New York City is always a dream for anyone who loves sketching architecture. This trip was all about capturing the city in sketches quick impressions with my watercolor travel kit and a fountain pen. Each page of my sketchbook became a memory from a different angle of the city: from the airport before takeoff to the breathtaking skyline seen from the Top of the Rock.
Did you read my post about Italian sketch trip? If you missed it you can find it here.
Airport Sketches
My journey began right at the airport. There’s something poetic about airplanes moments before flying feel like a mix of excitement and calm. I made two small sketches: one of the aircraft outside the window, another of a woman sitting next to her bright pink suitcase. She left just as I finished sketching her, like a character stepping out of a story. Airports are perfect for quick sketches everyone moves, yet time feels suspended.
Room View Sketch
My hotel room was on the 36th floor, and from there, the view was pure New York geometry glass towers, steel reflections, and the famous “Wicked” billboard glowing below. The city looked alive even at rest. The mix of colors and lines reminded me how every window in New York hides a different story. That sketch captured not just buildings, but the rhythm of the city itself restless, layered, and endlessly vertical.
Strand Bookstore Sketch
No visit to New York feels complete without walking into the Strand Bookstore. Opened in 1927, this independent shop on Broadway has been serving book lovers for nearly a century. Its slogan “18 miles of books” says everything and it’s true, the store is a maze of shelves and discovery. I sketched the corner façade with its bright orange awning, full of life and people browsing outside. There’s something timeless about drawing a place that celebrates creativity in the heart of the city.
Central Park Sketch
On a cloudy morning, my spouse and I found a quiet spot near the lake in Central Park, with the iconic San Remo towers rising in the background. Designed by Emery Roth in the 1930s, these twin towers became one of the most recognizable silhouettes on the Upper West Side. The reflections on the water, the boats drifting by it was peaceful and cinematic. We both smiled holding the finished sketch, a memory framed in watercolor and shared joy.
Sketch on Top of the Rock
My last sketch was from the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. From up there, the Empire State Building stands like a crown of Manhattan. Built in 1931 during the Great Depression, it symbolized hope and resilience a fitting subject for my final page. I managed to capture the skyline just before the rain started, the gray clouds giving the city a soft watercolor mood of its own. Tickets to the observation deck you can find here.
Sketching New York is like trying to hold light in your hands it changes every minute, yet leaves a mark that stays with you. Each drawing I made reminds me of that energy: the endless vertical lines, the crowded corners, and the quiet moments in between.
