Early this morning, New Yorkers were treated to a rare and mind-blowing phenomenon – the “reverse Manhattanhenge” sunrise.
For those unfamiliar with the acclaimed Manhattanhenge occurrence, it happens when the sun perfectly aligns with the city’s east to west street grid. Throngs of tourists flock to the area to capture the perfect Instagram snap, despite blocking the entire street and causing chaos for the locals.
But this morning, the tables turned as the sun rose on the opposite side of the grid – a never-before-seen celestial event. And New Yorkers were left to ponder: what does it all mean? Is the universe trying to tell us something?
Despite the rare occurrence, the reaction from New Yorkers was lukewarm at best. One witness, Harold, a lifelong resident of Manhattan, grumbled, “Oh great, just what we need – an even more crowded street. Thanks, universe.”
Another New Yorker, Zoe, quipped, “I guess this is cool if you’re into lining up for hours to take the same photo as every other tourist. Personally, I have better things to do with my life.”
Perhaps the most blasé reaction of all came from the city government. Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, “Thanks for another traffic headache, universe. We’ll be billing you for the extra police work.”
Despite New Yorkers’ indifference, scientists are buzzing about the implications of the “reverse Manhattanhenge.” Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson commented, “This is a stunning discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about astronomy and Manhattan grid streets. It’s probably a sign that aliens are trying to communicate with us.”
The scientific community plans to study this unusual event in depth, but they do have one pressing concern. As physicist Lisa Randall pointed out, “If this is a message from extraterrestrial life forms, we need to make sure that they’re friendly. I don’t think we want to be invaded by aliens who start their day with a reverse Manhattanhenge.”
Despite concerns from the scientific community, New Yorkers seem largely unfazed by the reverse Manhattanhenge. As one local put it, “We’ve seen it all in this city. Aliens, schmalians. This is just another day in New York.”
As the sun slowly returned to its normal position in the sky, ending this mysterious event, one thing was certain – New Yorkers were happy to return to their regularly-scheduled chaos.
