Empire State Building Observatory

Views from one of New York City's most iconic landmark.

The Empire State Building is synonymous with New York City, it’s one of the most recognized building in our skyline which has been featured in over 200 movies and tv shows. Considering it is one of the most visited attractions in New York City, we were all excited to see the views from this iconic landmark and compare it to One World Observatory  and Top of Rock experiences.

Arriving at 9am on a Saturday morning we made our way in to get our tickets. There are several lines to go through; a line to get in the building, a line to get your tickets where you’ll then proceed to the 2nd floor for another line to security check and finally a ticket scan. There is an op for a family photo which you can choose to skip.

Finally! Enter their newly debuted interactive exhibit which depicts historic street scenes from the 1920’s as well as the original construction site in a movie format. Strike a pose with modeled construction workers or be intimidated with the real life elevator stimulation (I was!). Get a close up with King Kong which Rayan could not resist taking a picture with Annie (he rarely volunteers to have his picture taken so you know it was epic). Walk through larger-than-life movie scenes filmed at the building as well as a hall of famous celebrities who visited. Note this was actually the most enjoyable part of our visit since there was something that everyone related to.

After the exhibit, you’ll need to get the elevator to the 79th floor where you have to wait for another one to the 86th Floor. The area is blocked off by stanchion lines with visitors either impatient or excited for the final point of the visit. It took us about 15 minutes of waiting and once we were up, we made our way around the building in under 20 minutes. There are definitely breathtaking views of the New York City skyline, you can see all the way downtown to Lady Liberty as well as uptown to Central Park, Queens and New Jersey. Despite the fact that there were lowered spaces for wheelchair users, it was mostly taken up by younger children and their families. Interesting to note is that most visitors were pressed against the grates to look out and that made the width of the walkway very narrow for Annie’s wheelchair. We had to keep wheeling along with hopes that smaller groups moved for us to fit into an area to see and that rarely happened. I also noticed bigger families had the same issues, they had to keep moving with the traffic flow otherwise everyone would be blocked.

Overall, it was great to visit this iconic building however with the spacing issues, it is not our favorite observatory. Even visiting as early as we did, it did not allow Annie the best experience and she’s said it is her least favorite observatory. The staff were always friendly and polite throughout.

Suggested Duration : 2 hours

Important Tips:
Purchase tickets online to save time.
To avoid the long lines and crowds, it’s recommended to visit early in the morning between 8am-10am on weekdays.
Entry tickets are not timed, unlike Top of the Rock and One World Observatory, which allows for flexibility.
We highly suggest using the restrooms on the 2nd floor before making your way up.
The space gets really crowded on the 79th floor when waiting for the elevator to the 86th floor.
There is a small indoor viewing area which is useful in inclement weather, however a wheelchair user will not see much of the views due to the exterior concrete walls.
Keep in mind you need to keep moving with the traffic flow with hopes of getting one of the lowered viewing spots, we only noticed two, however there may be more.

Accessibility Information:
Click here for information on accessibility  from the Empire State Building.
Wheelchair accessible.
Service Animals are welcome.
Wheelchair accessible restrooms on the 86th floor.

Lowered viewing areas for wheelchair users.

Location:
20 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10018
www.esbnyc.com

Schedule:
Open Seven Days a Week 9am-onwards. Hours vary.

General Admissions:
Adults $48
Seniors (62 and over) $46
Children (6-12) $42
General admission tickets allows for 360 view of the NYC skyline from the heart of the city. Price includes 86th floor exhibits and interactive audio guide. There are many other ticket options priced higher.

Public Transportation: Multiple bus stops nearby due to the central midtown location. Check out MyMTA app .

Important: Information is subject to change, please visit https://www.esbnyc.com/ for the most up to date details.
Oct 2024