I'm a lifelong New Yorker who visited the Empire State Building for the first time, and it was actually worth the money
Gabbi Shaw
- I grew up in New York City's shadow, and I've lived in the city for the last three years.
- But somehow, I've never made it to the Empire State Building, one of NYC's most famous landmarks.
I've lived in New York state for my entire life, give or take four years of college, but somehow, I've never made it to the Empire State Building.
I've lived on Long Island since I was born — my dad commuted to Manhattan my whole childhood and I went to the city countless times as a kid. I then commuted myself for a year after college, before moving into NYC myself in 2019.
But, somehow, neither my parents nor any of my schools took me to the Empire State Building, and by the time you're 26, none of your cool NYC friends want to visit either.
So I decided to rectify that. One Tuesday afternoon, I visited one of NYC's biggest tourist hot spots.
There are four ticket levels you can purchase to visit. There's a basic ticket that'll get you to the 80th floor and the 86th-floor observation deck. For an adult, it costs $44, while kids cost $38 and seniors cost $42.
To get to the 102nd floor and its glass observation deck will set an adult back $77. Children are $71 and seniors are $75.
There's an added premium if you want to go at sunset: A 102nd-floor ticket costs $92 for an adult, and an 86th-floor ticket costs $54.
While these ticket prices may seem steep, the basic ticket is comparable with the cost of visiting similar tourist hot spots in the city. For example, tickets to visit the top of the Rockefeller Center, or the Top of the Rock, start at $40 for an adult, while a standard adult ticket for One World Observatory costs $38.
However, there were barely any tourists to be found.
Maybe it was just because it was the middle of the day on a Tuesday, but there was absolutely no one around.
This scale replica inside the building was clearly meant to be a photo-op, but there was no one around to snag selfies.
There was a set of stairs to walk up where this replica was housed. There was a sticker on the floor advertising a hashtag to use with your selfies, but there wasn't anyone around to snag said selfies, besides me.
I purchased my tickets beforehand, but there was no shortage of ticket machines for anyone looking to pay a spur-of-the-moment visit.
I was advised that I had to buy a ticket online first to ensure I'd get a spot at the time I wanted, but from all these empty ticket machines, I have a feeling I could've just waited.
As I wound my way around the many corridors, I encountered many echoing, empty hallways.
I have to assume that it's packed here on weekends — this place is built to sustain crowds. According to the building's website, 4 million people visit yearly.
I finally saw some other visitors when I made it to security.
It basically looked like airport security.
But almost immediately, there was so much room to spread out I lost them again.
The red carpet was for people who purchased an express ticket ... but there was no reason for it on the day of my visit.
The first real "line" I saw was for a photo everyone had to take.
I thought I had made it to the elevators before I saw camera flashes. Then, I thought it was for security, but I was wrong.
I thought the photo was maybe for security, but no, just a souvenir. You were able to scan your postcard at the end to see your photo.
The photographer laughed and asked if it was just me visiting alone, which was a fair question. As it was just me, I decided I'd just be holding on to my postcard.
After going through security and the photo spot, I entered the building's museum, which was fascinating.
If you want to learn more about the building's history, I would highly recommend paying a visit. The Empire State Building has been part of NYC's skyline since ground was first broken in 1930. There are lots of exhibits about how much the city has changed in the intervening 92 years.
There were many rooms filled with interactive displays and lots of history about the building.
There are many interactive touch screens, statues, photo opportunities, and information. It's one of the more interesting museums I've visited in a while.
The first (and, really, only) time I got queasy wasn't even at the top — it was when I was presented with an out-of-use elevator shaft that was lit to the bottom.
This made me thankful that the observation decks don't have glass bottoms.
Clearly, the museum designers were very passionate about the Empire State's cinematic landmark status.
Much of the museum is dedicated to the Empire State Building's iconic place in pop culture in comics, movies, TV shows, toys, and more.
Right before the elevators, there was an exhibit set up to look like King Kong's fingers crushing through the walls. You can see a video of him through the window.
One of the most famous images involving the Empire State Building is King Kong, a giant ape, scaling the building. This photo-op pays tribute to the iconic film — you can even pretend Kong is grabbing you.
The second line of the day came almost 45 minutes into my experience — it was for the elevators to the 80th floor.
Spoiler: This was the biggest crowd I saw my entire visit, and I was still on the elevator around two minutes later.
Possibly to distract people from going 80 floors in under 60 seconds, the ceiling of the elevator played a video that makes it look like the building is being constructed as you go.
My ears popped multiple times on my way up.
The 80th floor is completely indoors, and it is the first real view of the skyline you'll get. This room has arrows pointing out the different landmarks you can spot.
There were even more exhibits up here, fake binoculars that hooked up to video feeds around the city, and, of course, spectacular views.
Even from behind a thick glass window, the views were breathtaking. But I only really walked around for a few minutes before making it to the main attraction ...
"On a clear day, you can see six states from our observatories: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Delaware," according to its website.
... the outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor. Just a short elevator ride later, I was breathing air from over 1,000 feet up.
On the southern side of the building, I was exposed to more sun and was shielded from the wind, making it an altogether lovely experience.
From one side of the building, you can look out over the southern tip of Manhattan, all the way to the Freedom Tower. The view took my breath away.
I've never seen anything quite like it before.
However, that uninterrupted view was only visible if I stuck my phone through the bars. In actuality, there's a fence around the whole thing.
Yes, I was holding on to my phone for dear life while trying to snag a picture through the rails.
After thinking how warm it was on the south side of the building, I walked around to the northern side, which was basically a freezing wind tunnel.
It was so windy that I thought my hat was going to come off, or that my phone was going to fly out of my hands. I also was worried that my fingers were going to get too cold to take any pictures without dropping my phone, so I hurried back to the warmer side.
I only lasted two minutes over there. Here's the view from the western side — hi, New Jersey!
And hi Chelsea, Midtown West, and the Hudson River.
As I had the more expensive ticket, I made my way up even higher to the 102nd floor's observation deck, which was back inside.
I was prepared for something worth an extra $33 ... but I was underwhelmed.
This is what the center of the 102nd floor looks like. You can tell you're in a much smaller space.
The 102nd floor is in the base of the needle atop the building.
This was basically the same view from a little bit higher up. But at least I could look at Central Park and the rest of upper Manhattan without freezing in the wind.
The best part was that I had a better view of Central Park and wasn't freezing my behind off to see it.
Across the river, I could see Brooklyn.
I just moved from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to the Upper East Side in Manhattan, so forgive me for getting a little nostalgic.
I also had an amazing view of the ground. I couldn't tell if I was experiencing vertigo or if the needle was swaying in the wind, but I suddenly had enough.
The observation deck on the 102nd floor opened in 2019.
After taking three elevators and walking through one gift shop, I was back on the ground, looking at the lobby I've seen dozens of times while watching "Elf."
The exterior of the Empire State Building was just one of many iconic NYC holiday movie destinations I stopped at last year.
I'm not sure why my parents never took me to the top of the Empire State Building when I was kid, but I can wholeheartedly recommend snagging a ticket, preferably during a weekday.
If you have an afternoon to kill and don't mind spending the $44 ticket price, I would definitely recommend swinging by the Empire State Building. You'll learn more about the building and the city's history, and you'll get a brand new perspective.
Sure, it's a little cheesy, but it's iconic for a reason.
Also, in my opinion, you don't need the more expensive ticket. I didn't think there was anything about the 102nd floor that's worth an extra $30.
A view from 86 floors up was high enough for me, and it was cool to actually be outside as opposed to being stuck behind the glass.
But I was impressed — now it's time for me to try the other iconic NYC buildings that offer stunning views!
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