As a newbie resident of New York, I am currently amazed by the Empire State Building. It is not the building itself, architecture, or history. Although the last scene of “Sleepless in Seatle,” one of my all-time favorites, put the building into my spotlight many years ago, what I am addicted to now is how one can see it from the most unexpected places. Especially at night, you can spot the telltale tower lights from many streets if you look a little high up to the sky. So, I started taking pictures and putting them on Instagram.
We took the elevator to the observatory deck during my kids’ first visit to New York. The year was 2008; those kids are now young adults. I cannot comment on how much the city has changed since then, but for me, it has remained as a place for the three of us. In the summer of 2008, we spent long hours walking on the streets and browsing the shelves in the bookstores. We came back in March 2009 as a group, extended with friends and family. In the summer of 2016, as a mother and daughter duo, we spent a magical week, stayed in the West Village before her summer school. A year later, in Jul 2017, she returned to settle for good. The three of us were back on the streets of New York that summer helping her with the new apartment. In October 2017, Ada, our beloved poodle, arrived to that apartment as a little puppy. In the spring of 2018, the mother-and-daughter duo was again on the streets of New York, enjoying the flowers. In December the same year, all three of us were shopping in Williamsburg, just before our trip to Vermont for a celebration. In September 2019, my son moved to New York. And after four years and a pandemic, I am finally here also.
In 2023, the three of us still spend long hours walking on the streets of New York and browsing the shelves in the bookstores. Maybe we should go and revisit the building itself.