Chirping birds and Christmas bells in the Greatest City in the World (part 3)

I envision a time, many decades ago, when immigrants left their native lands to embark on a journey to the United States. As their ships approached New York City's harbour, the Statue of Liberty was likely the first thing they saw. I imagine the vessels gliding past her, bringing the weary newcomers after their long voyage to Ellis Island, situated adjacent to Liberty Island and serving as the entry point for millions seeking a new life. What a breathtaking sight it must have been for countless individuals and families to float before this statue, rising from the water like a steadfast guardian of the city! She embodied hope, new possibilities, and fresh beginnings, evoking a blend of excitement and trepidation in all who beheld her.

The statue was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. 

Its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel whose company designed and built the Eiffel Tower.

The statue is 151 feet (46 metres) tall and stands on a pedestal that is 154 feet (47 metres) tall, making the height of the entire sculpture 305 feet (93 metres)! Lady Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France and was dedicated in 1886.

When I visited France as a child, I remember being quite confused when I saw on the Paris tourist map a reference to the Statue of Liberty on Ile aux Cygnes, a man-made island in the River Seine. My mom and I went to see it, and it was a huge disappointment because I was expecting to see a sizable statue like the original. What we saw instead was one of three replicas in Paris (the other two being in the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée des Arts et Métiers) of the original statue in NYC and it was tiny as compared to the “real” one - 37 feet 9 inches (11,50 metres) in height or only a quarter-scale version of the New York statue. The replica was one of the working models used during the construction of the actual Statue of Liberty and was given to France by American citizens living in Paris in 1889, three years after the original statue in New York was inaugurated, to celebrate the French Revolution. Originally, it was turned towards the east to face the Eiffel Tower but in 1937 it was turned towards the west so that it would face the original statue in New York.

It goes without saying that when I saw the “real” Lady on Liberty Island in NYC, I finally got rid of my childhood disappointment with the size of the statue I had seen in Paris - the original statue in NYC was the size I had imagined and the one I was expecting to come across as a kid! And it was impressive to see it from different angles and at different hours of the day…

The Statue of Liberty is not the only towering and impressive monument in NYC. Everything looks out of proportion in the city, including the city itself…

Another notable similarity between Hong Kong and NYC is their dense populations: Hong Kong spans 430 square miles (1,115 square kilometres) with over 7.5 million residents, while NYC covers 300 square miles (778 square kilometres) and has 8.2 million residents. To address the challenges of overcrowding, both cities opted for vertical expansion, resulting in Hong Kong ranking first and NYC third among cities with the most skyscrapers taller than 492 feet (150 metres). This approach contributes to the soaring rents in both cities, where living spaces often stand in stark contrast to their high prices!

And speaking of contrast, NYC is relatively flat with some hills here and there while Hong Kong's terrain is hilly and mountainous with steep slopes and very little flat land. The highest natural point in NYC is Todt Hill on Staten Island at 409.8 feet (124.9 metres) above sea level, while Hong Kong’s highest peak is Tai Mo Shan at around 3,136 feet (956 metres) above sea level!

This might explain why both cities are colourful but Hong Kong is a real fairytale by night due to the stunning views of Victoria Harbour from the Peak! But also why, contrary to our expectations, NYC felt somehow much less crowded, hectic, crazy and fast than its Asian counterpart!

Even walking with an umbrella when it rains feels like a challenge on the steep, winding, narrow streets of Hong Kong, while the streets of NYC look so wide, straight and perfectly geometrical! In Hong Kong you would most likely live in a skyscraper on a mountain, which would give you stunning views of the city, Victoria Harbour and the South China Sea but would also be a challenge during a typhoon! Also, while in NYC you need to reach the ground level of a skyscraper to be at street level, the construction of the Hong Kong buildings around the mountains may result in you exiting the building at street level from the 10th floor…

Both cities have iconic skyscrapers, but NYC’s buildings and landmarks often take the spotlight because of their prominent roles in numerous movies and TV shows which also makes them more recognizable and, consequently, more famous!

The tallest building in Hong Kong - the 108-storey International Commerce Centre (aka ICC) - stands at 1,588 feet (484 metres). Among the many skyscrapers familiar to visitors of Hong Kong are the Bank of China Tower, the HSBC Tower and, of course, Jardine House, the filming location for the TV show Noble House with Pierce Brosnan.

The majority of skyscrapers in New York City are concentrated in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, and they are very much a testament to human ambition. The most famous of them (although not the tallest) is probably the Empire State Building.

It is a symbol of New York City, has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers and has been featured in more than 250 TV shows and movies such as An Affair To Remember (1957), Sleepless in Seattle (1992), King Kong (1933), Gossip Girl and Independence Day (1996) - to only name a few! This 102-story Art Deco skyscraper, completed in 1931, gets its name from "Empire State”, the nickname for New York. The Empire State Building has since become an enduring symbol of the city and a globally recognized landmark.

The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 metres) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 metres) tall, including its antenna. At the time the Empire State Building was erected, it was the world's tallest building until the original World Trade Center built its first tower which reached its full height in 1970.

Prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center were NYC's tallest buildings. They are now surpassed by One World Trade Center built in 2012. With its 104 floors standing at 1,776 feet (541 metres), the latter, also known as Freedom Tower, is the tallest building in NYC and in the Western Hemisphere and the seventh-tallest building in the world!

Next to the Freedom Tower sits the 9/11 Memorial, comprising two pools of nearly an acre (4,000 m2), each with the largest man-made waterfalls in the United States, at the former location of the Twin Towers that were destroyed on September 11. The pools symbolise the loss of life and the physical void left by the attacks. The waterfalls are intended to mute the sounds of the city, making the site a contemplative sanctuary. I am not sure whether it was knowing what happened there and reading the names of the 2,983 victims inscribed on the bronze parapets edging the pools or merely looking at these giant void holes, but I felt sadness and loneliness…

Another famous skyscraper is Rockefeller Plaza. The 70-story, 850 feet (260 metres) building was designed in the Art Deco style and completed in 1933.

Its observation deck, Top of the Rock, is the closest competitor to the Empire State Building, and choosing which one to climb for the best city’s views can be tricky. Following my friend's recommendation, we decided to go with Top of the Rock. As she rightly pointed out, you cannot see the iconic Empire State Building from the top of the Empire State Building itself!

The deck of Top of the Rock was quite touristy, but it was nice and windy up there, so we stayed for a while and witnessed a beautiful sunset.

It was quiet, and the noise of the city seemed so far away…

From Top of the Rock you can see Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and other famous skyscrapers such as the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, the Bank of America Tower and the strange Flatiron Building in the shape of an iron.

The latter is so famous that you can even find its chocolate version!

And then there are the Exxon Building, the Central Park Tower, the Woolworth Building, 30 Hudson Yards, Trump Tower, 56 Leonard and so many other interesting skyscrapers if you are an architecture fan!

This high-rise spectacle of concrete, glass and steel will make you feel tiny, which is also the perception you may get walking around the business district of Hong Kong!

(with the kind help of my friend Wanda Rene)