Some pics from my trip in NYC, the most powerful/important/impressive city in the world. It is always cool, but I think the new Asian megacities are catching up. NY is "getting old", the iconic building are form the '30s, the tube is old... but is always very facinating (and very expensive). I was already in New York few years ago, so I did not make pictures of the most known places (Times Square, High Line, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock...).
Here is the view from the last floor the Bloomberg headquarter. I came to visit my former Londonese colleague and friend Didi. The boss, Michael Bloomberg, is running with the democrats for the 2020 US precidency. I think he would be a good guy (better than the other... probably...)
The cool things about Bloomberg offices are the acquarium with exotic fishes and the free snacks/drinks you find everywhere (I filled up my bag with almonds and raisin so I could eat. If you are on a budget in NYC go to Bloomberg for making the grocery).
A classic. From here you can see the crazy slender skyscapers that are building in Midtown. Are the tallest RESIDENTIAL skyscapers in the world. And a apartment there costs around 20 million dollars. The three tallest building from left to right are: 432 Park Avenue, where Jennifer Lopez has an apartment house, Steinway Tower, and the most stunning one: Central Park Tower, which will be 472m tall (the Empire State is 381m tall). It is really impressive. Owning an apartment there would be a dream.
My favourite skyscraper in NYC: the Chrysler builing. When it was completed in 1930 it was the tallest structure in the world, before being surpassed by the Empire State Builiding the following year. It served as headquarted for the Chrysler Corporation until 1950. I used to imagine Marchionne having its office on the last floor when he merged Fiat with Chrysler, but the builing has nothing to do anymore with the auto manufaturer. Anyway the crown of the building is amazing. What I love about this skyscaper is that, when you look at it in sunny days, it looks like it is drawed on paper. It strongly stand-out from the sky.
Here I am in front of the Gran Central terminal during a night walking tour in Midtown. Behind the sation, the MetLife building (looks like the Milan Pirellone, but bigger).
This is the famous tower of our beloved President Dolan, on the 5th Avenue. Differently than 5 years ago, now there is a airport-style control security to get in, and the entire adjacent 56th street is permanently closed with several layers of checkpoints.
The Freedom Tower is the maserpiece built after the fall of the twin towers. It is giaginitc, mighty and beautiful. It is the most expensive skyscraper ever build (4 billion $: troppo? Il Mose a Venezia è costato 7bln.... potevamo costruisci una Freedom Tower a Venezia e mezza a Milano), and it is the highest skyscraper in USA (541m, even if in my opinion it is cheating since without antenna would be only 416m, but it still has my symphaty). It gives you the idea of power and rising again stronger than before. It is a celebration to US power and values, and incorporates the memory of the 2 Twin Towers: infact, the structure is composed by 2 parallelepipedes stucked into each other. Worth a visit the 9/11 Memorial Site and Museum nearby, and the two huge pools that stay in place of the old towers. Touching.
Stunning view from the One World Trade Center Observaroty. It was a full bright moon night. You could see everywere of NYC. Below are the Brookin Bridge (right) and the Manhattam Bridge (left). I always wanted to come up here since I saw the 1WTC under construciton in 2013, and here I am!
These are two interesting new structures built in NYC. The Oculus is a big shopping mall situated closeby the WTC memorial. It has a white fossil-shaped roof, and you can see outside form the space between the bones. Very nice.
The Vessel is situated in a brand-new area Hudson Yard, developed on the west side of Midtown and overlooking the Hudson River. It is a shiny copper-clad structure that you can climb. It is free to walk on, but you need to book the ticket in advance.
To conclude, one of my favourite spots in the world: Brookin Heights. You have the ultimate view of NYC skyline, the East River, Statue of Liberty and the Bridges. It is not crowded as Manhattan, and you are just 1 metro stop from Wall St. It would be the idea place to have a house (after a condo in the Central Park Tower). The view is stunning, and it seems you are inside a painting.
A night walk on the Brooklin Bridge toward Manhattam is one of the most stunning thing you can do in NYC (and in the world in general). From here you can admire the amazing skyline of Lower Manhattan, with the freedom tower always towering above the Financial District.