New observation decks compete with New York City’s proven skyscrapers. A comparison test with wobbly knees at dizzying heights.
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The best way to see the sea of houses in New York is from a dizzying height, from one of the observation decks. We present the five highlights of the city.
A World Trade Center
The number is highly symbolic: counting the top, the 104-story One World Trade Center measures exactly 541 meters, or 1776 feet in the unit of measurement used here. The height stands for the year of the American Declaration of Independence and says: Look, we’re not going to let it get us down. The attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 left a deep wound, but the country’s sense of freedom was far from scratched. Since 2014, right next to the memorial for the victims of terror at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, a nation’s pride has stood in glass and steel. Freedom Tower – Freedom Tower – is the name of the skyscraper that can be seen from afar. The observation platforms are from floors 100 to 102. From a maximum height of 406 meters you have a unique 360 degree view of the Statue of Liberty. However, always stay indoors, there is no outside space.
Tickets ab 38 Dollars (37.30 Euro), www.oneworldobservatory.com
Empire State Building
What the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, the Empire State Building is to New York: a single structure as a symbol for the entire city. The icon was completed in 1931 and broke many records at the time: built with 60,000 tons of steel, ten million bricks, 30,000 square meters of marble. Until 1954 it was considered the tallest building on earth. The Empire State Building is 381 meters tall. If you count the antenna, that’s 443 meters. It is simply stupid that shortly before completion the stock market collapsed and an economic crisis paralyzed the country. The Art Deco building was so difficult to rent in its early years that it was nicknamed the “Empty State Building”. The New York landmark is located at the southern end of the Midtown borough on 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets. Previously, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was located here. There are two observation areas: the so-called Main Deck on the 86th floor with access to fresh air at 320 meters and an indoor one on the 102nd floor at 373 meters. If you want to go up here, you have to climb 1872 steps. But of course there is also an elevator.
Tickets ab 44 Dollars (43.20 Euro), www.esbnyc.com
Summit One Vanderbilt
Taking a step forward in the city of superlatives is not easy. But Summit One Vanderbilt runs the business. Opened in October 2021, the skyscraper is Manhattan’s latest attraction. It is right next to New York’s Grand Central Station on 42nd Street in Midtown. The height – 427 meters with antenna, 397 meters net – is nothing special. It is the drawing. Climb to the top from the 91st floor after a quick elevator ride that includes lights and video. The promising area extends over three floors at a height of approximately 310 meters. The concept originates from the Norwegian office Snøhetta in Oslo. The highlight: ceilings and floors are mirrored and create doubling effects and optical illusions. Through huge panes of glass, the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building are close at hand. You won’t find more unusual cityscapes than here in Manhattan, a must for the Instagram generation. Purists find the deception of the good too much, not least because it can lead to unwanted insights. Therefore, visitors are advised not to wear skirts. Another disadvantage: almost everything takes place inside, there is only a narrow terrace.
Tickets ab 39 Dollars (38.30 Euro), www.summitov.com
The edge
The triangular terrace, which boldly protrudes from the house wall, is not for people who are afraid of heights. Not only are the railings made of glass plates, but part of the floor is also transparent. So you are on the 100th floor at a height of around 335 meters and you hope the glass makers have done their job well. The Edge is part of a shopping mall called Hudson Yards and is a stone’s throw from the river of the same name. You can see as far as New Jersey. The platform advertises itself as the highest outdoor viewpoint in the Western Hemisphere. The Hudson River building, completed in 2019, has a total height of 395 meters.
Tickets ab 38 Dollars (37.30 Euro), www.edgenyc.com
The top of the rock
Rockefeller Center is like a city within a city. The site spans an entire square between 5th and 6th Avenues and 48th and 51st Streets in Midtown. The complex consists of 20 buildings, 19 of which are skyscrapers. The owner of the ensemble, completed in 1940, is oil billionaire John D. Rockefeller, the richest person in the world at the time, whose name is still synonymous with proverbial wealth today. There is a visitor terrace on the 70th floor of Rockefeller Center’s highest section at 259 meters – the former General Electric Building, now Comcast Building. Compared to the competition, “Top of the Rock” is relatively low, but offers particularly good views of Central Park and the Empire State Building from here. Unfortunately, however, the Chrysler Building is half-covered, the Met Life Building is unfortunately directly in line of sight.
Tickets ab 40 Dollars (39.30 Euros), www.rockefellercenter.com
Information
For example, New York JFK airport is served from Frankfurt by Lufthansa, www.lufthansa.como Delta Airlines, www.delta.comapproached.
Family house on the Upper West Side with a small rooftop pool: Hotel The Empire, double rooms from around 200 euros, http://empirehotelnyc.com. Nice house in the Meatpacking District, also with rooftop pool: Hotel Gansevoort, double room from 430 euros, www.gansevoorthotelgroup.com.
With the “CityPASS” you get discounted entry to five of New York’s most popular attractions such as. B. to the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center. Price for adults: 129 dollars (129.30 euros), children pay 109 dollars (109.20 euros). Information below https://de.citypass.com.
New York City & Company, www.nycgo.com.
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