Twilight

Manhattan at twilight. (Click picture for larger view)

"Vehement silhouettes of Manhattan - that vertical city with unimaginable diamonds." ~ Le Corbusier

As the sun sets over Manhattan the fading light accentuates the skyline and as darkness deepens, the lights begin to shine from skyscraper windows and along the rooflines. The city never really sleeps, just morphs from a city of business and finance by day to one of bright lights and playtime at night. I wouldn't call it "leisure" as nothing seems to move at the slow pace I equate with leisure; but it is a different feel. When we stayed in Times Square, the lights were always on, people always on the streets, taxi horns always blaring; it never stopped. Here in Brooklyn, at least in this neighborhood, life slows down. Neighbors meet and talk in the streets, on front porch stoops or at the corner stop sign; some gather around tables on rooftop decks to feel the night breeze and watch the city lights.

This is the new skyline of lower Manhattan. It's beautiful but changed. I noticed that the gift shops still sell postcards with the "old" skyline. From the Brooklyn side, there is an empty space just to the right of the Chrysler building where the two Towers stood. The night cityscape is still beautiful, but a little sad and forever changed.

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