During our visit, we stopped by the Dakota building and Strawberry Fields, John Lennon’s memorial in Central Park, just across the street. Lennon lived at the Dakota, and after his death in 1980, this peaceful space was created in his memory. At its center is the Imagine mosaic, a gift from the city of Naples, Italy.

They’re two very different places, but both are connected by a story that continues to bring visitors from around the world. Have you visited the memorial?

This post includes a historical photograph of a person who died by suicide.

Robert C. Wiles took this photograph on May 1, 1947, after 23-year-old Evelyn McHale jumped from the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor observation deck. She landed on a parked car, and the photograph was later published in LIFE magazine.

The stillness of her pose, with a pearl necklace in her gloved hand, contrasts sharply with the tragedy behind the image. I’m sharing it as a piece of New York history, with respect for Evelyn and her story.

Had you seen this photograph before? How should difficult historical images like this be shared?

Do you prefer Central Park or Prospect Park?

The Great Blizzard struck from March 11 to 14, bringing between 10 and 58 inches (25 to 147 cm) of snow to parts of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Sustained winds of more than 45 mph (72 km/h) created enormous snowdrifts, some exceeding 50 feet (15 m) in height, while roads, railways and telegraph lines were severely disrupted, bringing transport and communications across much of the region to a standstill.

Also called the “Children’s Blizzard” or “Schoolhouse Blizzard” because so many children were caught in the snow and frozen to death on their way to school. The children who made it to school were generally kept in the school by the teachers until they could safely travel home- days later. The official death toll is around 230, but some say the actual number of deaths could be over 1,000. (This is people in general, not just children.)

The 2026–2027 season at the famous Rockefeller Center rink is now underway, marking 90 years of skating history. The rink first opened as a temporary skating pond on Christmas Day in 1936.

Above the rink stands Prometheus, Paul Manship’s gilded sculpture, created in 1934. In Greek mythology, Prometheus defied Zeus and gave fire to humanity a gift often associated with knowledge, creativity, and progress.

Above the building’s main entrance is Wisdom, a work by Lee Lawrie. Together, the sculptures suggest two connected ideas: the fire Prometheus brought to humanity and the wisdom that guides how it is used.

Had you noticed the figure on the façade when you visited the rink?

Did you know the famous clock above the information booth at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan has four faces? It was installed when the terminal opened in 1913 and became one of New York City’s best-known meeting spots. “Meet me at the clock” is a familiar phrase for many New Yorkers.

The clock was designed by the Self Winding Clock Company, with Seth Thomas making its movements. Its faces look like opal, but they’re made of opaline glass, also known as milk glass. That’s why the story that the clock is worth $20 million is disputed. Grand Central’s official website repeats that figure, but later research found no confirmed appraisal by Sotheby’s or Christie’s.

Regardless of its price, the clock’s value as a historic symbol of Grand Central is enormous. Did you know its story, or have you ever arranged to meet someone “under the clock”

• Access to Yorkville improved when the IRT Third Avenue subway line opened in 1878
• The four-story building had two apartments per floor with running hot and cold water

From The 1890-1891 New York Calendar issued by the New York Life Insurance Company.