columbus. It stands 21 m high, and includes a depiction of the three ships he commanded: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Across from the southwest corner of Central Park is the recently built Time Warner Center:
And of course one of Donald Trump's monstrosities overlooks Columbus Circle too:

Architectural Details on Central Park West

Here are some more photos of some of the beautiful architectural details found throughout the exclusive properties on Manhattan's Central Park West:



Subway sign, 72nd and CPW:
Railing, 72nd Street and CPW:
Art Deco Doctor's Office, Central Park West:

Utilitarian Buildings on Central Park West

Once again, it's amusing to see examples of the utter utilitarianism of New York City. Last week, we were admiring many of the beautiful buildings on Central Park West on a walk from Columbus Circle north up to 75th Street. Ironically, most of these supposedly "fancy" buildings only bother to dress themselves up on the first couple of floors. Most of them change into plain, old, unremarkable brick--once you get up above eye level!

Central Park West

On Manhattan's Upper West Side, alongside Central Park, there are some really beautiful buildings, many of which have interesting architectural details:
This avenue, Central Park West, features some of the most expensive residential real estate in all of Manhattan.
For a pleasant stroll of maybe an hour or so in duration, walk north from Columbus Circle (at 59th Street), up 8th Avenue/Central Park West, to 75th Street or so. You'll see a wide variety of buildings with many unusual architectural details.
And you'll see a lot of doormen.

Overheard Near the New York Public Library

One tourist, shouting to another, outside the New York Public Library:

Tourist 1: "You know, here's the library from Ghostbusters."

Tourist 2: "Oh yeah!"

The U.S. Custom House and National Museum of the American Indian

At the very bottom of Broadway in Lower Manhattan stands an imposing building that's one of the most beautiful in all of New York City.

The U.S. Custom House (officially named the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House) was originally intended to be the President's house back when it was thought that New York City would be the nation's capital. It was never used for that purpose. Now it functions as the National Museum of the American Indian.

View from Bowling Green park:


Detail of U.S. Custom House:


Side view, from (I believe) Stone Street:

More New York Art Deco Architecture

This art deco building, which looks like it's from the same era as the AIG and Chrysler buildings as well as the Empire State Building, is so unassuming that I never noticed until the other day.

At 29 Broadway, less than a block from the Bronze Bull. Now apparently owned by the Bangkok Bank.
Detail, 29 Broadway:

Lamp, entryway of 20 Broadway:

Detail, 29 Broadway entryway:

New York City at Night

No city in the world is quite like New York City at night. The city is lit up and humming, full of excitement. Yet it's also lonely, overwhelming and depressing at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite night shots of the city:

The Woolworth Building:
View north from Lower Manhattan. The city Municipal Building is the one with the gold figurine on top. To the left of that is the Empire State Building, about three or so miles further north.

Looking westward from the terrace on the roof of 2 Gold Street, lower Manhattan:

The New York Stock Exchange

If you're touring around lower Manhattan, you have to stop by the New York Stock Exchange, obviously. But a visit to the Exchange is nowhere near as fun as it used to be.

Back before 9/11, you used to be able to go inside the Exchange building to a glass-enclosed viewing balcony up above the trading floor. Not any longer. Now, you need an invitation from a firm with a seat on the Exchange, or you have to be invited in by companies with official business there. And even then they X-ray all of your bags and send you through a metal detector first.

And there are armed guards all around the building, at all hours. At least now the neighborhood is totally safe.

In any case, tourists unfortunately can only view the Exchange from the outside now. It's still an imposing and beautiful buildling and it's worth the trip down there.

Try standing on the steps of Federal Hall, across Wall Street, for a good angle for a photograph of the NYSE facade:

Pearl Street -- Revitalization in the Seaport District

The new Rockrose building going up on Pearl Street (I understand that it's going to be a hotel) is really moving along. They have been completing at least two floors per week on this building. An astonishing construction schedule. I wouldn't be surprised if this building opens for business by the end of the summer.

Taken at the end of November 2007, when they had just poured the foundation:


Taken on January 2008, when they started pouring the reinforced concrete supports on the ground floor:

The first few floors took much longer to build, but once they finished the third floor, they've been knocking off at least a floor every few days.

Here's a photo from 3/7/08--building out the sixth floor:

Roadblocks in Lower Manhattan

One of the reasons NYC is so much more pedestrian-friendly now, especially in the downtown/financial district area, is because of all the roadblocks everywhere.

These are a legacy of 9/11, and now almost every large office building has in front of it some form of roadblock or barrier. They range from big ugly cement blocks, to oversize planters, to rhombus-shaped metal blocks (see the corner of Wall Street and Broadway).

And then there are the suicide-bomber truck protection blockades:


These particular roadblocks are near the New York Stock Exchange. These things could stop a tank.

A Great Meeting Place in Lower Manhattan: The Hideous Sculpture at Chase Manhattan Plaza

There's a preposterously ugly outdoor sculpture in front of the Chase Manhattan Plaza that, despite its lack of aesthetic appeal, makes for a perfect lower Manhattan meeting place.


It's just above the 2/3 line Wall Street Station stop, and only a couple of blocks away from the Trade Center Site. You can even stand under it and get protection from the rain too... although not the wind.

If you arrive via subway, take the 2/3 line to Wall Street, then follow the signs in the subway to exit via Cedar/William Street. Go through the doors, take a quick right and head up the stairs to the outdoor plaza level and you're right there.

If you're arriving on foot, this plaza is basically a one block long segment of Cedar Street between William and Nassau Streets.

Night view from the corner of Cedar and William Streets:

View from above: