52 Week Project - Week 25 - Sunset

“Can you see the sunset real good on the West side? You can see it on the East side too.”
The Outsiders

Twice a year, you can get a better view of the sunset on Manhattan's East Side than you can on the West Side.  There is a phenomenon in New York City called Manhattanhenge.  I had never heard of it before this year even though I have lived here for 12 years and I was looking forward it for months.   It happens twice a year and it is when the sun perfectly aligns during sunset with the East-West streets. The first occurrence this year was on May 29th an May30th -  I couldn't wait to go out and see and Ryan said he would join me.   

The night of the full sun view, it was cloudy and we could not see anything.   I was surprised how many people were on the street also wanting to see the sunset and after waiting and waiting, Ryan finally said "I can't believe we came here and they cancelled it".   

Disappointed, we headed home with the hope that the next night would be better even though the second night is only a partial sun view.   We headed out about 15 minutes before sunset and the streets were already packed with people, many that we had seen the night before.   

Unfortunately, there was a cloud directly blocking the sun although the sky was beautiful.  More importantly, we did have a fun time and it was nice to get a little alone time with Ryan. 

July 12th is our last chance to view Manhattenhenge this year and I am hoping we have better luck next time.