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Nik Wallenda Wants To Walk A Wire Between Chrysler And Empire State Buildings
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 24, 2013
Modified Jun 24, 2013
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 24, 2013
Modified Jun 24, 2013
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The Chrysler Building, from the Empire State Building. (Photo via christinyca's flickr)
Nik Wallenda conquered New York's Niagara Falls, but can he walk a wire between the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings? Yesterday, after the daredevil survived his walk over the Grand Canyon, he said he wanted to walk a wire between the two iconic buildings. His biggest challenge may be cutting through all the red tape.
In 1974, Philippe Petit famously walked on a wire between the Twin Towers, crossing eight times in the span of 45 minutes. He didn't have a permit, and was charged with 14 misdemeanors for his stunt.
More recently, in 2006, Jeb Corliss tried to base jump off the Empire State Building, which landed him in court. The stunt, which was never actually performed, prompted Queens Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. to call for a "no stunt" NYC.
Yesterday's stunt took Wallenda just over 20 minutes—if he gets permission for the New York stunt, the walk will take much longer—as the NY Post points out the distance will be about 3 times that of his Canyon walk, totaling out around 4,000 feet, or 9 city blocks.
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stunt
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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