Providing a view to take your breath away, The Empire State Building is a must see spectacle. Towering over the skyscrapers of New York, you can peer over the edge of a balcony on which the observation tour takes you.
With a choice of either visiting the 86th of 102nd floor, even from the bottom you are made aware of the buildings extreme height and statutory. The elevator shoots you straight up to floor 80 (don't forget to pop your ears) with a second elevator to carry you the rest of the way. Alternatively you can give yourself a real challenge, and take the stairs, which I’m sure not many would recommend.
From the top you are immediately pierced with the sights the city has to offer. With your eye line reaching every edge of the Island, you miss out on nothing. The south view shows you the financial district, with the buildings surrounding Wall Street and the stock exchange centre. You also see the macabre space where the overwhelming twin towers once stood.
The north side offers a view of central park tucked away behind the sheer height of the city. You are also faced with the opposing observation building, the Rockefeller tower, with the famous outdoor ice rink based at the bottom.
On the west is the Statue of Liberty, an iconic image we have begun to recognise as the fronting lady of any pan shot of NYC. The East shows the connecting bridges over the east river, including the romantic Brooklyn Bridge suspending a pedestrian pathway, over the roaring roads.
My childhood dreams were taken over by the ambition of James and the Giant Peach in reaching the top of the Empire State Building, making the choice between observing from the Rockefeller or Empire State an easy one. Although you obviously miss out on a view of the Empire State Building itself, in my eyes there is no contest between the two, with the Rockefeller barely crawling up two thirds of one of the tallest towers in history.
A truly breath-taking experience. You rule the world atop this magnificent structure.