The Empire State Building — Empire State of Mind
“…to the top of the Empire State Building!” My best friend and I test the laws of gravity and take a ride to the top of this iconic New York City landmark.
Can You Take Me Higher?
My best friend Kristy and I decided to take our friendship to brand new heights — 1,250 feet, to be exact, the full height of the Empire State Building!
Over an early morning cup of coffee last Friday, my roommate and I decided that it’s the perfect day to do a “New York City thing” that we’ve never done before. But we’d already seen the Statue of Liberty, a Yankee’s Game, and Central Park — so what’s left?
“What about the Empire State Building?!”
Yes! So we grabbed our bags and took the subway up to the corner of 5th Ave and 33rd St. and climbed to the top of one of New York City’s most famous buildings.
Are We There Yet?
After wading through countless people trying to sell us bus tour tickets, we finally made our way inside, where we took the escalator to the ticket booth on the second floor. We each bought our $32.00 ticket for the observation deck on the 86th floor, and that’s where the anticipation started mounting.
We thought the endless lines for elevator access and security checks would never end, but it actually only took about 30 minutes. We shuffled through various museum-like displays that explained the history of Empire State Building — we even learned that it’s the highest open-air observatory in New York!
We Made It, Finally!
Once we got to the top, we walked out into the open air and our jaws dropped all the way to the sidewalk far, far below us — the view is absolutely spectacular. We walked over the south side of the building (my favorite view) to look out at the Freedom Tower, the Flatiron Building, and the Statue of Liberty!
We stood there for nearly an hour talking about anything and everything while gazing at the tops of hundreds of Manhattan buildings. We daydreamed about hanging out on the rooftops of all of the swanky skyscrapers, pointing out the cool apartments we would love to live in someday.
We rattled off a list of the countless movies and TV shows that were filmed where we were standing at that very moment, taking in all the history and fame sitting right under our feet.
Exit Through the Gift Shop? Sure Thing!
After realizing that we were probably hogging the one of the best views in New York City for way too long, we decided to head back down the elevator to get out onto the street — but not without passing through the gift shop, of course.
It was loaded with King Kong memorabilia, along with some merchandise from other movies that were filmed at this iconic cultural landmark. We didn’t buy anything, but I did manage to get a shot standing next to my newest pal!
Best Friend Bonding Time
My best friend and I had such a blast taking on one of the most famous buildings in the Big Apple together. We may have had to wait in line for a while, but once we got to the top, we knew instantly that the view had been worth the wait.
With so many buildings from that high in the air, we could have been entertained for hours just gawking at the beauty of the sky and the architecture in front of us. How could we have waited so long to check out this tourist-y (but awesome!) attraction?!
I would definitely suggest this classic New York City experience to all of my friends — now we know why the Empire State Building is one of the country’s most talked-about attractions!
