The skyscrapers are what makes Central Park unique. There are millions of acres of parkland around the world. There is only one place where a park is surrounded by the most iconic skyline in the world. That contrast between the urban and the "natural" (there's little to no true wilderness in Central Park) is what makes it beautiful to me.

Beauty being in the eye of the beholder, 432 Park Avenue's one of my favourite pieces of contemporary architecture.

*shrug

It's so wonderfully unfussy - I particularly like the 'service floors' which are emptier to aid air-flow, reducing the swaying.

Admittedly, the skyline might be a bit dull if every building was so bluntly utilitarian, but as an exception, I find it refreshing.

According to Wikipedia, "When completed, [111 West 57th Street] will be one of the tallest buildings in the United States, as well as the thinnest skyscraper in the world with a width-to-height ratio of about 1:23 or 1:24".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111_West_57th_Street

I was in NYC in February and while both were quite impressive, I don't aesthetically like them either. But to me the favorites are the likes of the Woolworth, Flatiron, Chrysler... so I guess I'm a lost cause to contemporary architecture.