The Monkey watches ice skaters on the rink at Rockefeller Center, with the gold-leaf-covered statue of Prometheus at right. The oil heir John D. Rockefeller sponsored the construction of this Art Deco complex of office towers, public spaces, and shops in Midtown Manhattan during the 1930s Great Depression. Its soaring RCA Building (renamed the GE Building after yet another corporate buy-out) is one of New York's tallest towers, at 259 meters. Elsewhere in the complex, 50 Rockefeller Plaza houses the main offices of the Associated Press news-gathering service behind so much of the content in today's media.

The Monkey strains his neck to look at the Riverside Church, built on high ground in west Harlem in Manhattan. Robber-baron and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was one of the main backers of this interdenominational church that went up from 1927 to 1930. Inspired by the Chartres Cathedral in France, the Riverside Church has a gothic look with modern innovations. For instance, its 119-meter belfry contains not only an impressive 74-bell carillon but also a number of meeting rooms and a tower-top terrace with great views. Numerous 20th Century leaders have spoken from its pulpit, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Fidel Castro.

The Monkey ventured out to experience the epic summer 2003 power outage known as 8/14. Cities across the U.S. northeast and Canadian southeast lost electricity for days, leaving many places looking something like this.

The Monkey parties with two of his friends, rock songstress Fiona Apple and cabaret chanteuse Maude Maggart.

The Monkey escorted his visiting Bulgarian friend Mimi to a mid-August bash. Here, they share a laugh.

The Monkey proves that he really is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

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