NYC09: On and Around 42nd Street

I walked east along forty second street, passing swanky hotels, and overpriced restaurants. Every step I took showed me a world in which I did not belong. The only salvation was the current day. Being the day of Leprechauns and green beer, it was hard to feel out of place when everyone seemed that way.

A few kilometers down the road I came to the New York public library. Though most of the building's front is under repairs, it is still worth the trip to appreciate the two stone lions set out in front. Just try to take your shot wen tourists are not crawling all over them.

From here, you will start to notice a view of the Chrysler Building, getting better and better with each passing step. I took a picture or two – or two dozen. Each new block seemed to improve the quality of the image, until I was too close. Then it was all downhill – still, that didn't prevent me from snapping one or two more.

Walking along 42nd, I also passed Grand Central Station. Although I had seen it from the inside, I had not had the pleasure of viewing its exterior: beautifully sculpted characters from myth, holding up an ornate timepiece. Inside, I took another half dozen long exposure shots, rubbing my camera's battery on my pants to coax more life out of it as i shot.

Now, it was just a straight walk until the water. There, climbing the steps that crossed over the street, I was afforded a view of the United Nations building. To be honest, there's not much to it. It's rectangular; it's a high rise; it has flag poles outside (which I'm sure are more impressive when the flags are fluttering, and not hidden away.)

Though I'd seen it countless times in movies, and tv, and comics – it looked nothing like what I had expected, once more demonstrating the divide between learned memories and perception.

Though the building pales towards its original concept (a boat that would always remain free in international waters) it is still a must see site. It's the United Nations after all!