Landmark Light Maintenance

We were in NYC for a business meeting I had and stayed over to visit city landmarks, e.g., Radio City Music Hall, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Construction on St. Patrick's began in 1958 with an interruption during the Civil War. It was dedicated in 1879, though construction continued for a few more years (e.g., two spirals, rectory). The two 300 foot spirals and the inside are magnificent. Completely by chance, we found two maintenance men cleaning one of the 14 chandeliers that hang in the nave. If you wondered, as I did, how they get the chandeliers up and down from their hanging positions, we were told the main support chain on each is attached to a wench that allows them to be cranked up and down. Unfortunately, space in Manhattan is tight and my 18mm lens was not wide enough to capture the exterior of the cathedral. That notwithstanding, it was a great opportunity to visit this landmark, plus we learned a small bit of behind the scenes information.