New York Observatories
There are currently five observatories in New York City. I visited all of them on my recent trip. Visiting all of them is time consuming and expensive so hopefully this will help you decide which New York observatory is best for you.
Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock is a three-floor outdoor observatory at the top of Rockefeller Center. The ticket cost $43 after taxes. It has a second floor museum and video before you go up to the observatory. Advance tickets can be purchased here.
It has the best view of Central Park.
It has an obstructed view of the Chrysler Building.
It has the best view of the Empire State Building and maybe the best selfie spot with the I Love NY in front of it.
And a distant view of One World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty.
The 68th floor is accessible by elevator. The 69th floor is accessible by this escalator.
This is the only observatory that requires steps. If you want to go to the 70th floor, this is the only way.
For full coverage of Top of the Rock please visit Top of the Rock.
Summit
Summit One Vanderbilt is a multi-floor indoor observatory with one outdoor floor and a glass elevator upgrade. There is a short video before you go up. There is no museum. Tickets start at $39 and can be purchase here.
The unique thing about Summit One Vanderbilt is the different types of rooms it has. The first room has mirrors all around.
The next level has a glass floor and mirrored ceiling so you are now seeing people in your room and in the mirror room below you.
If the Chrysler Building is important to you, none of the other observatories come close to this shot.
This room has mirrored balls in it.
On this level you can go out on a glass floor and pose for pictures.
It has the second best view of the Empire State Building (after Top of the Rock).
And a comparable view of Central Park.
There is an outdoor observatory where they keep the windows crystal clear.
And a glass elevator upgrade.
For full coverage of Summit please visit Summit One Vanderbilt.
Edge
The Edge at Hudson Yards is a single floor observatory on the side of a building with a “Climb” upgrade. I believe the Climb upgrade is done from the small platform way at the top. Tickets start at $38 and can be purchased here.
This is the advertisement for climb.
If you are willing to walk up and sit on these steps you can get the best view of lower Manhattan.
Edge has an obstructed view of the Empire State Building.
It has a glass floor you can go out on and take pictures of the ground below.
It has one of the best views of the Hudson River.
And the best view of the USS Intrepid.
For full coverage of the Edge please visit The Edge at Hudson Yards.
One World Observatory
One World Observatory is a multi-floor indoor observatory at the top of the One World Trade Center building.
Tickets start at $38 and can be purchased here. When you buy a ticket onsite they give you an entry time of one hour after the purchase. They try to get you to upgrade by paying $10-20 extra for a quicker entry time. If there isn’t a long wait you don’t to pay extra to get in immediately.
One World Observatory has the best view of the Statue of Liberty.
I would say the cafe would be the other selling point here. If you want to sit down and eat with a view, this would be a good place to do it.
It has the best view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
One of the best views of the Hudson.
A distant view of the Empire State Building.
For full coverage of One World Observatory visit One World Observatory.
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building has a first floor exhibit that is free. Once you purchase your ticket the second floor museum is the best of all of the observatories. It has 80th (indoor) and 86th (outdoor) floor observatories included in the regular price. You can upgrade to the 102nd floor for a fee. This is the one time I bought an upgrade. Tickets start at $44 and can be purchased here.
This is the 80th floor observatory.
This is the 86th floor observatory.
It has the second best view of the Chrysler Building (after Summit).
They have a special selfie spot with an Empire State Building sign and the year.
The upgrade at the Empire State Building is to go to the 102nd floor which is the little circle room with windows at the top.
This is the 102nd floor observatory. I believe this is the best spot to see most of New York in a short period of time. You are in a small circular room on the 102nd floor surrounded by glass.
For full coverage of the Empire State Building please visit Empire State Building.
My Thoughts
Everyone is going to have a different opinion here. My favorite was the Empire State Building because it’s an iconic building. It has the best museum. I love the uniforms the workers wear there. I love the outdoor observatory with the 102nd floor upgrade option.
The biggest negative about the Empire State Building is you don’t get any pictures with the Empire State Building in them. Top of the Rock and Summit are best for that. If you want that perfect Chrysler Building picture, it’s at Summit. Empire State Building does have the second best view of the Chrysler Building.
Some of the observatory features can be replaced for free at the various rooftop bars.
The I Love NY selfie spot at Top of the Rock could be replaced with one or both of the Empire State Building selfie spots at the 230 5th Rooftop Bar.
Pictures of the Empire State Building from higher up can be replaced with those from the 40th floor Dear Irving on Hudson Rooftop Bar.
If you want a second view I would add in the Edge. I would totally skip the One World Observatory unless you are looking to eat up there. Get your Statue of Liberty pictures on the free Staten Island Ferry.
