Observatory Hell from the 86th Floor of Empire State Building

[maggief]

Good read. Thanks for posting!

[taxcontrol]

I have traveled all over the world, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, China, Australia and several other places. I do not consider New York City to offer the best of anything.

[Squantos]

Do they still make the red velvet cake at the Waldorf Astoria ?

Only way I’m gonna go downtown NYC ever again........

[SamAdams76]

If you have plenty of money and don't have the hassle of a car (the one place in America I would not want to drive), Manhattan can be a pleasurable place to visit.

I recently moved to the NYC area so now I'm playing host to friends and family who want to come visit the city. So I'm going to be doing the Manhattan "tourist" thing a lot more often. Also, I have an office on Lexington Ave, about a block from Grand Central so I work there now too.

BTW, my new home is in CT, about an hour from Manhattan and surrounded by acres of trees so I have retained some sanity in my life!

[dead]

I remember going to the top of the Empire State building back in the 90s. My friends and I left a Knicks/Celtics game (Ewing/Oakley vs. Bird/Parrish days), where we'd been drinking quite a bit. We found out the observatory was open until 2am so we headed over there. I think it was about $2.50 and we were the only people up there. It was very cool.

I work right in that neighborhood, across from MSG now. So I decided to walk over there during a lunch break and figured I'd pop back up there to check it out. As I approached it, I was accosted by about 30 bus tour/Empire State building fast-talking con men, found out it was over 30 bucks to ride an elevator and left.

Lots of great things to do in NYC, the Empire State is no longer one of them. Times Square north and into Central Park is still the best place to bring visitors.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Sorry your visit to the Empire State building did not go so well. There are quite a number of free things in New York City; however with a crowd of 10 you are somewhat limited. The Chrysler building the Graybar building and the New York public library Grand Central Station are free, and, well worth the visit. The subway system is amazing. The Staten Island ferry is free if you get on from downtown. Just an amazing place to walk! However, as you well know it requires much more time than one day.

[jocon307]

My advice- go early.

[dsrtsage]

well, in my home state of NV, for this view..4 wheel up mountain side. Enjoy no other people for a couple hundred square miles.

[RegulatorCountry]

To each his own. Your loss.

[ExSoldier]

Our daughter lives and works inManhattan. We are going to see her over the MLK Holiday in a few weeks. I've not been to that observation area since the 1960's when I really was but a wee lad. I remember then, that it was not crowded but it was quite breezy and I was able to get next to the chain link fence at the edge and push a small paper airplane through the links. We watched that thing float on the thermals for almost 45 minutes and some of that had to be done with the cheesy pay-by-the-minute telescopes on the deck. But it was really fun!

I had been thinking about a revisit but now thanks to you, I will pass. What about going to the "TOP of the ROCK" at Rockefeller Center? Isn't there a nice restaurant there? And a great view? Anybody know?

[steve86]

I missed initially that you personally wrote this. Nicely done writing and story telling. I don’t think a travel magazine would be interested, though, because it’s “negative”. Very amusing, however.

I was 9 or 10 when visiting the Empire State Building and, on the same trip, the New York World’s Fair. The fair and its spectacular exhibits still stand out in my mind to this day. We might have visited the fair on three successive days while staying in Connecticut and then New Jersey (my much-older brother was at Yale).

Saw a bit of the city again in 1983 and that did it for me. No desire to return. If I did and could afford it, though, I would opt for a sightseeing ride in a Jet Ranger. Although it will never happen, I do kind of desire to visit the over-the-top skyscrapers in other parts of the world.

[FatherofFive]

Wow. Any chance this is because it was Christmas week and you hit at the ‘peak’ at 3pm?

Exactly. Used to work in NYC. WTC- 79th floor overlooking Governors Island and the Statue of Liberty. Great view

I loved friends and relatives visiting so I could do all those tourist things. The view of NYC is best from the Empire State Building.

But we would plan things on off-peak days and times. Disney world is great in October, hell in the summer. Just plan your visits a little better for a great time.

[steve86]

Older brother also took me to a Yankees game that trip. It was the Yankees, right?

[steve86]

I remember then, that it was not crowded but it was quite breezy and I was able to get next to the chain link fence at the edge

My memory is kind of hazy. I think it was a dreary day. I remember the Sears Tower better.

[Prospero]

Reminded me of the wait to pass by President Reagan, when he lay in State under the Dome. I think it was about 12 hours, though the company was, perhaps, better.

Haven't been to the Observatory since 1967, before the Twin Towers built.

Makes me feel well beyond my years, but does little to alter my estimation of the sad condition of our culture. The case for sealing that conclusion was made by the silly people who decided not to rebuild the Twins. A cheaper plan than many a wasteful and incomplete one hatched in the years since.

[PlateOfShrimp]

Congratulations!

I have always thought that working in Manhattan and living in CT would be an ideal life. I know that CT is full of libtardization, but being so close to the skiing in VT would make it worth it for me. Although I have been quite happy here in the rural heartland of DC :)

[CdMGuy]

I grew up in NYC. Around 1965, I was in college and dating a young woman who was living at the Manhattan YWCA while attending school. One Saturday night near the end of our date, we decided to go up to the top of the ESB. As I best recall, there was no ticket charge because one did not need a ticket. We took the elevator up and had to switch elevators to reach the top which at the time was quite open with minimal guard rails. Up and down within a half hour with no wait and for free.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"Never give your camera to someone else to take your picture, especially if there are naked pictures of your wife already on the camera."

Clark Griswold learned the hard way.

[steve86]

Times Square north and into Central Park is still the best place to bring visitors.

How could one do that safely in the absence of a platoon of ex- Israeli Shayetet 13 body guards?

[Tanniker Smith]

I've been to the top of the Empire State Building only twice. Both times were summer mornings, generally before 10 am (possibly before 9 -- I had dropped my son off at a class nearby.)

At that time of the morning, you can get up there fairly quickly. I spent most of the time walking (and pausing for that stupid picture that I didn't buy).

I do have a selfie that was my fb profile pic for a while (back in 2010-ish?)