Yesterday we went for a picnic at the Williamsburg waterfront, where you can see the entire Manhattan skyline. Many buildings that dominate the city today did not exist ten years ago.
What also has changed is the illumination of the buildings. For a long time, the Empire State was the only skyscraper that could change its lighting. That required somebody to climb to the top and swap the gels from the lights, so they did it only for special events and seasons.
When we went to Hong Kong in 1999, I was fascinated with The Center, which used neon lights cycling through the color spectrum to a mesmerizing effect. Manhattan looked quaint in comparison.
Not anymore. Almost every landmark building features some fancy lighting. The latest addition, 270 Park Avenue – the new headquarters of JPMorgan Chase – was testing its illumination yesterday. The lights are only monochromatic (maybe they surprise us at Christmas?), but they can be used like a display to show all kinds of moving shapes and patterns. I‘m curious what we’ll see there.