[DrNest]

When one thinks of 'city of spires' one thinks of Oxford, Prague, or Copenhagen. Cities with a long history of this title. New York isn't the first place that springs to mind.
Whitman wrote in 1860, so I highly doubt he was referencing skyscrapers built in the mid-late 20th Century.
The actual line, deep within his poem reads, "City of hurried and sparkling waters! city of spires and masts! City nested in bays! my city!"

Yes, he was referring to New York in this instance, but look at the photograph in post #328. What percentage of the buildings have spires? Is it really apt to still infer the 'city of spires' tag?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying New York doesn't have a fantastic skyline. It does. Arguably one of the best in the world. My original point was that the BoA tower would have looked better without it's spire as is. Just because somebody wrote about a 'city of spires' over 150 years ago doesn't mean to say it's apt to plonk an 80m or so metal stick on top of a building.