Behold the glorious and groovy Flatiron Building, which was my very close neighbor for a few years. For those of you not in the know, it can be found at 23rd Street, where Broadway and Fifth Avenue converge. To those of us who like to show off our savvy, we can add that it is right by the southwest tip of Madison Square Park. But of course, the building cannot be missed, so that superfluous addition would be relayed by only the most insecure of braggarts, also bent on telling you the year of its completion (1902) and what its original name was (the Fuller Building). Any way you slice it, the Flatiron is a must-see if you visit this city. Plus, if you do, you will know that you are in my old neighborhood, and a lot of my old recycled energy from days past still ricochets like mad off its limestone and terra cotta-glazed facade.
So, anyway, this morning when I passed by it on my way home from the gym (because yes, I still go to my "old" gym despite having moved out of the neighborhood 3-1/2 years ago), I stopped in my tracks and gasped. Something was somewhat off about the building. I was so taken aback that I accosted two tourists (pictured in the lower right a/k/a southeast corner of the photo) (but appearing as a single person in the form of a mutant with a ponytail anchored to its right cheek) and shared my discovery with them in a blend of post-workout endorphin-inspired insanity and my regular run-of-the-mill blathering.
Can you spot what it is that the tourists will take home as their finest and fondest memory of their vacation? (Other than unwittingly meeting the hippest girl in town, of course.) (Clicking on the photo will yield a rather large image, but it may help you in your quest to impress me with your response.)
fresh-baked at 08:39 PMHaving never graced your fair city,I would be hard pressed to answer.I think it might have something to do with Sprint taking over the world ......either that or the very strange lightsaberesque pole next to,but to the left of, the street light.
Offered by: ScottK on June 4, 2008 10:07 PMIt's actually NOT the Flatiron but the TARDIS disguised as it!
Offered by: Lee on June 4, 2008 7:27 AMOh Could it possibly be the young lady in the white polyester pants flipping you the bird as if SHE was the focal point of your snapshot?
Offered by: Dana on June 4, 2008 6:17 AMMore Flatiron "trivia."
Because of the wind tunnel by the building, men in the 1900's were known to gather by the building in the hope of catching a glimpse of a lady's ankle if her skirt blew up! It's true. My grandpa told me.
Offered by: Leslie on June 2, 2008 8:24 PMI have no idea. What I do know is that TURNS are highly discouraged at that particular intersection and I, for one, would not be inclined to ignore the mandate. I've heard New York jails are akin to Mexico's. You go in, you never come out!
Offered by: Tess on June 1, 2008 5:18 PMThis is driving me nuts! I've been looking at this picture for three days, trying to figure out what's different about a building I've never actually seen in person in a city I've never been to!
Here is what I see in the picture:
- The dude at one o'clock is about to be rewarded by that big bus for his jaywalking.
- The first three levels of the Flatiron Building are obviously new and poorly matched to the rest of the building, which would likely make any architecture tourist or buff cringe. I mean, really, it looks as if the contractors got all their supplies from the Restoration Hardware just adjacent.
- Is there some kind of bird on the spire of the building across the street to the right?
Gah, I don't know.
Offered by: Brad on June 1, 2008 2:47 PMCould it be the awning in the lower left?
BTW - that would be above the scaffolding, Pete.
Offered by: Jeanne on May 31, 2008 4:54 PMThere isn't a giant crane laying in a heap of rubble and dead bodies at the base of its unscarred façade?
Offered by: Ds on May 31, 2008 2:43 PMThere's no scaffolding anywhere on it!
Offered by: Pete on May 30, 2008 4:14 AM
