Out on the 86th-floor deck the wind tugs at your coat, and Manhattan spreads out in every direction: rivers on both sides, bridges, Central Park, and the streets far below like canyons.

The building

The Empire State Building is a 102-storey skyscraper in Midtown South, designed in the Art Deco style by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon. It stands on Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th Streets, the former site of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Construction began on 17 March 1930 and it opened just thirteen and a half months later, on 1 May 1931. Its roof is 1,250 feet (380 m) high and it reaches 1,454 feet (443.2 m) with the antenna. It was the world's tallest building until the North Tower of the World Trade Center was topped out in 1970.

The observatories

The 86th floor is an open-air deck. The 102nd floor is an indoor deck 1,250 feet above the street, reached by a glass elevator. On a clear day you can see up to 80 miles across six states. Every visit needs a timed reservation, and the first two hours after opening are the busiest.

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  86th floor Open-air deck.
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  102nd floor Indoor deck at the top.
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  Art Deco lobby On Fifth Avenue.