“NYC LOVE” by Nina Chanel Abney

Newly adorning the High Line on the West Side of Manhattan is a mural by artist Nina Chanel Abney, entitled NYC LOVE. The piece is an homage to and celebration of New York City via its iconography. Abney first moved to New York as a self-described Midwestern suburbanite in 2005, and found great comfort and joy in some of the city’s more tourist-oriented icons that many longtime New Yorkers take for granted. NYC LOVE brings these icons to the forefront, recreating the joys of first experiencing those stimulating sights and sounds in Abney’s signature bright colors and geometric forms. The work graces the High Line, an icon in and of itself, welcoming millions of New Yorkers and visitors alike to enjoy all that the city has to offer. Like Abney, we have only love and gratitude for this city we call home.  

Grand Central Concourse

Opened in 1913, Grand Central Terminal is a gorgeous example of the Beaux-Arts architectural style, blending modern efficiency with ornate and impressive detail. The Main Concourse is one of the most recognizable spaces in New York City, particularly because of the famous mural on the ceiling, which features the night sky complete with several constellations. The mural was originally painted directly on the plaster ceiling of the Main Concourse, with detailed artistic depictions of several of the zodiac signs, including Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, and Aquarius, along with Orion, Pegasus, and a few lesser-known constellations. Unfortunately, a leaky roof mostly destroyed the original mural within the first few decades after it was painted, so the roof was “restored” in the 1940s. However, when the new ceiling was unveiled, the original mural had not been restored at all, merely covered up with large boards. A new mural was painted, with a few puzzling changes, including much-simplified images. The new mural retained a major error in the original – the mural was painted backwards, with east and west reversed. The original mural is probably long-gone behind the boards and their “restoration,” but the Main Concourse is still an impressive sight to behold.

US Embassy in London

The US Embassy building in London is a remarkable landmark, with a design that combines utility, security, and sustainability with a striking appearance, inside and out. Opened in 2017, the building is relatively new. The design, by Philadelphia-based architecture firm Kieran Timberlake, is meant to evoke some of the foundational ideals of American government – transparency, openness, and equality. The building’s simple cube shape maximizes useable space in a high-traffic embassy, and the façade made of transparent, high-performance plastic catches the sunlight in an appealing and useful way, directing the natural light throughout the interior of the building. The outside of the building also boasts a landscaped pond that serves double duty as an attractive aesthetic feature and a rainwater retention system, reducing strain on the municipal water system and pollution of the nearby Thames River by repurposing collected water for irrigation and mechanical systems. The inside of the building is equally well designed, featuring indoor gardens and countless works of art, including an enormous mural created with the words in the US Constitution.