While people all around New York state Monday gathered to watch the highly anticipated solar eclipse, hundreds chose to observe the historic phenomena in Midtown Manhattan on the iconic Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center.
About 700 people chose to don their UV protective shades at the Top of the Rock, according to event organizers, to watch the sun be slowly blotted out. Young and old, locals and tourists — they all pressed the paper glasses to their faces and watched the cosmic wonder unfold.
Erlinda Brent has been looking forward to the solar eclipse for days, so much so that she was given a ticket to the Top of the Rock’s viewing party for her birthday by friends.
“I remember, I believe it was 1994, during the solar eclipse how the leaves through the trees made mirror images on the ground. That was really exciting. When I was a little girl in Washington D.C., for the lunar eclipse I recall my grandmother smoking a glass pane so that we can watch the eclipse,” Brent said. “I love the sun and I wonder what the ancients thought during an eclipse.”
Lance Somerfeld and his 9-year-old daughter Jade wanted to have a special father daughter adventure to mark the solar eclipse, so they ventured to the Top of the Rock to view the eclipse along with the city skyline.
“We wanted to do something that was unique and memorable,” Somerfeld said, “[Jade] was 1 and half for the 2017 solar eclipse so she doesn’t remember any of it.”
Somerfeld works in the East Side School for Social Action’s library and shared that the students spent the past few weeks learning all about space and the natural phenomena of a solar eclipse.
“We read the book Eclipse by Andy Rash all of last week with all of our Kindergarten through Fifth grade classes,” Somerfeld said.
Tricia and her husband Darryl, along with their four children Ruby, 13, Rhys and Reagan, 11, and Ronin, 8, love visiting New York City from their native Virginia. For the family, it was no question that the city skyline was the best way to view the solar eclipse.
“We are visiting, and we love New York, and what better place to be at the Top [of the Rock] with this great view and this once and a lifetime opportunity,” Tricia said.
“I am excited to see if because it only happens once in a couple of years,” Ruby said.
“I am excited to see the moon right over the sun,” Rhys added.
Visitors watched in awe as the moon slowly eclipsed the sun, some children in attendance added makeshift masks to their solar eclipse glasses while others donned space themed clothing to commemorate the experience.
