{"id":38407,"date":"2023-10-11T15:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/?p=38407"},"modified":"2023-10-11T07:16:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T05:16:03","slug":"i-am-officially-a-new-yorker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/i-am-officially-a-new-yorker\/","title":{"rendered":"I am officially a New Yorker"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had the pleasure of knowing that I was renting in a walk-up by the time I got out of the cab<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It has been a month since I called this city home and oh boy, time flies in the city of dreams. As many of you may have experienced, moving to a new city can be a massive headache that not everyone is ready to face. Setting everything up and running can take time, and even tears. Add that up to the fact that the USA<\/strong> is at least a 6-hour flight away from rest of the world, and you got yourself a good recipe for getting homesick. To be honest, I have been through the whole emotional cycle in under 30 days.<\/p>\n

I moved to New York City<\/strong> two weeks before my first work day as there was some paperwork to be done, although I was more worried about finding an apartment. I stayed in a sublet for a couple of weeks in Hell\u2019s Kitchen<\/strong> in a 5th floor walk-up. Piece of advice: always ask beforehand if the building has an elevator. I had the pleasure of knowing that I was renting in a walk-up by the time I got out of the cab in West 47th Street.<\/p>\n

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The Vessel by Thomas Heatherwick at Hudson Yards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Getting to know the city<\/h2>\n

As promised, my journey began with a visit to The<\/strong> Skyscraper Museum<\/strong>. They have a very small exhibition down at Battery Park, although for me it seemed big enough to satisfy the curiosity of those who love high-rise history and design. It is close to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry, and about a 10-minute walk to World Trade Center, so it is a nice stop if you are interested.<\/p>\n

Buying a 10-day New York Pass allowed me to see the city essentials such as the American Museum of Natural History<\/strong>, the MoMA<\/strong>, the Guggenheim<\/strong>, or the 9\/11 Museum<\/strong>. I also took advantage of the walking tours, and got to see neighborhoods that I would not have visited on my own. From SoHo<\/strong> to Chelsea<\/strong>, the Greenwich Village<\/strong> or Williamsburg<\/strong>, each area has a distinctive charm.<\/p>\n

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One Vanderbilt as seen from Top of The Rock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Alicia Keys sang \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u201d, she was not looking closely<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Climbing to the top of every possible observatory is a must, as you will experience the city from different locations. For even better results, enjoy the view at a different time of day each time. Having seen New York from the Edge, the One World Observatory and Top of The Rock<\/strong>, my favorite is still the latter. Being so close to Central Park<\/strong> and Billionaire\u2019s Row makes me a very happy kid.<\/p>\n

Looking up<\/h2>\n

Walking around Manhattan<\/strong> has taught me many things. For one, that Alicia Keys has been lying to all of us. The lyrics to \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u201d talk about a concrete jungle (New York City) in which dreams are made of. However, everywhere I look I see a bit of everything. Perhaps singing \u201cSTEEL and CONCRETE jungle where dreams are made of\u201d was just not that catchy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jokes aside, steel is not uncommon for building tall in this part of the world. Of course you have 432 Park Avenue<\/strong> by Rafael Vi\u00f1oly, 111 West 57th Street<\/strong> by SHoP or the Central Park Tower<\/strong> which are concrete, but those are residential<\/em> buildings. On the contrary, if we were discussing office space like One Vanderbilt<\/strong>, One World Trade<\/strong>, or the challenging 270 Park Avenue<\/strong>, we would see nothing but beautiful steel framing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the end, I think we are better off singing \u201cWelcome to New York\u201d by Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n

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