Joe Macken is a truck driver with a hobby, and that hobby is about to be unveiled to the world soon, a wonderous achievement that has been slowly but surely gestating in his basement for over 20 years and counting.
Over the years, Macken, 63, has been painstakingly building a to-scale model of New York City in his limited spare time.
Raised in the city but now living elsewhere in the state, he recalls spending many days in his youth just walking around and marveling at the sights around him; this was the inspration behind his project.
The model - which measures 50 feet by 27 feet in size - has been in the works since 2004, and consists of some 800,000 pieces, and contains all of Manhattan's fabled landmarks, such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and One World Trade Center.
It also features some beloved sights that unfortunately no longer grace NYC's skyline, such as the World Trade Center, included as a testament to the horrific events of 9/11.
The model is made out buildings constructed from carved balsa wood, glued onto over polystyrene boards, and it will be featured on display at the Museum of the City of New York starting Thursday, February 12; the exhibit will run0 throughout the summer.
Macken noted that he made a point of working on the model every night after a long day of truck driving, followed by family time; afterwards, he would head downstairs and get some time in with the model, often falling to sleep after a few hours of effort, only to get up at the crack of dawn and start the daily routine all over again.
Through it all, he said, his wife and three children have been very supportive of his hobby.
"I can't believe it. I mean, I look at this and I'm just like, did I really make this?" Macken said of his unbelievable efforts.