A Year of Blogging: September 3, 2011

September 3 is Skyscraper Day. I am a country girl. Nothing makes me feel more like a country mouse in the city than being surrounded by skyscrapers. The last time I was in New York City was December, 2009. Dad and I were on a bus trip to the new Yankee Stadium. As we rode on the bus through the heart of Manhattan, Dad looked up at the skyscrapers, craning his neck, and said 'look at how tall they are!' I suppose some people on the bus thought of us as country bumpkins. Well, we really are. I am much more comfortable surrounded by open farm fields than by tall buildings. If I'm in a city, I feel boxed in. The tall buildings towering over me makes me feel small and insignificant, but not in a good, reassuring way. They are intimidating to me. To me, it is stressful and I can't wait to get away from them. The other reason I don't care for skyscrapers is that I'm afraid of heights. Yes, I am 5'9" tall and I'm afraid of heights. My first memory of being aware that I'm afraid of heights is also my first memory of a skyscraper. I was in fourth or fifth grade, and we took a field trip to Albany. We visited the Empire State Plaza, which includes the Corning Tower. We went to the observation deck on the 42nd floor. I stood there with my two best friends, Drew and Angela, looking out over the city. Drew's mom was one of the trip chaperones. I looked out the window, and felt dizzy. I turned to Mrs. Bartron and told her 'I think I'm going to throw up' and she quickly took me back to the elevator and we were whisked back to the lobby. I felt much better then. I had that same experience in the Eiffel Tower, The Space Needle, and any other tall structure that I've ever gone in. I didn't get the attraction with skyscrapers, and I still don't. Sure, there are some, like the Empire State Building, that have some attractive features, but to me, they are primarily just huge towers of steel and glass.