984′, 1,063′ to tip

1,250′, 1,454′ to tip

1,454 ft

Our 86th floor and 102nd floor Observatories offer the two highest vantage points in Manhattan at 1,050 feet (320 meters) and 1,250 feet (381 meters), respectively.

Many of you are wondering if it’s worth paying extra to go to the 102nd floor and without taking away too much, I’d say YES. One thing is for sure, the Empire State Building’s 102nd-floor observatory view just got even better. It’s definitely one of the best observation decks in New York.

The top of the building was envisioned as a mooring mast for airships, with passengers disembarking on to the 103rd floor and the 102nd floor serving as customs and official port of entry into the United States.

There are no time limits or specified visiting windows. Allow at least one hour for your visit, slightly more if you will be visiting both the main deck and the top deck. During peak visiting hours, especially in the warmer months, there may be extended waits to buy tickets and enter the elevators.

Is it true that a stream flows under the Empire State Building? A. Quite true. High-water marks made by workers in the building’s sub-basement show that the stream beneath it has risen as high as six feet in the spring, after a snowy winter.

The Empire State Building currently operates with an ERI modern antenna with the capability to broadcast 19 stations simultaneously for digital audio.

Opened in 1931, the Empire State Building is the world’s most famous office building, a historical landmark, and was named “America’s Favorite Architecture” in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. It’s no surprise that visiting this amazing building is one of the top places to visit in New York.

According to archivists, the photograph was in fact prearranged. Although the photograph shows real ironworkers, it is believed that the moment was staged by Rockefeller Center to promote its new skyscraper. The photo appeared in the Sunday photo supplement of the New York Herald Tribune on October 2, 1932.

The skyscraper workers known as ‘roughnecks’ have no harness or safety rope, or even hard hats.