Our private tour with Renita was absolutely incredible! She is not only extremely knowledgable but couldn't be more personable. She shared the facts but also talked about the impact of the Empire State Building on the community and even on her own life. No spoilers but she has the best stories some of which tug on your heartstrings and others about celebrities that will leave you speechless. The views are breathtaking and being able to skip lines as well as have an expert guide who knows just the right way to take pictures creating memories we'll cherish forever was all just perfect. We were hesitant about it being dark out when we got to the top as far as visibility and how pictures would turn out but it ended up absolutely amazing. If you're wanting to see sunset from the top be sure to book earlier than the sunset time as the tour before you get to the top does take some time.

Our first tip is to “GO” if the weather is good. We waited over 60 years to make our first trip. It is so well worth the experience. Going up over 1200 feet and seeing everything will take well over an hour or two. In 1931 when the Empire State building opened—named after the motto of NY State—it was the tallest building in the world. Today, it is the 54th tallest in the world, and 7th largest in NYC. Originally this Midtown South Art Deco styled building cost $40 million dollars. In today’s monies, Empire State cost over 600 million to build. It is so large that the place has been assigned its own zip-code—10118. I would recommend waiting until a few days before your sojourn to buy tickets on-line knowing the weather is going to be reasonably sunny and clear. On a good day, one can see 80 miles away—as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Pennsylvania. We didn’t know one could just buy tickets on-line. We just went and got-in-line. Luckily, as we were about to push “buy” for the tickets, a woman walked-up and gave us two free tickets. Apparently, two people did not show-up in her group—there are indeed very nice people in this world. The ground floor is impressive. The unique architecture is part of the National Register of Historic Palaces. Take your time and enjoy the ambiance. There are over 70 elevators. You will first be taken to the 86th floor. It takes less than a minute to climb. There are plenty of windows and exhibits. You may have to wait as 4 million people do visit the Empire State building yearly. There are plenty of wide spaces and it doesn’t feel crowded though. Over 250 motion pictures have used the Empire State Building. Our favorite 2 movies are King Kong and Sleepless in Seattle. There is an King Kong sculpture one can have their picture from on the 86 floor. To get to the 102nd floor where the open observation deck is located are dedicated elevators for them as you proceed on the 86th floor. There are plenty of pictures and information guides to help you understand what you are seeing. Obviously, there is plenty of wire protection on the 102nd floor to prevent people from taking the quick way down. On the ground floor when you leave is a fairly large souvenir shop. Prices are not too unreasonable. If you found this review “helpful in any way” please click the “thumbs-up picture” to let me know.

Absolutely incredible. There are other taller buildings now of course, but this building is by far the most iconic. They do an awesome job of not overcrowding it, and keeping you entertained while in line with the museum-like displays about the history, construction, and cultural influence. The outdoor observatory on the 86th floor is incredible. Being outside in the open air is breathtaking. Also highly recommend spending the extra money to go up into the spire for a totally different experience. It is pretty small up there and a totally different experience because in there you have floor to ceiling windows. Don't go to NYC without experiencing this. We went at 9 am to avoid longer lines, and it was WELL worth it. That was a great tip. Plus the views early in the morning were great.

The Empire State Building tours starts with an exposition, which gives you an imformed history of the building. I recommend that you purchase the ti kits for the 102nd floor as although it is expensive 77 USD per ticket, it is worth it. First you take the express elevator , to the 80th floor, which tales around 25 seconds. This elevator has a film that runs while you ascend. After spending time in the 80th floor, which has an enclosed 360 degree view, you take the next elevator to the 86th floor, which is open but securely fenced off with iron bars for security.You can also walk round this floor. If you purchased the ticket to hhe 102nd floor, you take the third elevator and arrive in an enclosed floor, with glass windows all around. The view is spectacular All in all this was an sharing experience but ensure that it is a clear day and not cloudy.

One of the most impressive moments of the city tour was the view that can be enjoyed climbing the Empire State Building. We went up at sunset and waited for the evening to see the city lit up. We were speechless. The show is breathtaking, you have to try, it is very difficult to describe with words. The organization to climb on, moreover, is perfect. The only problem, not insignificant, is that once up nobody has checked the time of our stay or that of the other visitors. As a result, many people before us had already climbed into the part where you could watch the sunset and remained there for a very long time preventing others from approaching the balustrade and being able to look. I state that sunset tickets cost more, but in the end there was no point in spending that money because only with a lot of effort we managed to carve out a corner to watch, and by then the sun had set. I would recommend being more precise in controlling people on the terrace.

An iconic landmark, definitely worth a visit! It's not flawless: I found the 2nd floor museum a little underwhelming, the queuing/security area gets stuffy and noisy when it's busy, and the entrance for the observation deck isn't immediately obvious if you're approaching from 5th Ave. But the views from the 80th and 86th floors are amazing. Additionally, the staff were also genuinely lovely and very helpful, which really made a difference (particularly as I was there on my own). I appreciated that I wasn't rushed through the experience in any way. I would definitely recommend going early in the day: I had an AM/PM ticket, and my first visit (09.15) involved basically no queue and no crowding, whereas my evening visit (21.10-ish) was much busier and it took me much longer to get through security/the queue in general. I would also recommend the CityPASS if you're visiting the ESB and you're planning to do any of the other relevant attractions - ESB tickets are pretty expensive (AM/PM tickets are usually $60-70, if I'm not mistaken) and I'm not sure if I could've justified buying them outright, but the CityPASS is good value.

We visited in the evening, and it was a perfect time - city lights, moon, skyline. Of course, it helped that the weather cooperated - I am not sure it would have been as enjoyable in rainy or overcast conditions, so that is a decision to make once you know the forecast for that day. We decided to pay extra for the visit to the 102nd floor observation area, although I was a bit concerned (based on some acrophobia) about being up that high, with just windows rather than a fence protecting you, but it turned out fine, and the views were worth it: you don't need to hug the window - you can stand back a couple of feet and still get the view. But after about 15 minutes I was able to squeeze a bit closer - it is like looking out of a window in an airplane, although a much much bigger window. Not many people are allowed on the 102nd floor at the same time, but if you want to spend 15 or so minutes there it does not appear to be a problem. Prior to getting onto the elevators at the start of the visit, there are some fun exhibits - the animated King Kong arm is a good one! Plus, there are some life-sized videos of construction workers at work - the videos - which take up a wall and are looped - are worth taking some time to appreciate. The only thing to remember is that if you come down from the top floors too late, these exhibits cannot be visited again - we were sort of disappointed about that because we wanted to see King Kong one more time. Well, at least the gift shop was still open.

The Empire State Building is a must do activity if you are in NYC. It's iconic. If possible, definitely do both the 86th and the 102nd floor. The view from the 102nd is amazing, especially on a clear day. There's also lots of fun photo opportunities in the building, like the King Kong hands, a model scale Empire State Building to take a picture in front of. They will also take your picture and offer several views for purchase in addition to the free photo ops along the way. It is very well organized as far as leading you into the elevators and where to go when you get on and off the elevators, there is a certain direction flow they have going on but it keeps it from being super congested.

The musuem at the beginning is very interesting and mind boggling. The speed of which they built this icon and without the safety procedures of today leaves your heart racing! There are fun photo ops as well. We decided to purchase the ticket to get us to the 102nd floor, because it's enclosed and we thought it the weather was bad we could be inside. However, we didn't take into account that if the weather is bad, we would be high enough to be in a cloud on the 102nd. It was a rainy day and we had great views on the 86th, but the 102nd was completely socked in by clouds. Oh well, we still had fun!

I arrived about 30 minutes early, so I upcharged and tried to get in early, but after a short time I sold out of tickets and ended up waiting until the time I booked. There are elevators to see the sights, so it's recommended to book 30 minutes early to watch the sunset. Heated even outdoors, longer! The staff were dressed in formal attire and the atmosphere was good.