0012 Triangles

There is a well-used pedestrian triangle in New York City, just before Broadway meets Fifth Ave, across the street from Madison Square Park.

When the weather cooperates, the metal chairs and tables that speckle the concrete fill up with people sitting, eating, drinking, and talking. People coming and going, spending lunch breaks and investing in friendships.

This little triangle is a quintessential New York City street feature. Find a shaded seat and look south at an iconic profile of the city’s most famous three-sided building, another perfect triangle.

The view from the west side of that building, though, will forever be my favorite. The afternoon sun lights it with such purpose and uniformity. Stand at the foot of the foundation, look straight up into the sky, and find the absolute symmetry of the facade.

The details are made mortal by the dots of air conditioners hanging from the windows. A common, modern wart that older buildings cannot seem to avoid. But, the buzz of those rectangles and the water dripping from their edges is a signal that the weather is cooperating in the other triangle across the street.

And maybe, too, in the irregular concave pentagon of the nearby park.