Happy New Year

There was a bitterly cold wind blowing in the streets of Manhattan this evening, and, once I was inside and warm, the last thing I wanted was to go outside again to stand on a balcony on the 27th floor of a historic Art Deco apartment building on Riverside Drive watching the fireworks. But we went, and, after climbing up and down several flights of metal stairs above the building’s “elevator line” with about six other hardy souls, in a room containing the machinery that runs the elevators, found the balcony, which we had to climb through a window to get to, helped by a couple of members of the building staff. Amazingly, not only was there no wind on the balcony, but a steady stream of warm air from inside the building kept us perfectly comfortable as we watched, shooting up from somewhere in the middle of the manmade peaks and valleys of Manhattan, perhaps the best fireworks I’ve ever seen. It was a work of art, visual music, like a Beethoven symphony.

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Terry Morris writes:

The fireworks declare the glory of man, and the firmament provides a backdrop for his handiwork.

It’s a custom in my family to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and classical patriotic music playing in the background. Beyond that, I learned a few years ago during one of my then regular star gazing sessions that Beethoven’s symphonies and telescopic astronomical viewing sessions go hand in glove.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at January 01, 2009 02:03 AM | Send