Observation Decks for Sight Seeing in New York
Nothing beats standing high, far above ground level for sightseeing in New York when you have the whole city summed up into one view.
It gets even better when you know the right building to be at the right time to get the most spectacular view of the city of dreams. To help you with that, we have pooled together a list of the top five buildings to visit for a deck view like no other.
Hotels in New York (price and location)
Booking.comOne World Observatory
Here’s the observatory of One World Trade Center — the tallest observatory for platform for Sight Seeing in New York. So, if not here, where else can you get your most encompassing view of the city?
From here, you get to enjoy amazing views of the whole of Manhattan and the East Rivers. To add the cherry to your sight seeing in New York cake, you also get to see the Statue of Liberty!
As it was only opened to the public on May 29, 2015, the relatively new building comes with numerous new world features, such as the high-tech elevator ride that replays the city’s history.
A visit to the tallest observation deck in New York City is nothing short of the perfect sightseeing experience.
Finding your way
Finding your way to One World Trade Center is made easy by the Oculus. This is the World Trade Center transportation hub, which receives 12 different subway lines and the PATH. It’s only a short walk to the building from the hub.
Tickets
Ticket options for the observatory deck start from $43, which is considered one of the most expensive in town. Various ticket options are available for you, including paying a little extra if you want to skip the long queue.
What to Expect
The One World Trade Center stands tall at 1,776 feet with 104 floors. The observatory center is located on the 100 to 102nd floors. So, yes! You are that close to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. At that height, nothing stops you from enjoying a lovely view of the city below. What an amazing Sight Seeing in New York.
To get to this deck is the loveliest 60-second elevator ride that surrounds you with screens replaying the city’s history right from the settlement times to its current status.
There is also the See Forever Theatre before the deck that replays the buzz of the city below. From here, you’re introduced to the observatory itself.
The observatory offers you a 360-degree view. Here, you can see Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, and New Jersey.
However, there’s no outdoor deck, so you’ll only be seeing through glass. When you do get there, walk around and see, on every side, the beauty that surrounds you.
The deck comes with several installations that allow you to learn of the history of the building, several snack options, and sometimes, there might be an event going on right there.
When you’re done enjoying the surrounding views, you could head to the 9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Memorial Museum for a wholesome experience of the city.
Empire State Building
Here is where you enjoy the best iconic views. The Empire State Building measures 1,454 ft from ground to antenna and was once regarded as the tallest building in the world until the World Trade Center was built.
The Empire State building has two observatory decks for Sight Seeing in New York on the 86th and 102nd floors. The deck on the 86th floor is an outdoor platform, thus making it the tallest open observation deck for sightseeing in New York.
And being open, it is known to be quite popular among tourists and the most noticeable when it gets dark given the ever-changing lights at its top.
Well, not only is it popular but it ultimately provides you with a spectacular view of the city. The other one on the 102nd floor is just as in the One World Trade Center, with glass windows spanning the entire height of the room.
Finding your way
The Empire State Building is situated in Midtown Manhattan between 5th and 6th Avenues. And as you are heading to the observation deck, the entrance you are to use is located on 34th Street.
The closest substations to this location are the 34th Street-Herald Square, 34th Street-Penn Station, and the Grand Central Terminal.
Tickets
There are also different ticket options available here, with the cheapest being the children’s general admission at $36 for the 86th-floor deck. However, if you desire privacy, you might want to pay the extra that takes you to the 102nd floor.
Also, a little tip here for you will be to purchase your tickets online to avoid the long queue at the building. Another way to avoid the queue is to buy the New York Sightseeing Pass, of which the Empire State Building is included. Getting the pass also saves you money.
What to Expect
On getting to the lobby, you go through security to the elevator that takes you to an exhibit on the 80th floor of the building’s history. After this, you take a second elevator to the 86th floor, from which you can proceed to the 102nd floor.
Given its location, you get to see many iconic landmarks from where you stand on the deck. The Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center, Chrysler Building, Hudson Yards and the Edge, One Vanderbilt, and Brooklyn, and the East River are only a few of the important sites you can appreciate from the Empire State Building observation decks.
And if you so desire to shop after a lovely view of the city, the 5th Avenue holds for you a shopper’s dream, and Koreatown will be an excellent place to visit for nice meals.
Top of the Rock
In the same way you get a good view of the One World Trace Center from the Empire State Building, you can go to the Top of the Rock to get a lovely view of the Empire State Building itself. Not only this, as the Top of the Rock is the best deck to enjoy a picture of Central Park.
Top of the Rock is the observation deck at the Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. Its most significant perk lies in its timed entry system that reduces the overcrowding you face at the other observation platforms.
Here, you receive a return time after purchasing a ticket to gain access to the deck. And while this is the highest, nor the deck that offers you iconic views, you can rest assured this is where you enjoy the most satisfying sightseeing in New York.
If you have more time to spare, you should know it takes only a few minutes’ walk to places of interest from here. Central Park, Times Square, the Museum of Modern Art, and 5th Avenue are close by. (You can’t ever miss going to the 5th Avenue as a shopper!)
Finding Your Way
To get here, you can walk from nearby substations. These include the 47-50th Streets – Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue-53th Street Station, and 49th Street Subway Station. And your entrance to Top of the Rock is the West 50th Street between Rockefeller Plaza and Avenue of the Americas.
Tickets
You can purchase your tickets from their website starting from as low as $32 for children and $38 for adults. However, the Top of the Rock is also included in the Sightseeing Pass. By getting a pass, you can save yourself some time and extra cash.
What to Expect
Once you’re in, you’ll go through the Mezzanine exhibit that tells you the history of the Top of the Rock. After which, you will be taken by elevator to the 67th floor, where the first observation deck is located. There are, in fact, three decks on Top of the Rock on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors. The 67th-floor deck is indoor with a great view of the Empire State Building. The 69th takes you outdoor but is surrounded by glass panes, while the 70th-floor deck, 850 ft, is entirely in the open, offering you a 360-degree view of the city. Here, you can take your pictures of the must-see Manhattan sites as though you were floating in the sky.
The Edge
Imagine standing on glass, 100 floors above ground level! Sight seeing in New York has never been more thrilling and exciting with this newest addition to observation decks.
The way you get to the Edge is by taking a cab, uber, or walking the High Line to The Shops in Hudson Yards. You can also take a train to 34th Street – Hudson Yards, where you can walk to The Shops. Once you are at The Shops, take an elevator to the 4th floor. You will find signs there leading you to The Edge. Tickets for the Edge start for adults at $36, but it is also included in the New York Sightseeing Pass.
The Edge has both an indoor observation deck on the 100th and 101st floors and a sky deck on the 100th floor. Once passed security, you will see videos of the Hudson playing as you walk to the elevator that takes you to the 100th floor.
On the elevator ride is also an animated movie playing from floor-to-ceiling screens. Once you are out on top, you can enjoy unhindered views of New York and New Jersey.
The Vessel
Now, it would be unfair to list these best buildings without adding one that is both free and offers you lovely views of the Hudson.
The Vessel is a beautiful sight of intertwined stairs that look like a honeycomb and span about 150 ft in height. The problem, however, is that its free tickets are limited both in number and in the times of visitation. So, if you do not wish to be restricted, you could get a Sightseeing Pass.
To get to the Vessel, you can take a train to 34th Street–Hudson Yards and 34th Street–Penn Station, from where you can easily walk down.
However, while this offers free tickets, which is a good deal, it doesn’t provide as many fascinating views as the other observation decks. If you are coming here, then your focus will probably be the Vessel itself. It is a spectacular thing to behold, especially when the sunset lights fall on it.
In the end, whichever building you select for your sightseeing in New York, know that the best views come with sunset and more cash. See you at the top!
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