Special New York Skyscraper Issue: 'Life Above 800 Feet'

"A city on an island, teeming with cash and ego, has nowhere to go but up. And up. And up," reads the introduction to a special issue of The New York Times Magazine devoted to the current "clambering epoch" in New York. "Manhattan builds up because it cannot build out and because it cannot sit still," adds the article.

The feature includes ten essays, both written and photographed, including "The City's Skyline," by New York Times Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman. That essay sets a tone of respect and even awe for the New York City skyline, which Kimmelman describes as the most famous in the world. "With its dips and peaks, New York’s skyline became a civic signature, the postcard picture and classic movie image of the American century, its contours a reflection of what was happening below," writes Kimmelman.

Also included among the ten essays is a visual guide that provides an interactive, three-dimensional tour of the 21 buildings taller than 800 feet around the city.