Address: | 350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-736-3100 |
Site: | esbnyc.com |
Rating: | 4.6 |
Working: | 8AM–2AM 8AM–2AM 8AM–2AM 8AM–2AM 8AM–2AM 8AM–2AM 8AM–2AM |
MA
Matt S
TERRIBLE!!! I wanted to visit it because it was the tallest building in NY (this was after 9/11). I was super excited. Had my camera all ready. We got to see lines to pay a TON just to see the top, then security (which I understand of course), then more lines. More lines. More and more lines. Did I mention lines? As you get to the top... doors open and.... more lines! But wait, after those lines there are more lines to go outside to the roof. After hours you go outside and..... your shoulder to shoulder with people and these massive ugly bars are everywhere. I couldnt even bring my camera to eye level to take a picture. It was so crowded. We tried to use our phone but people are bumping into you and always pushing to get in front of you. And of course once we get the phone up you can barley take a picture because the ugly bars are in the way. So what do you after all this? More lines to go down! At the bottom you get a gift shop with more shoulder to shoulder people. Lots of cheaply made over expensive items. I figured Id but something so at least the trip there wasnt a waste. I got some 9/11 display of the city from some foreign guy who barley spoke english. Mind you this was part of the shop! It was about 4 inches long, over an inch wide and 2 inches tall. Cost me $30. Got out of the building and into a subway car. The twin tower buildings fell out of the hole they were poorly glued into and then some top of some other building broke off. So beyond terrible. Save your time and just look at it from the ground then buy a postcard with a picture from the top before they put up bars. Just make sure its from a vendor who isnt selling something made in china.
MA
Matthew Jones
Ah the Empire State Building. As far as bucket list items go, this one is great: its views wont disappoint. However, beware: the lines in this place are ABSURD. To be clear, February (after Valentines) until end of April is the "slow season", with the "busy season" being between Thanksgiving and Valentines Day. This is important, and heres why: I went during the busy season and waited 3 hours to get to the top. No, this isnt an exaggeration, and even with the "skip the line" pass, you WILL, I repeat *WILL* wait. There are multiple lines inside, specifically for the elevator. I just went three days ago (March 8th) with my boyfriend and there was not a single line to be found. No waiting (other than for the elevator to go up or down) and no crowds to push through to get a picture.... I will never go again unless its this time of year. That being said, it is not cheap. If you ARE going during a busy time, do yourself a favor and buy the 102nd floor pass. I say that because, while you will wait longer to get there, they control the number of people who are there much more strictly, and this means better pictures with a marginally better view. And yeah, its expensive. I suppose theres no better welcome to NYC though! ^_^
MI
Michael Baxter
An amazing experience. The staff was fantastic. The views couldnt be beat. I got the ticket to go to the 102nd floor. It was nice that it was enclosed because the wind was really blowing and it was quite chilly. It was a little difficult to take pictures through the glass. With the background reflections and the double window panes the cameras focus with become askew. And it was very crowded. On the main open observation deck you can get unobstructed views and full exposure to the weather. The wind really blows up there, even on a clam day. So if you are taking picture you will need to be able to brace the camera and yourself so you dont upset the cameras focus. Especially when you are doing night photography with the zoom lens. Dont walk through the building without taking note of the architecture. It is worth some pictures as well. You have not experienced NYC until you visit the Empire State Building.
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Dennis Waites
Another fantastic tourist attraction. The queues are somewhat tiresome but with it being open until 2am going later on can shorten your wait quite dramatically. One of the first things i noticed about the place was the staff. They are incredibly friendly, and the guys standing up on the lift must see several thousand people every day but take the time to learn different languages to say hello or goodbye. Thats true professionalism in my eyes and made the wait enjoyable. The view at the top in the evening is indescribable. Just being up there and getting a 360 degree view of this beautiful city is amazing. At the time i was there it must have been about 25 degrees centigrade at ground level. 86 floors up its not so warm... Still doesnt take away from the awesomeness of the place. Theres a limit to how many people are allowed up so its never over crowded. First time visitors in New York this is a must.
AL
Allways Farm
Misrepresentation and rip-off from start to finish: the tellers dont tell you when paying that in order to visit the highest viewing point (102nd floor) you have to pay an extra $20 once you are already on the 86th floor, on top of the $30+ you have already paid to get there. No other signs informing you of this are visible at the main payment point either. Many visitors were confused and frustrated when they were also turned away from the 102nd floor viewing point line on the 86th floor. I dont think this is appropriate or ethical behavior for a so-called world-class tourist attraction. Watch yourselves - to them at ESBNYC you are just another tourist to be conned and gouged for your money! Sorry to say but I was very disappointed at this experience. The view was nice though from the 86th floor but would have been better from the 102nd.
PE
Pete Davis
We ordered tickets for the 86th floor and decided against going up to the 102nd as well as we had read on line that there is little difference in the view. That seemed to make sense to us (high up is high up). A pair of tickets came to about $75 and were ordered on line and picked up easily from a kiosk inside. The staff guiding us up were courteous and friendly in the main and we soon wizzed through security. A short ride in a very quick elevator and we were on the observation deck. By the time we arrived it was dark and the view is very impressive. Once we had done all four sides and taken photos we headed straight back down (via the merchandise store). It was February so it was cold and we figured there is only so much time you can spend looking at the same view. Definitely worth a visit and another thing ticked off our bucket list.
JO
Joseph mccourt
Amazing views of the city. But the walk and the wait is very long. Mode of the lines move very quickly though, but there are multipld lines you have to get in. Initially you take an elevator from the ground floor to the 80th floor observatory, which was a sh9rt wait. Then another elevator to the 86th floor observatory. This wait was about 30 mins. The views from the 86th floor are amazing and not obstructed with windows. After youre done enjoying this section you can leave or if you purchased an extra ticket you can go up to the 102nd floor. This was an additional 25 minute wait just to go up. The views from there were nice, but it was such a long wait when combined with the others. I dont this I would recommend the 102nd floor becuase of the wait. Overall it was an enjoyable experience. Just plan at least 1- 1.5 hours to do this.