Surprise

I came from a town of 220,00 people, where the tallest building topped off at 87 meters. New York by contrast, has almost 38 times as many people in the city (8,168,000), and the Empire State Building dwarfs the Wisconsin State Capitol by a factor of 4 (381 meters). You can understand why I might have felt like a country bumpkin when I first moved here.

But after nearly a year in the Big Apple I am discovering something strange - yet entirely explainable as a consequence of human nature - I have stopped looking up. The technical term is "rubbernecking", and I no longer do it. I have finally become acclimated to the narrow corridors of the city, and the spire of the Chrysler Building is as commonplace as the dome of the Capitol Building.

Every once in a while however, something will jump out at you and catch you off guard. Such was the case yesterday as I went to get my NY driver's license (which requires the most ridiculous amount of proof that you exist - but that's another story) and walked out of the subway on 34th St. and 8th Ave. I had to smile.

Sure, one of the pictures is an advertisement for Delta Airlines, but you have to admit the scope alone is pretty impressive. The Empire State Building was the first thing visible as I left the underground, and damn if it isn't majestic!