The Crown She Kept

The Chrysler Building held the title of tallest building in the world for just one year before the Empire State Building claimed the crown.

And yet, nearly a century later, the Chrysler remains my favorite building in Manhattan—so much so that I chose to have her inked on my skin. Maybe it’s the Art Deco details. Maybe it’s the gleaming steel crown that catches the light from every angle and glows at night above the city. Or maybe it’s because I have a soft spot for underdogs.

The Empire State Building may have won the height competition, but the Chrysler Building kept something far more enduring: the affection of generations of New Yorkers,

including this one.