We drove 2.5 hours to NYC with a small 5th grade class trip. Went to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty earlier in the day, then to the Empire State building in the afternoon (4pm). It took us 1.5 hours just to drive from the Holland Tunnel to ESB. You get nowhere in NYC fast. We had purchased our tickets... More

I don't care that this building is no longer even in the top ten tallest buildings. As this article says, the Empire State Building is still the most iconic building in the world, with the best views, and you simply must visit it. http://blog.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/2012/05/the-empire-state-building-forever-the-most-iconic-building-in-the-world/ More

We had a great time! We sprung for the express pass / VIP. IT was well worth it. We saved at least 2 hours. It was a remarkable experience! I highly recommend going. We went with a large group and it was great! More

The iconic Empire State building is a must see in New York. If you are visiting make sure you book the express pass online before you go. With this you can skip all the lines. We made it to the top in 10 minutes, whereas the expected wait for non-express was 1.5-2 hours. Try to time your visit for around... More

What a view from the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building! We went about 5pm in the afternoon so queuing wasn't too bad - about an hour at most. A quick photo opportunity with King Kong before you get in the final elevator adds to the sense of occasion. Once outside, it feels like you can... More

It took about an hour from the time we get in line to the time we get to the observation floor. Depends on how long you stay up at the observation floor, plan for 2-3 hours total time. Like many other attraction, they will take your photo in front of a green wall to impose the Empire State Building in... More

We went to the empire state building at 21.00 and found the Q was still outside the door, so we got something to eat and came back at 22.00. There was no visible Q outside the building.We went in and discovered a whole floor of queuing barriers before even getting to the ticket window... and so the wait began. In... More

Thought we would go up to watch the sun set over NYC. Big mistake! We queued for nearly 2 hours and in the end walked up the stairs for the last 6 floors as the queue for the final lift was so long. Once we got up there the view was spectacular, but they had let so many people up... More

We went to the top of the empire state building at night, and the view was absolutely amazing! Worth every penny of the 60 or so bucks the two of us paid to go up. However, we waited in line for an hour and a half on a night that wasn't overly busy for them. If I had to go... More