Comments on: Manhattanhenge

Manhattanhenge

445supermag — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:24:42 -0800

By: tellurian

tellurian — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:31:34 -0800

Beautiful. I'm not so sure about the 'a unique urban phenomenon, if not the universe.' bit though. Lets wait and see what Phoenix comes up with.

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:31:41 -0800

Last year during Manhattanenge, it rained for a few minutes without a clouds blocking out the Sun falling across the east-west streets. I've never seen anything like it.

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:32:49 -0800

Manhattanhenge, even. And now that I think about it, it might've been two years ago.

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:34:13 -0800

Of course, if you want some semblance of this phenomenon on the equinox, you have to go to Stuyvesant St.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:50:24 -0800

"What will future civilizations think of Manhattan Island when they dig it up and find a carefully laid out network of streets and avenues?" Probably something like "They worshipped themselves." And they'd be right.

By: DU

DU — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:01:14 -0800

MIThenge

By: spock

spock — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:06:20 -0800

Check out this awesome NYC at dusk panorama. (as seen earlier on Gawker)

By: Frank Grimes

Frank Grimes — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:11:41 -0800

This explains why I saw swarms of people taking pictures in the cross walks. Running west at sunset last night, I was amazed at how laser-like the sun was. Now it all makes sense.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:14:25 -0800

Also: this post has reminded me of my favourite view of Manhattan (I think it's Manhattan, correct me if I'm wrong) - the opening aerial vista from West Side Story. I just went and watched it again. It's not so powerful on the small screen but I can remember first seeing it at the cinema and it blew me away (I was an impressionable child).

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:15:15 -0800

I started wearing the Special Pants today, according to prophecy.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:25:18 -0800

Look west at sunset, young man.

By: sonic meat machine

sonic meat machine — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:34:00 -0800

Before I clicked through, I read this as "manhattan... henge!" with some sort of transformation going on. I was wrong. This is cooler.

By: ericb

ericb — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:51:02 -0800

NBC Nightly News segment [video | 01:30] this evening about Manhattanhenge.

"Friday is one of only two days a year when the sun sets in precise alignment with the Manhattan grid, fully illuminating every cross-street for the last 15 minutes of twilight."

By: ericb

ericb — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:56:50 -0800

PBS | Nova: Manhattanhenge. Manhattan Solstice

"The Manhattan street grid is angled 30 degrees east from geographic north. [I]n May...and July...this angle results in a sunset at the end of every cross-street."

How Far from True North are the Avenues of Manhattan?

By: drjimmy11

drjimmy11 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:10:20 -0800

"What will future civilizations think of Manhattan Island when they dig it up and find a carefully laid out network of streets and avenues?" "No one knows quite who they were, or... what they were doing..."

By: [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:11:30 -0800

I remember this, I commented about it when it happened. Did anyone get to go?

By: ericb

ericb — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:17:05 -0800

"What will future civilizations think of Manhattan Island when they dig it up and find a carefully laid out network of streets and avenues?" "Oh my God. I'm back. I'm home. All the time, it was... We finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"

By: tellurian

tellurian — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:23:13 -0800

Whoa! What's that R. Mutt? Googling gets me "The brilliant, horizontal streak of light which appears briefly, low along the western horizon after the sun has set, has been made a subject of a story by the Yurok, an episode in longer stories by the Wintu and the Modoc, and has been woven as a seeming reminiscence into the adolescence ritual of the Hupa." On the same page:

The Wit At Home. Home in his hut in Gondar, AG-H was one day at dusk lying in his bed. His wife had gone to the river to wash her private parts, as is the custom of the Amhara women at nightfall. Tired from the uphill climb from the valley, she rested before the hearth to dry herself, but dozed off. Soon AG-H heard a cannonade of farting, issuing from his half-conscious wife. He called out to her, "Where are you? Come to bed!" Awakening, she said dazedly, "I am just drying myself." To which he replied, "You are drying yourself so much that you are cracking apart." "A Woman's Way." [In accordance with ancient custom, women used to pluck out their pubic hair, rubbing ashes between their finger to get a good grip while plucking.] One day a girl student of AG-H was late for her lesson. Taking a quick short-cut across the back yard, she tumbled into the ash heap, soiling her lower toga and her legs with the ashes. She excused her appearance to her teacher, saying, "Oh, Master I was so eager to come quickly, and have now dirtied myself with ashes all over." "That is your way," nodded AG-H. Only much later did the girl learn that he had meant not only the wrong way she had come, but was referring to the fact that being smudged with ashes was the natural "way" for a woman.

WTH is that all about?

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:37:04 -0800

Meanwhile, Detroit sucks during the solstice just as much as it sucks at all other times of the year.

By: caddis

caddis — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:37:12 -0800

This is beautiful and it reminds me of my favorite song of all time, City Drops Into The Night by Jim Carroll.

By: tracicle

tracicle — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:47:01 -0800

Did everyone remember their human sacrifices?

By: flotson

flotson — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:28:19 -0800

Working on mine right now! Poor little hipster. I tried to explain about the eschaton but he just keeps babbling Deerhunter lyrics.

By: bwg

bwg — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:31:12 -0800

What, no Bronxhenge?

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:30:05 -0800

"that special day comes on Thursday, May 29h this year" Ah, for the love of Pete. I was there on May 29g! Totally missed this.

By: plastic_animals

plastic_animals — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:25:52 -0800

I saw the sunset from the bridge over 42nd St in Tudor City last night. It's pretty cool. True Manhattanhenge, when the half the sun's disk is above the horizon when the sun is shining parallel to the streets is tonight. So there's still a chance to see it if you missed it last night.

By: nowonmai

nowonmai — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:49:30 -0800

Yeah thanks a lot. I'm a be in Brooklyn at sunset.

By: sondrialiac

sondrialiac — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:24:58 -0800

"What will future civilizations think of Manhattan Island when they dig it up and find a carefully laid out network of streets and avenues?" "Hey, those people could do math."

By: notreally

notreally — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:51:28 -0800

And driving crosstown really sucks.

By: Frank Grimes

Frank Grimes — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:37:51 -0800

Booo! It didn't work on Saturday. This post jinxed it.

By: rtboo

rtboo — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:29:43 -0800

Scary to think of all those people in the streets taking pictures while the drivers on those same streets are blinded by the sun. Could be tragic?

By: middleclasstool

middleclasstool — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:08:23 -0800

I heart Tyson mightily. This evening there was a promo on "World" (one of the digital PBS stations) about Tyson discussing Manhattanhenge on NOVA Science NOW — "Next! on most PBS stations." Evidently our market didn't qualify as "most." :(

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:33:51 -0800

'unique urban phenomenon' = 'I've never left New York'