On Friday night, there was a smoke condition at City Hall. Apparently an "electrical panel overheated," filling the basement with smoke around 7:45PM, forcing a building evacuation. According to the NY Times, only a few building workers were in the building (Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn weren't around) and though the fire department brought a hose into the building, no water was sprayed. We're glad that City Hall wasn't damaged, as it's a truly beautiful building. We've noticed that many people mistake the Municipal Building, which is much much taller and cuts a more impressive figure than City Hall. We love City Hall's many windows, which make it seem open and add a bit of grace to its granite exterior. However, much of the mayor's staff and other city offices are in the Municipal Building.

And City Hall Park, the sliver of land between Broadway and Park Row where City Hall is nestled, is very romantic, with gaslit lamps and a fountain. One redeeming part of the movie Hitch is the walk through City Hall Park Will Smith and Eva Mendes take.

Photograph from Wally G on Flickr