At 70 something, still an architectural marvel
Written: Jul 06 '04 (Updated Jul 06 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The spectacular view. You can still avoid 1 lineup if you know how.
Cons: When I went, a crowded observation deck, long lineups, rude gift shop staff.
The Bottom Line: One of New York's must-see landmark buildings if not THE landmark building.
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| chretiensucks's Full Review: Empire State Building |
After our recent trip to New York city, I started reading some reviews on the Empire State Building and thought I’d put in my two cents worth to save a lot of potential future visitors a lot of grief! More on that later – otherwise you may not read the rest of my review.
I went up the World Trade Center when I was about 9 and I haven’t been back into the city since. Seeing as that option was no longer available and the fact that I am a bit of an architectural fanatic, I just had to go see the Empire State building. Besides the World Trade Center, the only other taller building I’ve been up to is the CN Tower (1,815 feet) in Toronto, Canada. I don’t really consider the latter a “building” since it doesn’t really have any commercial use other than as a tourist trap transmission tower with a revolving restaurant. The observation deck of the CN Tower being at 1,136 feet with it’s smaller skypod observation deck at 1,465 feet!
Height isn’t everything though, as New York city has many more interesting things to look at (no offense to fellow Canadians).
Avoid 1 lineup
Anyways, back to the saving future visitors a lot of grief…
This may have been suggested in one of the other reviews but seeing as I haven’t read all of them, I’m taking my chances on the possibility that my advice may save someone out there a few hours. I’ve noticed that there have been complaints from reviewers about the long lineups for the tickets. There is a very easy way to avoid that – the internet! Yes, that’s right. You can order your Empire State Building tickets online and they’re good for one full year from the time you purchase them. You can actually print your tickets and a location map out (like we did) and they will be printed out with a scan code so that you can go directly from the lobby to the elevators up to the 80th floor. The website is located at http://www.esbnyc.com. Why more people don’t do this is beyond me. Prices are as follows (as of July 6th, 2004):
Adults (18-61) $12
Youth (12-17) $11
Child (6-11) $7
Seniors (62+) $11
Military w/ID $10
Military in uniform free
Toddlers under 5 free
You can also pre-purchase your audio tour for $5
The observatory hours are 9:30am to midnight daily.
What’s with the building?
I just had to see this thing. Personally, I think there are buildings of the same time period that although are not as tall are far more aesthetic (e.g. The Chrysler building). To me, it's a little on the ugly side but definitely not bland. Considering this thing was completed in the early 1930’s and it is still one of the world’s tallest buildings (1453 feet) is a testament to its architectural achievement. And in the mid-forties, it survived a plane crash into the 79th floor.
Ground floor to observation experience
The lobby is generally pretty dark but most old buildings didn’t get that much lighting. By the information desk is a model of the ESB in a glass enclosure. It’s about 12 feet high and is a popular place to take photos. Thanks to the pre-purchased tickets, we were able to go directly through the airport-like screening devices and take the first elevator up to the 80th floor. And although pretty aged, the elevator is fairly quick. It has the background of the ESB on the back wall as seen in the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”. It doesn’t go to the observation deck though (unlike the movie). Once on the 80th floor however, there was a lineup which could not be avoided especially if you have a baby (a.k.a fun-wrecker) in stroller like we did. It gives the ESB staff an opportunity to take your picture in front of an ESB photo background (and to potentially bilk you out of $15). The pictures are developed while you’re on the observation deck and are ready for you on your way out. Don’t even try to think about taking the pictures as they are coated to set off a security device if you don’t purchase them. The wait in the lineup also gives you a chance to look out of the relatively small windows (compared to today’s skyscrapers). What else is the lineup on the 80th floor for? For an elevator which takes you up another 6 floors.
This elevator is pretty plain inside and upon arrival, you’re basically in the Souvenir store.
The Disappointment
This was my first time in the Empire State Building. Everything I’ve seen of it other than in photos and architectural books have been in movies – “An affair to remember” (1957), “Sleepless in Seattle”(1993), “Love Affair”(1994). Needless to say, the observation deck was quite a letdown (to me at least). All of those movies make it seem at least 4 times larger than it really is making the outdoor deck feel like one vast space. By comparison, it felt like the door to the deck from the souvenir store was about to bash into the outer wall outside. Talk about granting a little too much artistic license.
During my visit there was also some air circulating equipment and interior reconstruction going on. The building is definitely showing it’s age.
The compensation
The view is spectacular! You can see almost every part of the island and to describe it in words would truly be an injustice. It wasn’t even a very clear day when I went but I was still able to take some breathtaking pictures. Advice to all you women, don’t wear skirts unless you’re an exhibitionist - It was pretty windy out there and one lady had her skirt blow up right over the back of her head, revealing her underwear. She was so busy looking through one of the coin-operated telescopic devices that she didn’t even notice, much to the delight of some foreign tourists.
Conclusion
The fact that this building was built over 70 years ago combined with it’s sheer height and impressive panoramic surroundings makes it all the more impressive. Basically, it’s a demonstration of America at its prime. This is definitely one landmark everyone must see if visiting New York City.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
chretiensucks
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Member: joe unpronounceable
Location: GTA, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 3 members
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