Manhattanhenge

WEEK 9

It’s a Saturday in July. The sky is clear, and it’s a comfortable 85 degrees as evening falls. We make our way north on Fifth Avenue to 14^th Street, arriving just after 8:00 pm EDT, ready to witness the epic Manhattanhenge sunset — this week’s new-for-me activity.

Each May and July, there is a night when the setting sun aligns perfectly with the New York City street grid (actually I learned it happens over two nights with a “half sun” and a “full sun”). A giant red-orange ball appears at the horizon along the east/west streets of the grid, bathing the adjacent buildings in a lovely glow.

We all know that Manhattan (from Houston Street north to 155^th Street) is constructed as a grid. What I didn’t know, until researching Manhattanhenge, is that the grid is rotated 30 degrees east of True North … otherwise (duh), Manhattanhenge would fall on the equinox. Classic New York, a bit off center.

Here is the unfolding sequence from 8:05 to 8:16 pm viewed from 14^th Street (there are much, much better pictures on a Google image search):