Chrysler Building

We took a trip into Manhattan to check out the Chrysler Building, the third tallest building in New York. This is one of Brian and I's favorite buildings in the Manhattan skyline and we've had it on our list to go and check it out. There always seems to be some sort of construction happening along the subway lines lately, so we were forced to take a detour from our regular route into the city. We made a stop at the Lexington and 59th street subway station to switch trains, and ended up with a pleasant surprise. 

One portion of the stop is decorated in a colorful mosaic. It was gorgeous! A nice little treat that we were able to discover and probably wouldn't have ever seen if not for the subway construction. There is always something new to see in New York.

Our end stop was grand central. We pass through Grand Central Station regularly as it is the first subway stop in Manhattan from Queens (you can see a few pics of grand central here). However, we are always on our way somewhere else and very rarely make it to the surface of the terminal. Since the Chrysler Building is kitty-corner to the terminal, we went up to street level. There were so many cool buildings across the street from Grand Central.

These buildings are all completely different but reside side by side of one another. There are so many different styles and types of architecture in the city. Each building is unique, and all of the stone, metal, brick and glass meld together to create a city that is as diverse as its population.

This building is across the street from the previous two stone buildings. We really liked the geometric design on the surface of this one. Again you can see the contrast between the more modern and the older buildings.

We raised our eyes upward to try and see the Chrysler Building and orient ourselves. I felt very lost for a moment because I didn't immediately see a spire and the familiar top of the building. Then Brian pointed to the building kitty-corner to where we were standing and identified it as the Chrysler Building. It looks so different from the ground!

Here is a shot of the base of the building. Just walking by this building and not looking up, I would not have recognized it.

At first we tried the doors and they were locked. We were so disappointed that we couldn't go inside the lobby. So I told Brian to take my picture in front of the doors to prove that we had at least been there. While he was taking my picture, a lady came out of the revolving door to my right. We were able to go in after all!

The Chrysler Building is not set up like the Empire State Building where you can take a ride up to the top. But its lobby is gorgeous! There is a beautiful mural painted on the entire ceiling.

Most of the lobby was closed off, but we still got to walk in a ways and look around.

The accents of the lobby where cool.

The color and pattern of the stone walls were very pretty as well.

These lights are above the doors and say LEX AVE at the bottom. You can see cabs and cars whiz past on the street through the glass of the doors.

Now we can mark off another item on our NY Bucket List. Across the street from the Chrysler Building, we found the Grand Central Market. It is a small food store that leads back into Grand Central Terminal. The bald eagle on the top of the building caught our eye.

Through the store windows we could see a huge chandelier that looked like it needed to be seen. It ended up being a sculpted tree with tons of tiny crystals hanging down from the branches.

The pictures don't do it justice. It really was beautiful. I couldn't believe that something like this was in a grocery store....a high end grocery store I guess.

We walked down the street a bit more checking out the area and enjoying the different buildings. The building in the below picture is a post office.

After walking for awhile, we turned back and could see the view that we are familiar with of Chrysler Building. It really is a pretty building. I still find myself in awe over the height of the buildings in the city. It's crazy to me that you have to be blocks and blocks away to see the tops of them. I don't think I'll ever get used to the height and size of the city!