Empire State Building Observation Deck

The Empire State Building in New York City is iconic. It towers above the streets of Manhattan and shows up in almost every travelers’ itinerary. While I haven’t gone up to the observation deck on every trip to the Big Apple, I’ve enjoyed the times I’ve taken the elevator to the top.

Here’s a rundown of how you can get a magnificent view of New York City from atop the Empire State Building.

Tickets and Where to Enter the Building

Last August, the street-level entrance to the observatory changed. Instead of entering through the iconic Empire State Building lobby off of 5th Avenue, you enter from 34th street.

But if you’ve never seen the iconic lobby off of 5th avenue, I recommend checking it out. You’ll probably recognize the lobby from various movies that take place in New York City – like Elf.

Before your visit, you’ll want to download the Empire State Building app (Apple or Google Play) to your smartphone. It serves as your audioguide during your visit, including videos, quizzes and more.

Visitors Center and Exhibits

The new visitor center is beautiful – and air conditioned. If you didn’t purchase your tickets online, you can grab them at the kiosks in the lobby. If you have the New York CityPASS, you can head toward the security screening – which is required before heading up the elevators.

Don’t miss the large model of the Empire State Building with the blue background as you walk up the stairs. If there are long lines to the observatory, enjoy the historical exhibits along the way.

When you get through security, you’ll step into an elevator and ride it up to the 80th floor. The Dare to Dream exhibit shows the history of the building and what construction was like in building the skyscraper you’re now standing in.

As you make your way through the exhibit, you’ll find yourself at another set of elevators – which will take you to the 86th floor observatory.

The Observation Deck on the 86th Floor

Despite the Empire State Building ranking as the fourth tallest building in New York City, it does have the highest open-air observatory in the city. As you exit the elevator, you can stay indoors and still look out upon the city below. But it’s more fun to step outside, feel the wind rushing by and seeing the streets below you.

The observatory wraps all the way around the building – meaning you can look at New York City from every direction. If you want to get a closer look at anything, use the high-powered binoculars. See who can first spot some iconic spots around the city – The Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and much more.

The phone app also helps you identify some of the key sites around the city while on the 86th floor observation deck.

There is an option of continuing up to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building, but that requires an extra ticket and fee. From the Top Deck, you can see roughly 80 miles away on a clear day.

The Gift Shop and the Ride Down

Once you’ve finished your time on the observation deck, take the elevator back down to the 80th floor. As you follow the line around to the next bank of elevators to the bottom, you’ll find the gift shop. There are hundreds of different types of souvenirs – like snowglobes, souvenir patches, apparel, playing cards, puzzles and much more.

Once you’ve finished shopping, head to the elevator bank and make your way back to the ground floor.

I do want to point out that if you head to the top and the weather is bad – there are no refunds. Last time I was at the top of the Empire State Building it was midnight, cloudy, cold, with a light rain. I was the only one riding the elevators and staring through the low clouds to the city streets below.

I even made a friend up there (see photo below). Haha!

The Details

Address: 20 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001. Enter the lobby and visitor center off of 34th street.

Cost: Tickets to the 86th floor observatory start at $38 for adults, $32 for children and $36 for seniors. Access to the 86th floor is included in the New York CityPASS, so if you’re planning to visit multiple popular sites, consider purchasing the CityPASS.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Last elevator to the top leaves at 1:15 a.m.). It’s open 365 days a year, including all holidays.

Website: https://www.esbnyc.com/

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