Empire State Building Reviews (New York, New York) - Page 2

The Empire State Building

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

January 1, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo The Empire State Building is one of the New York skyline's most famous landmarks. It is a limestone classic, built in 410 days at a cost of $40 million during the Depression. I always think of it as the vertical perch off which King Kong was ...Read more The Empire State Building is one of the New York skyline's most famous landmarks. It is a limestone classic, built in 410 days at a cost of $40 million during the Depression. I always think of it as the vertical perch off which King Kong was knocked.

When it was completed in 1931, this was the tallest building in the world. Now it is the tallest in Manhattan. It is 1,450 feet high, used 60,000 tonnes of steel and has 6,500 windows (all of which have to be washed).

It is not the most beautiful skyscraper in the city - the Chrysler Building wins this, but it is definitely the most iconic. At night it looks beautiful, bathed in lighting chosen the reflect the season or holiday.

We bought our tickets in advance on-line - highly recommended as it saved us about 45 minutes queuing to buy them. We paid $19 each, under 5's are free. You still have to queue to go through security and for the lifts, but you skip the long lines waiting for tickets. Be sure to show the staff you have your tickets, otherwise they just let you line up anyway.

The lifts go to the 86th floor observation deck where there is an outdoor viewing area. Be prepared for the crowds - even on a Friday morning it was so crushed and packed up there you could hardly move. The views are good though and it's fun to look down at all the shorter skyscrapers reaching up to you. You get an 80 mile view from the top.

As well as the Empire State Building, there are other sights of interest not too far away. The New York Public Library is a short walk away. It is an impressive building with 2 majestic stone lions out at the front - called Patience and Fortitude, and during our visit they were wearing holly garlands. The library building is 2 blocks long with 2 million books inside.

Grand Central Station is also not far away. Definitely go there as it is so beautiful. Built in 1913, this was the gateway to New York, with trains arriving from all directions. It has been beautifully restored. The Main Concourse has a 4 sided clock in the centre, 2 grand staircases and on the high vaulted ceiling is a blue and gold mural depicting the night sky.

At Christmas time in Grand Central they have a holiday lights laser show on the ceiling every 15 minutes. It is quite pretty and interesting to watch.

There are also lots of lovely little shops in the walkways and a great food market. During December they also have a Christmas Market - the stalls all have lots of lovely trinkets, Christmas ornaments and great ideas for gifts and souvenirs. We loved it there and ended up spending a small fortune.

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From journal A Week in New York

Empire State Building

by Traveling Jen

East Bridgewater, Massachusetts

March 15, 2007

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The Empire State Building observatory has some breathtaking views. My only regret is that I tried to time it for just before sunset, I wanted to be on the observatory for long enough to take some great shots while still light out and some at sunset ...Read more

From journal New York City on the GO!

Empire State Building

by CHIBulldog09

New Haven, Connecticut

March 11, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo It sort of goes without saying that one of the things you have to do while visiting New York City is to go up the Empire State Building. In my opinion, it won't disappoint.First, the facts: The Empire State Building is located at 34th Street on ...Read more

From journal Quick New York Getaway

Empire State Building

by Asia Traveler

Onalaska, Wisconsin

November 26, 2006

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My husband had never been to New York before, so we had to do a few of the "touristy" things while we were there. We went up the Empire State Building to catch some views of the city. We had decided to spend the money ($30) to go all the way to the ...Read more My husband had never been to New York before, so we had to do a few of the "touristy" things while we were there. We went up the Empire State Building to catch some views of the city.

We had decided to spend the money ($30) to go all the way to the 102nd floor (there is also the main observatory on the 86th floor), but when we asked for tickets to the 102nd floor at the ticket window on the 2nd floor, we were sold regular tickets ($14) for the 86th floor observatory. We couldn't figure out what was going on - the clerk told us nothing, although there were signs all over the place saying "the 102nd floor observatory is now open!" We thought perhaps you bought a supplement when you got to the 86th floor, but according to their website, that's not so.

It ended up not mattering. The views are great from the 86th floor - nothing else in that area is as high as the Empire State Building, so you get great views of the downtown skyline. One interesting fact that we learned is that you can see the location of 5 of the world's previously-tallest buildings from the Empire State Building... although two or three of them are no longer there.

We were at the Empire State Building on a Friday afternoon, and it was somewhat crowded. There was a bit of a wait for the elevators and we did have to fight our way to the rail on the observation deck. However, as everyone is constantly moving to get a different view, it wasn't a big deal - someone was always moving along so you could squeeze in fairly easily and quickly.

One note, though - if you think you'll need to use the bathroom, do it downstairs. The only women's restroom I found only had two stalls in it - and one of those was out of order when I was up there.

We enjoyed our visit to the Empire State Building, and even for an "old hand" like me, it was still fun to view the NYC skyline from the observatory. Close

From journal A First-timer and an Old-timer Visit the Big Apple

Empire State Building

by mafnet

Lake Forest, California

November 10, 2006

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Due to the 9/11 attacks, security is at an all time high. However, the building is not closed to the public. The wait for the elevator is about a couple of minutes. It quickly takes you to the 80th floor (or near it), where you transfer to another ...Read more

From journal New York

Empire State Building

by Kellygan

Colorado Springs, Colorado

September 19, 2006

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It was about 8pm and we decided to see the city from up top of the city. We were warned the we would be standing in line, we were pleasantly surprised. The line was only about a thirty minute wait...so we thought! We bought our tickets and headed ...Read more

From journal Five Nights in NYC

Empire State Building

by syedauf

Bridgeport, Connecticut

August 4, 2006

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The Empire State Building is one of the most amazing skyscrapers in NYC. It has over 80 floors and a visitor's gallery at the top. You can have a great panoramic view of the whole city from the top.

From journal First Trip to New York

Empire State Building

by travellingaround

Buffalo, New York

August 2, 2006

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I, like every other visitor to New York, visited the Empire State Building. The building itself is exactly like you see on TV—it was very tall and looked like a building. It was not that special from the outside, needless to say. We paid the ...Read more

From journal New York City Spectacular

Empire State Building

by aerosmithgirl617

Corona Del Mar, California

July 12, 2006

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The top of the Empire State Building is absolutely amazing. I went up there at night, and it's breathtaking to see the city lights from that far up. It was also very windy and fun. You could lean forward and the wind would hold you up. I highly ...Read more

From journal Winter in New York

Empire State Building

by Temagami

Austin, Texas

May 27, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo The Empire State Building observation deck is an excellent vantage point from which to see Manhattan, whether it be by daylight or to see the city lights. The deck is open from early morning until late at night, with extended summer hours. ...Read more

From journal Five Days in New York City

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