The view from the top of the world.

Allen was the one that introduced me to the top floor of the parking deck that overlooks Moore Square transit station. He and I spent Christmas Eve downtown, and the eighth floor was one of our stops.

Before that, my highest vantage point was the sixth floor of the parking deck by the convention center. This was like seeing the world with a new set of eyes.

The unobstructed view of Raleigh's tree-lined streets never stopped thrilling me, inspiring me to climb higher. I wanted to scale the outside of the 584 foot PNC Tower and breathe in the rarified air.

The grey foreboding sky felt as if it was only inches outside of my straining reach. Eventually the rain that had been threatening all afternoon came to fruition. The fat drops chased us from the rooftop, down into the streets below.