Loading
Social Media
Recent Posts
Cruise Blog New York City

Empire State Building

on
October 28, 2022

Good afternoon! I just left the World Trade Center and walked through Rockefeller Park.  Now I’m heading to The Empire State Building to visit their museum and observatory.

F194C185-FC37-466B-8584-0F38B433F6C1.thumb.jpeg.8b6d88badc9f48372c8cb557cc15f5a8.jpeg

622488C1-3003-4F54-9ED6-79E553050492.thumb.jpeg.e2359493a3fefdc4643aaa31adef21ae.jpeg

Welcome to the Empire State Building. This was the original location of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In 1928 it was sold, demolished, and plans for the Empire State Building began.

86126F0F-1057-42A3-9E7F-3E47F7B2B4AB.jpeg

I’m wearing a Saints shirt. A guy walks up and says “Welcome to the home of the Giants!” I say “We’re in New Jersey?”

This entrance and visitor welcome center opened in 2018.

4236AF43-A462-41BA-83D7-3C23C8616491.jpeg

I believe the 102nd floor observatory also opened in 2018. This is the reason I didn’t consider City Pass. It only had the 86th floor option.

030F3F9D-FB16-4D62-9A9B-2B99AF14FF97.jpeg

All of these displays on the first level can be viewed without purchasing a ticket if you just want to walk through here.

1CE73FD7-1724-45A4-B754-B018D895DDC2.jpeg

E467E26F-DEDD-4390-9434-2B8846F7125E.jpeg

170666EB-422C-4A95-85C9-77AF87C720C3.jpeg

A44284A0-9EB2-4BFF-9CF5-ADC9EDF8C062.jpeg

This is a pretty nice model of the Empire State Building. It would make a nice photo op even for someone who isn’t going up to the observatory. Up these steps is where you purchase tickets.

2E9645A3-2752-4061-A327-E1153AC2B124.jpeg

This is my ticket I bought at the kiosk.

E846DEAA-B8A3-4137-9325-50822CA1B664.jpeg

Once you purchase your ticket you go through a museum.

9D529D62-E997-4B5B-8929-9A34A494B802.jpeg

5F077554-9943-48A7-B965-9F05CA354099.jpeg

C17D0B31-EBB0-4E53-B4D9-39D11188CBAE.jpeg

This was my favorite display. The construction workers on the screens are actually moving, talking, and working on building the Empire State Building.

0B03C466-89D8-45AD-9678-0EE5C2FF7A0D.jpeg

ED2E3B24-9FB0-44E9-974B-10B30C1CCE94.jpeg

There are places to sit and have your picture taken if you want to do that.

0DAD0C88-057A-4CD4-86E3-AE08315568A5.jpeg

They started building the Empire State Building in 1930 and finished it in 1 year and 45 days. This shows the opening of the building in 1931.

70F17056-B177-43EC-B5C6-3E7BFD0059D2.jpeg

2CE71DF4-7FB8-4930-8866-D9E9D43D5C44.jpeg

This is a model of the 1931 version of the Empire State Building. You may notice the antenna is not on the top of the building yet. That 60-ton antenna was added in 1950.

180934DF-0504-46F7-90DE-A984E77E8A9B.jpeg

This section shows all of the movies the Empire State Building has been in. I know it mostly from Sleepless in Seattle.

60A5AC3B-51B1-44B9-AE24-42356B7D312C.jpeg

6E4694E1-941D-433D-867E-8FC4384F3403.jpeg

This is a very cool display. Another good photo op is in that corner if you want it.

A8F562A3-A040-4CD3-B798-AD8960996050.jpeg

This is the elevator up to 80th floor. I like the uniforms they wear here. 

6F0CA7C6-7544-4354-84A5-90803C8C726A.jpeg

Here is the video from the elevator ride up.

1C667ED2-D9A8-4FF9-A24E-2B8079632FE5.jpeg

This is the 80th floor of the Empire State Building.

7A9D4B14-CFE4-4762-B7D6-C7C280F7095C.jpeg

7E230546-6CE9-4DE3-BD4F-52F5DDE68E18.jpeg

6D8DEE1E-2DB0-4C30-9A56-C6F80A54EBDA.jpeg

You can get a pretty good view of lower Manhattan from here.

A038FBD0-31E0-4262-ACEA-D1076D1B818A.jpeg

This is looking east. The Chrysler building is mostly obstructed from here.

82E3E931-437D-4D62-A46D-A3B2BAE7D9D8.jpeg

We are now heading up to the 86th floor.

7558086B-C8DF-47C2-8A08-BCE3A73E217E.jpeg

BE9D1B6F-16AD-4045-B611-FF5008304E58.jpeg

F592BB3F-9AB2-47D0-A7C2-0AAFF5C8304C.jpeg

This is the area I remember from movies like Sleepless in Seattle.

27C228F5-E0B4-4D76-82A0-7C5E158C7EED.jpeg

I love an outdoor observatory.

6AB62733-1899-45DD-A3A6-01DFB94B62FC.jpeg

8A62B39C-492D-4174-9083-32D17C3CFD7A.jpeg

They still have the old viewing machines you can use.

80199DC1-DB44-4834-9B28-793B0156A982.jpeg

EA100DB3-4661-4C4D-BF4D-70B8A278846F.jpeg

0E4FEAA3-0752-43AC-BC07-9652A44030FE.jpeg

B61B7A20-2CD3-4583-B626-2DDB5E0CC615.jpeg

CFAC0F27-6914-4D31-8643-82E3417BF7BD.jpeg

ECC3EA24-D88C-420A-8D21-23B0F8BA34FC.jpeg

The 102nd floor I’m going to is that little circle with windows up top.

B404E5B7-48A3-4722-90AA-226FF40393CB.jpeg

This is the Macy’s from the Thanksgiving Day parade and from Miracle on 34th Street.

80807DF8-1660-481F-8F78-AE7CE2913438.jpeg

4511EC88-B990-488D-BAC7-36A36476617D.jpeg

E1B869D2-BC19-4AA9-BBDD-CEBC30818A65.jpeg

We have a much better view of the Chrysler building up here than we did on the 80th floor.

613CD508-E681-45FE-A401-2AD8547235C4.jpeg

The building with the gold roof in the lower right hand corner is the New York Life Building. The roof tiles are dipped in 22 karat gold.

482469A9-86B9-43B9-A977-8E981A498402.jpeg

2A794FB9-73D0-44C3-97B4-277BBEF74DB1.jpeg

BD0DA049-19DC-4C75-BBB5-2BDF06CEE569.jpeg

They have this spot for a photo op in one of the corners up here.

18442873-AF9F-4882-A05F-52BF2E55524C.jpeg

0B8A6C76-67DD-414C-BF5D-1822598A4A57.jpeg

9DF42F3C-9059-4C28-A5B1-0F530B369C5E.jpeg

I’m back inside. I’m going to head up to the 102nd floor.

23ABF6F2-C599-4C45-BA30-AFA946AECD7B.jpeg

You definitely feel exclusive going up to the 102nd floor. A lot of people who didn’t have a ticket for it were trying to get on the elevator and getting turned away. There were a lot of City Pass people. The elevator guy told me you can pay for an upgrade with your City Pass to get to the 102nd floor.

DA648AB1-E800-4931-8B63-59569E9D9EC1.jpeg

0EABEF77-ECD5-42AE-8455-D23D7C5B2DC5.jpeg

The 102nd floor of the Empire State Building is the best way to see the all of New York City in the shortest amount of time. It is a small circular area with glass windows all around it. If you want to move from one side of the city to the other, you just walk across to the other side. In most observatories you have to walk around the entire building.

This is the distance from one side to the other.

84B0445C-A36F-4117-955C-2C5ED8106402.jpeg

329E8484-A397-4948-A6B2-5226F8DE6211.jpeg

EAC78031-6631-4208-BA80-53933B8FFD76.jpeg

EC984FAF-71D5-4762-AFF9-82144B9E785F.jpeg

Rockefeller Center, where I did Top of the Rock, is right in the center here. Central Park is behind it.

829EBA51-F2C7-4D7E-A6F5-4587CD65CF15.jpeg

5D2157F9-46BF-45E4-ACF5-8A9AE754E147.jpeg

5D5B8949-02B5-49BA-9E62-97EDD0040F00.jpeg

0F9E02B6-3501-4492-A25F-297FC860E4C5.jpeg

D52F8442-78AC-4213-BCF2-1D0FE85C21E4.jpeg

C85E8EF9-A048-4E47-8CD0-0B5F73513973.jpeg

92AD8AC2-2217-4E60-AC79-10954C1CCF39.jpeg

6FAD9F62-D777-4CF7-86DB-6F4DF0E8CCA3.jpeg

On the way down they send you through this section of the 80th floor for picture purchases.

88B548D5-DCCF-442E-BEB3-47AF1B981347.jpeg

Back down on the ground floor they have a gift shop on the way out.

BAD461B2-173C-4B38-B26D-DB104361324F.jpeg

210CEAA5-7001-439D-822D-0E102CF8FBCC.jpeg

335DCD56-636F-4391-B9D7-F8771EA20284.jpeg

I grabbed a water from the hot dog guy outside. Next I’m heading to The Edge at Hudson Yards.

47B65318-1648-4B18-81AB-8BAB886F29B4.jpeg

 

 

TAGS
RELATED POSTS

Comments are closed.