Empire State Building Observatory

Empire State Building Observatory

Address

350 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10118 

Phone

(212) 736-3100

Area

Neighborhood

Price

$25

Web Page

http://www.esbnyc.com/observatory.asp?gclid=CMTe5Nqzx6kCFYXc4AodjmTdOw

Semi-useful stuff

Mikomos rating

4.50

(2 votes)

Description

The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. The 86th-floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November 2005. It is completely enclosed and much smaller than the first one; it may be closed on high-traffic days. Tourists may pay to visit the observation deck on the 86th floor and an additional amount for the 102nd floor. [1]

One Mikomos user writes "It's like Top of the Rock. You can go to the observatory at 86th or 115th floor. 115th is more expensive and not really worth it. It's a little expensive but it's nice. It can take some time pending on the lines to go up, but that can be good to make it a longer activity. Many places to eat near there. Open till 2AM."

Tips

• The lines to enter the observation decks, according to the building's website, are "as legendary as the building itself:" there are five of them: the sidewalk line, the lobby elevator line, the ticket purchase line, the second elevator line, and the line to get off the elevator and onto the observation deck. For an extra fee tourists can skip to the front of the line. [2]