The XYZ buildings IMO, despite a lot of criticism I've read, are quite New Yorkish in that they carry a certain quiet swagger almost *because* of their blandness.
Nah...
It's definitely the size...
::NY accent mode on::...youse stoopid mawwwwwwwrons...figeddab
aaahdit.
Now imagine that kind of attitude,
only about 500 feet taller on average,
covering a swath of Midtown from the Hudson riverfront to 57th,
and setting architectural precedents of all kinds for American cities for generations to come.
If this economy doesn't do a complete double-dip tankeroonie, that is.