Empire State Building
Description
In late 2005, the 102nd-floor observatory was reopened to the public and reigns as the city’s highest lookout. The view from the 86th floor isn’t too bad either, from where, on a clear day, you can see all five boroughs and five states. (Night owl alert: the roof deck now remains open until 2am.) Be warned that queues can take as long as two hours on busy days; we recommend buying your tickets online to save time. If you have money to burn, you can take advantage of the express pass ($45), which lets you cut to the front. The informative audio tour is worth the extra seven bucks if you want more than an eyeful.
The Empire State Building was financed as a speculative venture by General Motors executive John J Raskob; builders broke ground in 1930. It sprang up in 14 months with amazing speed, completed more than a month ahead of schedule and $5 million under budget. The 1,250ft tower snatched the title of world’s tallest building from under the nose of the months-old, 1,046ft Chrysler Building, conveniently showing up Raskob’s Detroit-based rival Walter P Chrysler.
