The tallest in my
NYC will always be
The Chrysler Building
My view is that it’s not enough to be tallest in meters alone, but a building must earn that stature with great design. The Empire State building certainly has more going for it than the WTC ever did, but I don’t think it holds a candle to the Chrysler. It’s a bit like the comparison of Boston’s Prudential Center and John Hancock Tower, (I favor the taller Hancock this time) or China’s Jin Mao Tower and Taiwan’s Taipei 101. For me, 101’s additional height doesn’t give it sufficient edge over Jin Mao’s unity of design. Plus, the top floor of Taipei 101 has a touristy observation deck, and Jin Mao has a swanky bar at its summit. Those in search of way too much unpoetic and literal information on the topic of the tallestness of various buildings may wish to consult the Wikipedia article on same.