Empire State of Mind

September 13, 2017

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

This morning I’m back in that New York State of mind. I returned home from Italy last night and am hitting the ground running as the second half of September is going to be nothing short of crazy for me!

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

As I approached the skyline last night it had added meaning for me because hours earlier I had sat at the Rome airport reading this piece written two months after 9/11. I saw someone tweet it, began reading and my heart swelled in my chest.

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

I don’t think anyone can deny that New York is a special place. Whether you live here or not, we all know there’s nothing like it in the world. So much of what this writer penned rang true for me but I particularly loved when he wrote:

“You start building your private New York the first time you lay eyes on it.”

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

That was no doubt true for me and today whenever I land in New York City I am happy to be home. Happy that this is my home.

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

I still love playing tourist in my own city as evidenced by these photos. I had only been to the top of the Empire State Building at nighttime so when my friend Jessica, who just so happens to call this famed building her office, helped get me “in” first thing bright and early on an August morning, you better believe my breath was taken away.

Atop the Empire State Building

I have always loved New York in the morning but seeing it still and quiet on a roof deck all to our own for a blissful ten minutes was nothing short of magic. Nothing short of memorable.

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

I think it’s good every now and then to look at where we live from a new view. It provides perspective. …There we stood, Jessica, Bekka & I, three semi-long time New Yorkers all in awe of what we could see from way up high.

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

Another line I loved by the New York Times writer was:

“The city knows you better than any living person because it has seen you when you are alone. “

And:

“Cherish your old apartments and pause for a moment when you pass them. Pay tribute, for they are the caretakers of your reinventions.”

Atop the Empire State Building

I have so many memories from my short 6 1/2 years in New York but I love that the chapters keep unfolding. This shoot was one I won’t soon forget!

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

And because we’re on the topic of the Empire State Building…I thought I’d share a few fun facts I learned upon our visit!

The building was completed back in 1931 and it stood as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years, from its completion until the topping out of the original World Trade Center’s North Tower in late 1970. It is currently the fifth-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and the 35th-tallest in the world. You can get to the 80th floor in one minute! And something I never knew? The colors of the tower can display up to 16 million colors! 

Meghan Donovan I Atop the Empire State Building

Hope you guys are having a great week! xx

Shop the Post:

Top ($85) // Jeans (on sale – also worn here, fit true to size) // Shoes (Similar here) // Sunglasses

Many thanks to Glamsquad for my hair & to my friend Jessica for the stellar access to the roof!

p.s. 32 things you may not know about me & my guide to New York City.

[Bekka Palmer Photography]

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