Sky, sand and light

This morning I had coffee on the roof deck (counted my blessings!) and watched the Eastern sun warm the glittering skyscrapers in lower Manhattan. Like a phantom limb, my eye often sees the gap of what used to be there.

Since I used to live in New York, for the most part, skyscrapers don't thrill my heart the way that other environmental settings do. However, thanks to my friend Lauren from San Francisco (now Chicago), my eyes were opened to something entirely new, and magnificent, as she showed me where she works when she comes to town.

I read all about the Hearst Tower a few years ago, as a pioneer in environmental sustainability and the first 'green' office building in the history of New York. I saw a Sara Snow TV segment on the storied new cafe, cultivating local and organic fare. And I am pretty sure I first heard the term LEED certified connected with this building.

However, I had never actually seen the building, or experienced the sensation of walking inside...and looking up with wonder.

The New Yorker called the Hearst Tower, "The most beautiful skyscaper to go up in New York since 1967." To me, its beauty radiates from the inside out. It's not NYC power black...somehow, amazingly, it conveys a sense of warmth, light, expansiveness and calm energy.

Clicking on this link above will convey some of the environmental facts but a couple things that stood out to me was the recycled steel used for 90% of the Tower's structural steel, and the rainwater collected on the roof, which helps to maintain a comfortable inside climate during both winter and summer months.

And the view from the 44th floor -- unobstructed view of Central Park, the Hudson River and the midtown skyline -- captures the feeling of why millions of people journey to this storied city, to make their luck, with that belief tucked deep in their heart that anything is possible.