Aerohaveno: The Many Moods of the New York Skyline

Thursday, 23 October 2014

The Many Moods of the New York Skyline

For the first few nights of our recent New York visit, we were staying at the Z Hotel NYC.

When you think of visiting New York, you think first of Manhattan. But the Z Hotel is in the Long Island City district of Queens, just across the Queensboro Bridge from Manhattan's Midtown.

The advantage of this slight geographical remove? The view.

This part of Long Island City is low-rise, mostly a collection of automotive businesses. While that might not sound so attractive on the ground, it means that the tall Z Hotel building has an uninterrupted view west across the East River to Manhattan's famous skyline.

There's a good view from the hotel's rooms, but the most spectacular vantage point is the rooftop bar.

Open-air and with large glass panes around its edge, it offers an expansive view of the city, with key landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building clearly visible.

I went up there every evening and on the occasional morning before setting out for the day. While the view was always impressive in itself, the different light conditions made it a new experience each time.

Here's what I mean...

Pic 1: Taken 9.09pm, 8 September.

Mood: Mysterious. You can see the Empire State Building on the left and the Chrysler Building a bit to the right of that. The Queensboro Bridge is on the right.

Pic 2: Taken 7.38am, 9 September.