Empire State Building

Description: The Empire State Building is, next to the Statue of Liberty, probably the best known and most popular top attraction of the city. Movies like King Kong have given the building its cult status. You can see the skyscraper in countless movies and television productions. When it opened in 1931, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. It is 1250ft high (1453ft with antennas). On the 102 floor there is an observation deck, which is very popular. Because it is almost always very busy, we would recommend to reserve the tickets for the observation deck online or to invest in a Fast Pass. This often saves hours of waiting time.

Our rating: We have only been to the Empire State Building once before (1992). The view is great and it was just impressive to see the city lights turning on in the evening. On subsequent visits, we always opted for the Observation Deck on Rockefeller Center. It's not as high, but it offers a nice view of Central Park and the Empire State Building. Nevertheless, we can also recommend the Observation Deck on the Empire State Building.