Photographing New York: Flatiron District and Madison Square Park
(This guide is part of The New York Photographer’s Travel Book, which is available as a free digital download.)
The Flatiron Building is one of the most famous structures in New York and one of the most photographed in the world. At only 22 stories, there is a myth that the Flatiron was the tallest in the world at one point, but that was never the case.
Standing in front of Eataly at 5th Avenue and 23rd Street is a 1909 cast-iron street clock, which you can photograph with the Flatiron building behind. Head to Madison Square Park for some Shake Shack and further views of the Flatiron building. Nearby is the Met Life Tower, the world’s tallest building until 1913, when the Woolworth Building surpassed it. The Tower has four clocks, one on each side, and a gilded cupola at the top, which serves as an eternal light, ne ver going off. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company advertised the light for many years with the slogan, “The Light That Never Fails.”
Two blocks north is the full-block NY Life building, designed by Cass Gilbert of Woolworth Building fame, with gothic details and a gold pyramid at the top consisting of 25,000 gold-leaf tiles. From here, head back over to 5th Avenue, where you will have a spectacular view of the Empire State Building.
(This guide is part of The New York Photographer’s Travel Book, which is available as a free digital download.)
