#323: Patience and Fortitude

New York Public Library, Midtown, NYC

No matter how many years it's been since I first came to New York City and saw the December snow falling faintly upon the lions, Patience and Fortitude, that guard the New York Public Library's main branch, there is still something magical about that library. And there is something so old-school about these beautifully carved numbers that mark the long tables in the reading rooms. The tables at the main branch library are at just the right height, and the hush of the space and high ceilings all conspire to make me feel like I could cook up the most extraordinary ideas there in that room, surrounded by so many books and so much Beaux-Arts awesomeness.

I've been spending a lot of time in libraries lately, mainly Butler Library up at Columbia University, and I have to say, there is a magic to a good library. And though a lot of it's the quiet, it's the remarkable details like these -- almost hidden in the architecture -- that make me appreciate the spaces even more.