As with most tours, there was a narrator for this one, detailing the history of various parts of New York city in general and Manhattan in particular, and it was very educational. For example, I learned about the rivalry between Jacob Rascomb of General Motors and Walter Chrysler (of Chrysler motors, of course). Apparently, Chrysler worked for and was fired by GM. Twenty years later, having become a successful car manufacturer in his own right, but never having forgotten his treatment at the hands of GM, Walter Chrysler entered into a "building competition" with Rascomb, who was then building the Empire State Building.
By adding the spire at the top, the Chrysler Building was for a brief time the tallest building in New York. Not to be outdone, Rascomb pushed the limits with the Empire State building. And though he was successful in out-doing Chrysler, there were too many floors to actually fill in the ESB, so Rascomb ended up losing an awful lot of money in the fight.
Very interesting little story.
On another note - on this tour I also caught my first sight of the very famous Statue of Liberty. Though I've been to NYC once before, I somehow missed this "must see" attraction. Here's a photo I caught from the boat:
1 comment:
While the Empire State Building is the most impressive building from a size standpoint the Chrysler building is far more interesting from an aesthetic point of view. Easily it is the most beautiful skyscraper in the NYC skyline. In one way the Chrysler building still holds a record - it is still the tallest brick building anywhere in the world. It sounds like you are enjoying your visit.
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