Longitude: 73°58'32.54"W
The Chrysler Building is a thing of beauty. The wiki article is great and covers everything that I would say about it.
The seven story crown really makes the building spectacular, and sublime. Nightmares of syringes and impalement transformed into a brilliant stainless steel clad inverted groin vault.
The "gargoyles" on the 61st floor are commonly held to be reminiscent of a vintage hood ornament. I happen to disagree with this and think that van Alen's intent was to incorporate the heraldic double headed eagle symbol, an ancient icon of divine power. Perhaps, Walter Chrysler popularized these alternative notions in order to promote a connection between the building and his new auto lines. If anything, the building inspired car design and not the other way around.
The entrance is like a portal to the temple of the gods. I love it. Just walking through it makes you feel like a giant. A great collection of pictures can be found here
