It’s my seventh day travelling solo in New York City and on my sixth day I took the NYC Big Bus Tour with the intention of hopping off to visit the famous Empire State Building. No city holiday is complete without a bus tour and it was so easy to see the NYC sights via the tour bus. The Empire State Building is a popular landmark that I didn’t want to miss and if you’re thinking of travelling to New York City you should definitely make time to visit. I had a self-guided tour to the 86th floor with my New York City Explorer Pass and while it’s possible to visit the 102nd floor for an extra fee the 86th floor observation deck was enough for me. Now I knew what to expect from the Big Bus Tour I felt ready to hop off for the first time at West 34th Street. I chose to visit in the evening and I couldn’t wait to take in those night views of New York City!
The marble panel and aluminium relief
First Impressions of the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is an incredible and vast art deco sky scraper. Dazzled by the high ceilings I made sure to take photos in the stunning lobby. The beautiful art deco style slaps you in the face as the first thing you see is the enormous marble panel and aluminium relief of the Empire State Building that greets you in the main lobby as you enter from 5th Avenue. Seeing it stopped me in my tracks and made me feel so small in its significance! I wish I spent more time in the lobby and took notice of the ceiling mural but time was going and I wanted to head up to the 86th floor observation deck pronto.
Up We Go At the Speed of Light
The queue to the lifts was long but it moved quickly as the Empire State Building has 73 Otis lifts. The attendants in their smart red suits escorted us up the 86 floors. One of my favourite things about the Empire State Building and one that was unexpected was the speed of our ascent. Did you know that once in the lift you will shoot up 1200 feet in 60 seconds? This explains why my ears popped like I was on an aeroplane! A pleasant surprise was the artistic and graphic multi-lingual welcome in the lift ceiling. I was too shy to make a video whilst going up but I made sure to take one going down. Click to watch!
With my New York City Explorer Pass all I had to do was show my code to the observation deck staff and they generated a paper ticket. Would you believe that in my excitement I dropped my paper ticket and didn’t even realise! Thankfully, a kind visitor tapped me on the shoulder and handed it to me.
Empire State Building Facts and Figures
The Empire State Building was built in 1930 and took 13 months to complete. By 1932 it was the tallest building in the world and attracted many visitors in its first 6 months. In 6 months it made $3000 in revenue which would be over $50000 today – talk about a money maker! Including its antenna and spire it stands at 443 metres tall and that antenna has seen some electrifying action, getting hit by lightning approximately 25 times a year. Remember those super fast lifts I mentioned earlier? Well, without them you’d have to climb 1872 steps to get to the 102nd floor. Something running enthusiasts like to do for fun during the Empire State Building Annual Run Up race – weirdos.
Just look at the viewssss. One of the clearest photos I got:)
Those Night Views
The 86th floor observation deck provides unparalleled panoramic views of New York City. Depending on where you stand and how clear the day is you can see as far as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Delaware. If you choose to, you can also take advantage of the binoculars that line the observation desk to enhance your visit. However, this isn’t necessary as the view from above is breath-taking all on its own. Keep reading for some NYC foggy night view awesomeness.
A foggy representation of the Chrysler Building
H&M 4 Times Square Skyscraper
Exhibits and Celebrity
Throughout the self-guided tour I noticed exhibitions devoted to King Kong and Celebrity. Since 2017 they have added many more exhibits including:
- World’s Most Famous Building
- NYC: Above and Beyond
- Scenes of NYC
- Stephen Wiltshire’s Drawing
- Artistry in Light
- Urban Campus
- Otis Elevators
- Modern Marvel
- Opening Day
- Construction
- The Site in the 20s.
The Empire State Building has been featured in many films and TV shows including Gossip Girl, An Affair to Remember and most famously, King Kong. There’s an entire exhibit dedicated to this film. See below:
Kong Exhibit
Visiting Tips
I think the best time to visit is on a weekday in the evening, especially if you want the night views. The observation deck wasn’t crowded and there was plenty of room to take in those city views. I visited NYC in April 2017 and the weather was fairly warm in the day and cool at night. I didn’t need to wrap up, even when outside high up on the deck. If you’d rather buy a ticket for just the 86th floor it’s $42.00 for adults, including the 102nd floor top deck it’s $72.00 and if you’re after a premium experience it’s $161.00. Considering that the New York City Explorer Pass gives you 5 attractions for $142 it’s well worth getting and you can skip some attraction queues.
”And lots of chocolate truffles, Godiva”
Getting Lost
I had a great time at The Empire State Building and my only regret is not taking more photos of inside! Funnily enough, this was the evening I got spectacularly lost as I’d arrived when it was light and left when it was dark. Cue me wondering around for no less than an hour before I finally found Penn Station. Before finding the station I stumbled upon Macy’s which imo is absolute foolishness. However, they did sell chocolate covered Godiva strawberries so my impromptu visit wasn’t a total waste. God bless those wifi internet points on the street that helped me find the station. My feet were killing me by the time I got back to hotel!
Love Black Pistachio x
I’d love to go back to NYC, it really is a city like no other! Going up the Empire State building sounds amazing and I loved this post hearing about it all. I went up the Rockefeller center on my visit instead and loved seeing the skyline xx
http://www.dellalovesnutella.co.uk/
Agreed! It was my dream to visit and I can’t wait to go back when it’s safer. I didn’t visit the Rockefeller Center but when I go back that will be a place on my list. There’s so much to do and I was there for 8-9 days but had to rest at some point! xx
What an amazing time (even with getting lost a bit — I would too). I think being able to go around at your own pace and see the things you want is such a fun way of experiencing a place. Thanks for sharing!