Another nice thing about Shea stems from its otherwise
unfortunate location. It's not very far from the (I can't remember if it's
JFK or
LaGuardia, I'm not that big on
NYC geography) airport, but far enough so you don't get too much noise.
It's very cool to watch the planes take off in a flurry of light or come to land slowly, like huge blinking ospreys. Against a purple sunset or an indigo twilight, the sight possesses a measure of urban, industrial beauty which is elegant enough as to almost conform to classical pastoral guidelines.