The Flickr Metlifebuilding Image Generatr

Taken in July 1988.

Midtown Manhattan from the outdoors observation deck on the 110th floor on top of the World Trade Center's South Tower -- 1,300 feet (396 m) above the street.

Obvious landmarks are the Empire State Building on the left, nearly 3 miles (4.8 km) away, the pointed Chrysler Building on the right, the Pan Am Building (now the MetLife Building) in the center, and the Citycorp Building (with the light rectangle), all about 4 miles (6.4 km) away.

The Chrysler Building and what I continue to call the Pan Am Building stand out above dozens of lesser buildings, as seen from the top of the Empire State Building. The tall, thin structure between them is Sutton Tower, an 850-foot-tall condominium completed in 2022.

The Early Evening sun warmth on the historic Met Life Building in Midtown Manhattan

The blue sky above and the gloom below reminds me of Magritte.

Sometimes I hate birds.

The MetLife Building, originally the Pan Am Building, is a Brutalist, International-style skyscraper at 200 Park Avenue in New York City. Opened in 1963 as the Pan American World Airways headquarters, it was the world’s largest commercial office building at the time. Designed by Emery Roth & Sons with Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi, it was purchased by MetLife in 1981 and renamed after Pan Am ceased operations in 1991. MetLife sold it in 2005 for $1.72 billion. The building is known for its brief helicopter service to JFK, which ended after a fatal accident in 1977, and for the 1975 suicide of United Brands CEO Eli M. Black. It’s also home to Peregrine Falcons named Lois and Clark.

Grand Central Terminal, located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue, was built by and named for the New York Central Railroad opened to the public on February 2, 1913. The Beaux Arts design, by the architectural firms Reed and Stem and Warren and Wetmore, features iconic elements like the Main Concourse with its vaulted astronomical ceiling, a four-faced opal clock that doubles as a popular meeting point, and a majestic façade with sculptures by Jules-Félix Coutan. Serving over 750,000 daily passengers riding the Metro-North Railroad, it is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms, boasting 41 across two underground levels. Over the years it has played a crucial role in the development of New York and as a cultural landmark, housing more than 70 shops and dining options. The terminal faced potential demolition in the 1970s but was saved by a landmark preservation campaign led by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

The main façade of Grand Central Terminal, facing 42nd Street, is adorned with an elaborate entablature featuring a 13-foot-wide clock, the largest example of Tiffany glass in the world. Surrounding the clock is the “Glory of Commerce” sculptural group by Jules-Félix Coutan, which includes figures of Minerva, Hercules, and Mercury. Carved by the John Donnelly Company, this 48-foot-wide artwork, flanked by overflowing cornucopias, was the largest sculptural group in the world when unveiled in 1914.

In 2007, Grand Central Station was ranked #13 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list.

Grand Central Terminal National Regsiter #75001206

Perigrine falcon banding with Chris Nadareski at the Met Life building.

Perigrine falcon banding with Chris Nadareski at the Met Life building.

Perigrine falcon banding with Chris Nadareski at the Met Life building.

The MetLife Building towers above Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan,New York

Park Avenue, the Pan-Am and Helmsley Buildings (Grand Central Station is behind and beneath them) - this was only 5 months after the tragedy of Pan-Am 103 crashing at Lockerbie, Scotland, which led to the ultimate collapse of Pan-American World Airways.