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The observatory of the Empire State Building with a viewfinder and flowers.
Photograph: By Erica Schroeder

Watch the sunrise from the Empire State Building while sipping Starbucks

The experience begins this weekend.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
Written by
Rossilynne Skena Culgan
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Early birds will get the best view with this new sunrise event atop The Empire State Building. The Starbucks Reserve Sunrise Experience offers a chance to watch the sun climb over the skyline while sipping coffee and sampling pastries inside a world-famous landmark.

The experience kicks off this weekend on April 1 and continues on Saturdays with limited capacity; tickets cost $135 per person and must be reserved in advance.

RECOMMENDED: See inside the massive new Starbucks that just opened at the Empire State Building

Guests will be whisked to the open-air 86th Floor Observatory to watch the sunrise. After the sun's up, visitors get pre-opening access to the Empire State Building’s immersive museum that chronicles the building’s history from construction to its current place in pop culture.

A Starbucks coffee cart; staff hand out coffee and pastries.
Photograph: By Erica Schroeder

The morning also includes Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building Microblend Coffee and a specially selected assortment of artisanal Princi pastries.

“The sunrise experience at the ‘World’s Most Famous Building’ is an unforgettable bucket list experience, made all the more special with our great Starbucks Reserve partners. The sight of daybreak over New York City from the center of it all is just extraordinary,” Anthony E. Malkin, chairman, president, and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, said in a press release.

A selection of croissants and cups of Starbucks coffee.
Photograph: By Erica Schroeder

The Starbucks Reserve store at the Empire State Building opened in November with an impressive full-service bar, restaurant, hands-on workshops and, of course, lots of coffee. The massive, three-story Starbucks Reserve store measures in at 23,000 square feet. 

In addition to the swanky new Starbucks, the Empire State Building's observatory itself recently underwent a $165 million refresh, updating an interactive museum with nine galleries, host uniforms, and iconic Observatories on the 86th and 102nd Floors. The Empire State Building was voted the #1 Attraction in the United States in Tripadvisor’s 2022 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best.

If you’re more a sunset than a sunrise person, you can always book general admission evening tickets to the Empire State Building to watch the sun dip into the horizon. Just look on the Empire State Building’s ticketing page and you’ll see the sunset hours indicated; heads up that there’s a price surge for sunset visits.

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