The coolest time-lapse video of NYC you'll ever see

Time-lapse videos of bustling cities like New York are nothing new. But a Washington, D.C.-based cinematographer has created one of the cooler time-lapse videos of Manhattan you'll ever see.

"Midtown," directed by Drew Geraci, is a stunning, two-and-a-half, mostly nighttime minute trip past some of New York's most iconic landmarks — Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, Grand Central Terminal, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, the Flatiron and Chrysler buildings and the East River, each dripping with light and electricity. According to Geraci, who produced the intro sequence for "House of Cards," the time-lapse video was shot over six months using four cameras and more than 50,000 still frames.

"The lights, cars, traffic, architecture and people make the city come to life as a living, breathing organism that never sleeps," he wrote in a post accompanying the film's release. "Our main goal was to capture the central part of the city in both visuals and audio."

"Perhaps it’s the focus on the one section of Manhattan that many of its residents despise ... that reels you in," Andrew Katz wrote on Time.com.

It wasn't terribly easy to capture. "There were multiple times during this shoot that we were chased off, either by cops or the cold," Geraci added. "The subway shots were particularly difficult to get, especially in the wake of the Boston bombings. We were led out and in some cases followed by police officers or MTA officials who seemed intent on getting us for using tripods."