SHOOTING FOR THE STARS IN NEW YORK

Of its many allures for tourists, there is none that can come close to the one that has dominated New York for over 100 years, its skyscrapers, which have not only attracted visitors but also Hollywood that never seems to have had enough of the giants of the Big Apple. Exploring New York is perhaps best done as Spiderman had, by jumping from one rooftop to another.

- TEXT & PHOTOS: VARSHA SINGH

Having crisscrossed the skies over New York several times during my visits to the United States in the past few years, the day I got to explore the city, I decided to still view it from the sky, or at least that is what it seemed to me when I was standing at the foot of the Empire State Building and peered up, craning my neck as much as I could, to try and catch a glimpse of the top of the icon, but in vain.

"You name the place and I'll obey.

-I don’t know. I can’t think. How about the top of the Empire State Building?

Oh, yes! That's perfect. It's the nearest thing to heaven we have in New York.

102nd floor. And don’t forget to take the elevator."

This dialogue from the movie An Affair to Remember (1957), an all-time classic romantic film, played continuously in my mind as I stepped inside in the Mecca of romantic icons that has been featured in some of my most favourite romantic classics like Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and When Harry Met Sally (1989).

Indeed, the Empire State Building has fascinated architects, tourists and even film makers from around the world as it has been featured in countless films and television serials almost ever since it was built.

Inside the elevator, the feeling of sharing the same space as several icons of the silver screen from all over the world had been in before me, was beyond overwhelming.

The train of my thoughts was interrupted as the elevator, packed with other curious visitors, began moving and a video began playing, giving us a glimpse of how the iconic building was made. Its story is also interesting enough to make it a film plot! The construction of 103-storeyed Art-Deco marvel, designed by Shreve, Lamb, & Harmon, began in 1930, right in the middle of the Great Depression, a period of economic turmoil and turndown that the United States has perhaps never experienced again since.