Visiting the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is the crowning jewel in the world’s most recognisable skyline. Its also the most photographed building in the world, and has appeared on screens globally. From its first major film appearance in the original King Kong, and so many more since, you can’t picture New York without thinking of the Empire State Building. While in my opinion there are better skyscrapers in the city when it comes to getting a bird’s eye view of Manhattan, there’s no doubting the allure and splendour of the original. The Empire State Building retained its status as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years following its construction. You can’t come to New York without going up it. In this post, I’ll help you plan that.

• I’ve written a detailed post providing an itinerary for travellers to New York City. Check it out HERE.

The Basics:

• Where? 20 W 34th Street, New York
• When? The Empire State Building is open daily from 10.00am – midnight (shorter hours apply at different times of the year).
• How much? Basic admission to the main observatory costs $44.00 USD for adults ($38.00 for children).
• How to get there? The Empire State Building is right in the heart of Manhattan at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. The closest subway station is 34th Street-Penn Station, from which the building is a 5 minute walk.
• Website: https://www.esbnyc.com/

About the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building has at 102 floors. Its mostly filled with corporate offices and other private spaces, but a number of floors towards the top of the tower contain New York’s most visited observation point, attracting over 4 million guests a year. At the time construction was completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was the tallest skyscraper in the world. It held that distinction until the original World Trade Center was completed in 1973.

The Empire State Building was designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and was destined for greatness from its inception. Legend claims that a financier of the project, John Jakob Raskob asked William Lamb in a meeting while propping up a pencil – “how high can you make it so it won’t fall down?”. And so work began.

While you would think the Empire State Building would have taken ages to build (especially going back to the Great Depression times of the 20th century), it actually set a record – construction began on 17 March 1930, and was completed on 11 April 1931. The tower opened to the public just a month later. Apparently 14 floors of the building were even completed within 10 days! The tower cost some $41 million to complete (which actually came significantly under its $50 million budget!).

Arriving at the Empire State Building

It should come as no surprise that lines can be LONG at the Empire State Building. This is the kind of attraction where you should book tickets well in advance. You can do that on the official website. However, if you’re spending a fair amount of time in New York, you should consider a multi-attraction pass. The Empire State Building is included in both the CityPass and Sightseeing Pass. Do the maths before you come to New York and see if you’ll save money (I know I did when I used the Sightseeing Pass). You should also download the building’s app before your visit – it includes a free audio tour.

If you’re looking to avoid crowds, your best bet is to arrive first thing in the morning or late at night. During the middle of the day and sunset tend to be the busiest times. Weirdly enough, I’ve only ever been to the Empire State Building late at night. There’s just something I love about being in the open air, 86 floors above the Concrete Jungle, in the late night air.

When you arrive at the Empire State Building, you’ll have to clear security (airport style with metal detectors). Even if you have a skip the line pass, you have to line up here, so factor that time into your schedule. Note that there’s no lockers available so leave your backpack at the hotel. Once you clear security and the historical exhibits, its up to the 86th floor observatory.

The Exhibits

You’ll learn all sorts of fun facts about the Empire State Building in the historical exhibits, which start on the building’s second floor after you clear security. This part of the tower actually underwent a major overhaul in 2019 and now includes really cool displays (including a sculpture of King Kong’s hands where you can take your pictures to re-enact the 1933 classic!). When I visited, the exhibit area was a bit more basic, but I still really enjoyed learning about the stories from the building’s construction and planning before heading up to the observation levels.

The current historical exhibit is comprised of a number of sections that chronicle the building’s development. You’ll start at the site of the building in 1920s New York and learn about the Waldorf-Astoria building that stood at the site beforehand. From there you’ll delve into the building’s construction in an immersive zone filled with models of the tower in varying stages of its development. After a feature on Opening Day, the context shifts to the modern day uses of the tower – ranging from the tenants housed within, the building’s status as a pop culture icon, and the energy efficient and sustainable technologies incorporated in the building.

Note that you can’t return to the historical exhibits after ascending the tower. Don’t rush through and miss everything. There’s a few more exhibits on the 80th floor, when you exit the elevator, but this is really just a preview to the viewing area ahead.

The Main Observatory

The Empire State Building’s main observatory deck is on the tower’s 86th floor, 320 metres above the island of Manhattan. The views from here are spectacular. You can build it up in your mind, but the moment you get up there, you’ll be absolutely blown away (and not just by the wind). You step out into an enclosed glass chamber, but you’ll spend most of your time in the outdoor space that winds around it. Its also the highest outdoor observation point in New York.

If the views alone aren’t enough for you, the 86th floor observatory also contains a number of coin operated binoculars that you can use to see some of the more notable landmarks in the New York skyline more clearly. If you happen to visit the observatory on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, you’ll also have a live jazz performer adding to the viewpoint’s ambience.

Going Higher?

The big question is whether to go even higher than the building’s 86th floor. There is a second observatory, and its all the way up on the tower’s 102nd level. It costs an extra $20 to go up to the next viewpoint. I’ll be honest, I’ve never been to the 102nd floor, but I feel like its probably something you can skip. There’s a number of towers in Manhattan (and one of them is even taller than this one). Given that you’re going to get a completely different view from one of those, versus a slightly higher view of the same thing from the Empire State Building, I’d personally spend that money on one of the others instead.

If you decide that you can’t miss the 102nd floor, you’ll need to join another line in the main observatory. From there, you’ll board another elevator and be whisked up to a height of 381 metres. The observatory here is smaller and enclosed.

Fun fact: if you do make it to the 102nd floor, you’ll find a locked door that leads to a 103rd floor platform. It was originally designed to serve as a dock for airships (blimps), allowing their passengers to descend into the building on arrival. A neat idea that was just way too wacky to work in practice – though a blimp was moored here once in 1931 by the New York Evening Journal!

Other Experiences at the Empire State Building

A regular trip to the Empire State Building will take around an hour and a half to get the most out of the experience. If you’re wanting to do something more unique, there’s plenty of special packages available (assuming money is no issue). The Empire State Building offers the following (bookings are essential):

• AM/PM Experience: this is basically a two in one deal, where you can come back to the Observatory later in the day to see New York in both day and night.
• Sunrise on the 86th Floor: this package is limited to 50 guests per session and will get you up the tower to see the sun rise over New York City. It costs around $135.00 USD.
• Premium Experience: a guided VIP tour of the tower. It costs $188.00 USD per person.
• ESB All Access Tour: a super exclusive tour that comes with snacks, champagne and all round celebrity style experience, taking you to otherwise off-limits parts of the building such as the celebrity green room. It will set you back $500.00 USD.
• Happily Ever Empire: a special package designed exclusively for wedding proposals. It costs $1,000.00 USD per couple.

Visiting the Empire State Building is an experience you’ll always remember. I really recommend stopping by this engineering Wonder of the World on your next visit to New York City. I’d also love to go again and see how they’ve overhauled the historical exhibits in the building since my last visit. If you’ve been since the refurbishment, let me know all about it!