Category: Responses

Icons of New York- Kelly Mayer

Empire State Building

An icon is a person, place, object, or symbol that is widely recognized as representing a particular place or culture. 

In specific an icon of New York is strongly connected to the city, and is easily recognized as representing NY. An icon is not just famous but it also represents something important about the city’s history, culture, identity or character. 

I chose the Empire State Building as the image that best represents NYC because it is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. When tourists travel across the world to NY this is one of the main monuments people like to see. Its tall skyscraper design represents New York’s famous skyline, architecture, and reputation as a major, busy city.

0

Icons of New York, Daniel Postelnik

I believe an icon is a symbol that represents an idea or place as a whole. The symbol I chose to represent New York is Wall Street. The name “Wall Street” comes from a wall the Dutch built in the 1650s at the edge of New Amsterdam to protect their settlement. Wall Street later grew into a busy center of trade for the Dutch. The founding of the New York Stock Exchange in 1792 turned Wall Street into the financial center of the world, which it is to this day. Wall Street is an icon of New York not only because it is famous and important, but also because it reflects the spirit of New Yorkers as a whole. Wall Street is a place of quick walkers, hard workers, long nights, and busy mornings. These characteristics are also shared by New Yorkers everywhere. Every day employees work long, stressful, fast-paced hours, where one millisecond could be the difference between making and losing millions. Investment bankers work all night and all morning.

This fast-paced, sleepless atmosphere is something that is representative of New York as a whole. Wall Street is iconic because it was central to Dutch trade in the 1600s for the Dutch, and now, over 400 years later, it remains an important center for stock traders all around the world and a symbol of New York, the city that never sleeps.

0

Icons of New York, Gianna Bintas

Man on Roof Tending Pigeon Brood, Third Avenue, ca 1940. Museum of the City of New York.

I chose pigeons as an image that best represents New York City. When looking at the history of pigeons, one can see that they are “immigrants”, not completely native to New York. They arrived in the city alongside European immigrants in the 1600s and were originally domesticated. Since then, pigeon life drastically shifted from rooftop coops, pigeon fanciers, and pigeon racing to becoming a wild species on their own in the city. Yet, they persisted to stay on windowsills, skyscraper roofs, and train overpasses. They were resilient and adaptive and still called this city home, much like New Yorkers. The pigeon represents the larger picture of New York City as an icon by reflecting the migrant foundation of the city and how they adapted to constant change. A prominent example of love for our pigeons came from artist Ivan Argote, who sculpted a massive pigeon statue called “Dinosaur”, located on the Highline in New York City. He based this sculpture on the notion of going against the norm of the “traditional historical figure monument”. Unfortunately, the pigeon statue was recently taken down in April 2026, starting a “pigeon protest”, which I think shows how much this city adores pigeons.

An icon is a symbol representing larger, encompassing traits of a place, community, or culture. Icons can be people, like in music or cinema, or they can be icons of a culture, such as black, hispanic, or LGBTQ culture. When considering what an icon of a place would be, it has to be widely recognized and “agreed upon”. Although upfront it’s just a person/monument/object, the icon represents a larger history about the place and the culture of its people.

0

Icons of New York, Fariba Ibtisam

Picture of Macys department store at Herald Square.

New York City is home to some of the most worldly icons to ever exist; in short, the city can be perfectly encapsulated in just one word—iconic. But what is an icon exactly? An icon is a person, place, or thing that is ubiquitously admired and acknowledged as the true symbol representing a specific culture, idea, place, or history. In essence, an icon can turn into something larger than life because of how vast their representation is to something. New York City has almost hundreds of them; from the Brooklyn Bridge to Times Square, the list of symbols is exhaustive. However, there is one icon that doesn’t seem to be talked about enough, and that is the Macys Department Store. Located at 34th Street Herald Square, the department store spans the entire city block, covering 2.5 million square feet with 11 floors of retail space. It is the largest department store in the entire US and one of the largest in the world. Macys first opened in 1902 and was designated a famous national historic landmark in 1978. In fact, if you go inside you can see fully operational wooden escalators that date back to the 1920s. To me, Macys has always been a symbol of the city not only because of its iconic history or because of the iconic shopping bag, but also because it has been a staple in every person’s childhood growing up in New York. Every Thanksgiving large crowds bring their families to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, a legendary American tradition where people come out to celebrate the beginning of the holidays with giant floats of iconic characters from pop culture, dance performances, and singing showcases. This parade in and of itself is a culmination of different cultures and symbols that perfectly represent the multifaceted nature of New York City. I remember waking up early every morning as a kid to watch it air live on NBC. It’s not only Thanksgiving, but the holiday showcases as well. During Christmas, Macy’s would decorate their entire window displays in winter wonderland magic, adding to the distinct, iconic winter aesthetic New York City has cultivated for itself. Macys to me is the heart of New York City magic; it attracts people worldwide who want a taste of what the Big Apple has to offer, and it never disappoints.

0

Icons of New York, Rachel Rachmany

Scaffolding of New York, metal rods, with a green topper

When I think of New York and especially New York City the first thing that comes to mind is the scaffolding. You know, the metal rods and green topper that protect you from the building work on top of you. Some history behind it is that it started to become a requirement to have it during certain construction in 1980, but it was first stated in 1938. If there was no scaffolding it could pose a danger to the public, especially because there is ALWAYS work going on for the buildings of New York City. 

That’s my icon of New York. 

Funny story, yesterday I was walking to Baruch, and for the first time I saw them building the scaffolding. I was in awe because I’ve never seen them work on it before, it’s just always there. But as they were building it, there was a very small and short opening that I had to go under. As I was about to go under, the unit they were working on started shaking. I said nope, and threw myself on the street and walked the other way. But hey, that’s New York for you, and that’s why this is my icon. 

An icon is an object that symbolizes a larger thing or place as a whole. It becomes an almost instant thing that when you see you you know exactly what thing or place on a bigger spectrum you have seen. Although the scaffolding interrupts the beauty of the buildings above you, I kind of find beauty in it as well. The scaffolding is the thing that reminds me of New York, I’ve quite honestly never seen it anywhere else. 

0

Icons of New York, Rebecca Bukobza

An icon is something that is easily recognizable and represents a bigger idea, place, or culture. For my New York City icon, I chose a bodega. I think bodegas represent NYC because they are such a normal part of everyday life here. Almost every neighborhood has one, and you can go in for basically anything, whether it’s a bacon egg and cheese, a drink, snacks, or something you need last minute.

Bodegas also have an important history in New York. The word “bodega” comes from Spanish, and these small neighborhood stores became especially associated with Puerto Rican and other Latino communities in the city. Today, bodegas are found throughout all five boroughs and are run by people from many different backgrounds.

I chose the bodega because it represents the New York that people who actually live here experience. When I think of NYC, I don’t only think about famous landmarks. I think about things that are part of everyday life, and going to your neighborhood bodega is one of them. They are convenient, familiar, and often become a real part of the community.

0

Icons of New York, Shirley Kabariti

An icon is an image, object or symbol that represents or emulates a certain place, religion or culture.

One icon in New York City is Rockefeller Center because of its architecture, business, entertainment, art, tourism, and urban life. It was built during the Great Depression under John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s vision of creating a space for offices, shops, restaurants and theaters to thrive. Shortly after its completion  in 1933, 30 Rockefeller Plaza became one of the defining skyscrapers of the New York City skyline. Rockefeller Center has many different features ranging from its ice skating rink, to its observation deck with views across Manhattan. I chose the Rockefeller Center because I used to go there all the time on trips to Manhattan with my family. We always used to go on a Saturday night in the dead of winter and it was absolutely amazing to see all the lights and the Christmas tree, even though I am Jewish.

0

Icons of New York, Abby Badalov

Vibrant image of New York City

An icon can really be anything from a person, image, symbol, building, or artwork that people immediately associate with a larger idea. For instance, one could argue that Martin Luther King Jr. was an icon because he was closely associated with the Civil Rights movement and racial equality. An icon can represent a culture, movement, belief, idea, or an era. People typically define icons as figures they repeatedly connect to these larger ideas. 

“N.Y.C.: The Wind Beneath Our Wings” by Charles Fazzino 

On my trip back from Alaska, I saw this beautiful image in Terminal 8 of JFK Airport, the night before Macaulay Orientation! I had to take a picture because I knew that I would be taking a class about NYC this semester. This image immediately caught my attention because it is extremely vibrant, crowded, and detailed. Most importantly, it includes many aspects of the city and not just one. The fact that this image is located at JFK is clever because the airport is one of the places where people first enter NYC or leave it, so this artwork kind of acts like an introduction. In the image, I noticed the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, MSG, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, yellow taxis, and so much more. These places aren’t actually that close to one another, but it seems the artist put them together to create a collection of associations people have with NYC. I think this definitely represents NYC because, in reality, it does feel extremely crowded, with another person, building, restaurant, or activity always around you. Many different communities and worlds exist in one tiny city, like Chinatown, Little Italy, and luxury areas, which shows how NYC is one city with many different identities. The movement in this image also resonated with me because the city is always moving. I never see an empty street with no cars: there are always taxis, pedestrians, and trains underground. This image contains many individual NYC icons, but as a whole it becomes a larger representation of the many things that make up the city. Fazzino, the artist of this work, was very clever in creating this image because he shows that there is no single New York, but rather different value in each person it inhabits. 

0

Icons of New York, Evelina Vyshyvaniuk

An icon is a symbol, object, place, or person that is deeply symbollic of a certain concept, and is a representation of something beyond its appearance. Icons can be found in religion, pop culture, semiotics, and in a variety of other spheres. For instance, we see religious icons in sacred paintings/carvings of Saints in Othodox Christianity, in iconic pop starts like Beyonce and Madonna, and even in simple emojis, road signs, etc.

For me, pigeons are the ultimate icons of NYC. Pigeons arrived in NYC along with the Dutch settlers in the 1600s, and since then. they’ve grown and adapted to the urban landscape alongside humans, which makes them the most authentic of New Yorkers. This also makes them the ultimate symbol for New Yorkian adaptability, resilience, and ability to survive in the city’s toughest conditions. As Alicia Keys wisely said, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” Pigeons, just like rodents, are an irreplaceable part of the NYC street landscape, and while we’ve grown to hardly ever notice them anymore, they’re truly iconic and are just as big NYC symbols as pizza, yellow taxis, and bagels are. For instance, here is a picture I took walking down 23rd Street to Baruch this week.

0

Icons of New York, Angelica Wong

Image of the inside of Grand Central Terminal

Icons can be anything, from objects, to places, to people. They become icons by having history, meaning, recognition, and importance. Icons often carry a range of meanings that can resonate with large groups of people. The history of an icon usually lends it the meaning and recognition.

I chose Grand Central Station because of its recognition. Not only is it a destination that draws in visitors, it is also used daily by many New Yorkers and people working in New York. Both the functionality and its aesthetics allows for it to represent New York. Grand Central Station was opened on February 2, 1913. The station would become the busiest in the U.S. for a time, prospering as the neighborhood around it grew and attracted visitors. Throughout the years, it would be repeatedly at risk of being replaced or fall apart. Despite this, the people of New York would repeatedly fight to maintain and renew Grand Central as it is known. This history of furthering New York as a global hub and New York’s continuous fight for Grand Central Station anchors it as an icon.

0

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.

Up ↑