The Top of the Empire State Building
I generally don’t do a lot of typical “New York City” activities unless someone comes in from out of town. I have lived here ten years and I still haven’t been out to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
Over the summer I hosted my cousin’s first trip to NYC. She is fourteen and we wanted to do all the touristy stuff we could do in a weekend. One of the main attractions was the Top of the Empire State Building. We were hoping for a really clear day or night, but the weather was not cooperating. She was really excited to see all the lights of the city from the top.
We got there around 8 pm on a Sunday night. The lines were certainly there, but they were not at their worst, since you could see (and walk through) the rows and rows of rope that often herded people through the giant building. I can’t imagine how long the wait would be during a heavy traffic day during peak tourist season. We stood in line for about thirty minutes before we took the first elevator up. You take the first elevator up to about floor 80 something and then they make you take a second elevator the final six flights. I am not really sure why they do this, unless the higher flights can’t handle larger elevators, but it makes the experience that much more exhausting. You think you are there and it turns out you have to wait in yet another line.
Once we made it up both elevators, the crowd on the observation deck was a little overwhelming. Again, we weren’t there at a peak time, but we still had trouble walking around to see all four sides. We were underwhelmed, to say the least and I think it was one of the few disappointments on her trip. It could have been the weather, or the time of day, but NYC did not deliver a stellar experience that night. Next time, I think we may head over to the Top of the Rock and see if the view is better from over there.
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