Thursday, May 14, 2009

Madison Square's Main Attraction

If Herald Square is a center of shopping, and Union Square is the home of the Greenmarket, then Madison Square's main attraction is the "Shake Shack."

Approaching  along 23rd Street towards the square, I was struck by the large number of people standing about there. What was it? A rally?
Street theatre? 

No, it was mostly a huge crowd of people waiting patiently to be served at the "Shake Shack," a fast food establishment focused on liquid refreshment...

Of course, some people were there near the fountain simply enjoying the greenery...and a lot of people just seemed to be passing through with the kind of grim determination that marks a lot of New Yorkers going about their business.

Noticed some changes around the Square...there is a very tall new building that has risen up that seems to equal the old Met Life building in height. Myself, I prefer the campanile tower of the older tower to the simple rectangular lines of the new one. The old building, completed early in the 20th century, is a landmark--- the new one is just some kind of commercial ( and maybe residential) development. 

New York has enough skyscrapers that could be in Houston or Melbourne or some other metropolis -- the architectural character of the city is very diverse, but can't we have more towers that are somewhat more distinguished?


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