High in the Sky: Empire State Building's 102nd floor
NewYorkology today kicks off a High in the Sky series, bringing you the views from some of New York City's highest perches. Today, the highest.
Unless you're a bird, a plane or that other guy, the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building is as high as you can get in New York City.
The main observation deck, the one packed with tourists from Topeka and Timbuktu, is on the 86th floor. But for the less crowded view 174 feet higher, you need only pay an extra $15 in addition to the regular $18 ticket to get to the very top.
Oddly, the 102nd ticket isn't well publicized and on a recent visit on a crystal clear day, only five people showed up during a half hour period before sunset. If you're going to bother with the lines and security of the Empire State Building, you'd be crazy not to add on a visit to the top.
Last year, more than 3.5 million people visited the main 86th-floor observation deck (at 1,050 feet high,) but only about 600 per day go to the 102nd floor, a spokeswoman for building management told NewYorkology. (The elevator sign, at left, notes the elevation rather than the floors.)
And while the view from the main deck is awesome, the higher views are even more spectacular. You can linger as long as you like, often blocked from the view of the lone security guard and an infrequent elevator operator. And if you're a New Yorker who hates doing touristy things, if you suck it up for an hour or two to do this, make sure to bring binoculars because you'll want a good look at those roof gardens and swimming pools you never knew existed up in the sky.
The 102nd floor is indoors, (which is nice because it cuts the cold and wind,) but you can still get the outdoors feel afterward by visiting the lower deck with the masses.
Unfortunately there is some practical, bad news to share. Even if you buy an express pass, ($45 guarantees you get to the 86th floor in 20 minutes,) you're still going to pass through airport-style security and wait for a series of elevators in less than romantic quarters. While the building's interior is considered an art deco gem, it's also home to some ugly spaces as there's a long-term construction project in the public areas. And it's not just construction ugly - it's like people sticking trash in holes in the wall. And the guys trying to hawk audio guides and sell tickets to the skyride have become non-stop loud and aggressive, including one who grabbed a passer-by who refused to take his handout. On both the 86th and 102nd floors, there is graffiti all over the place.
Conveniently the vandals have dated their work, so you can see that it's been over a year since it's been cleaned. They've also scratched up the windows on the 102nd floor, so you need to avoid a lot of spots or it will mess up your view and pictures.
Also, don't trust anyone who tells you how long the wait will take. On the day of NewYorkology's visit, the sign out front said 10 to 25 minutes and all the building employees asked on the way said anything from 20 to 40 minutes. It ended up taking an hour and five minutes to get to the 102nd floor. (And they said not to bother with the Express Pass since the lines were so short.)
Looking up at the 102nd floor from the 86th observation deck.
There aren't a lot of architectural flourishes inside the 102nd floor.
Since September 11, 2001, the Empire State Building has again been the tallest building in New York. The World Trade Center towers would have been in the center of this picture; instead, you can see the tall crane finally taking down the black-shrouded Deutsche Bank building, which was also damaged in the attacks.
The top of the new Renzo Piano-designed building for the New York Times.
The Flatiron, from an easy-to-understand-how-it-got-it's-name angle.
A zoom lens was used for this picture, but even with a naked eye you could just barely make out this was the Queen Mary 2 passing Coney Island on her way out to sea.
Liberty and Ellis islands.
The Williamsburg Bridge and Brooklyn.
United Nations and the East River.
The top of the GE Building at Rockefeller Center, and home to the Top of the Rock observation decks.
A little scaffolding.
Also in scaffolding, the Williamsburgh Bank, the tallest building in Brooklyn.
Downtown with Ellis and Liberty islands in view:
Midtown around Grand Central:
The text on the outside mounting reads "Center of Pattern," and below: "Open Close."
The back of Four Times Square and on the right, the Bank of America building under construction.
The West Village and big red Archive building.
No crowds on the 102nd floor:
Down on the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building:
