For many years, I have looked at a photo of my grandparents, taken at the top of the Empire State Building in the early 1940s. I have wanted to (a) go to New York City, (b) have Sweetie go with me, and (c) have the same type of photo taken of us at the same spot.

Today we made that a reality.

We went to the top, walked all the way around, and had our photo taken at the top.

When we first walked into the building, I was in awe of the ceiling gold leaf constellation pattern, the large bas relief of the building on the wall directly in front of me, and the simple history of the whole place.

As we were getting on the elevator, though, to go to the observation deck, I had tears in my eyes. I was standing somewhere that my grandparents had stood, and I was about to go out and see a more well-developed city, but some of the same city they saw so many years ago. It was very special.

We had the commemorative photo made, thinking nothing of it, and then we went out to the deck and had THE photo made. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the city was gorgeous. We took panoramic shots as well as some candid pictures. It was exactly as I had imagined it all these years.

When we got back downstairs to the gift shop and commemorative photo place, we decided to buy the picture. A few minutes later, I noticed that my shirt looked weird, like the cityscape itself was somehow transposed onto my shirt. I then realized that I had work a green shirt, the same color as the green screen behind us in the photo, that they use to put in the city background. That, in itself, was worth the $20 charge for the photo!

So, my advice: go where your dreams take you, and if they take you to the Empire State Building, wear a lime green shirt so that you, too, can become part of the cityscape.