Empire State Building

The Chrysler Building Was the World’s Tallest for Less Than Eleven Months

The Chrysler Building was completed in May 1930 and immediately became the tallest building on earth. Eleven months later the Empire State Building opened and took the title. The Chrysler never got over it. The ESB held the record until 1970, when the original World Trade Center’s North Tower surpassed it – forty years at the top is genuinely remarkable given how fast Manhattan was building through the mid-20th century.

The building opened at 350 Fifth Avenue in 1931, 14 months after construction began, with 7 million hours of labour in 410 working days. The Art Deco exterior – limestone and granite cladding, stainless steel spandrels, the tiered aluminium crown – was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. It is still among the better-looking tall buildings in New York, which at this point is saying something.

The Two Observatories

The 86th floor observatory at 320 metres is the traditional observation deck with enclosed sections and an open-air outer terrace that is genuinely outdoors in all weather conditions. The 360-degree view covers Manhattan, the East and Hudson Rivers, and on clear days extends to Connecticut, New Jersey, and the Catskills. Tickets start at USD 44 for adults in 2026, plus a USD 5 booking fee on online purchases.

The 102nd floor observatory at 373 metres is glass-enclosed, smaller, and requires a USD 20 upgrade on top of regular admission. The practical view difference from the 86th floor is modest, but it holds fewer people – if crowds are your main concern, this is the less congested option.

Before committing: Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza costs roughly USD 42 for adults and specifically includes the Empire State Building in its Manhattan skyline view. Some visitors and photographers prefer Top of the Rock precisely because the ESB appears in the frame rather than below you. Neither is objectively superior; they provide different compositions of the same city.

Timing

November through March has the clearest air. Summer weekday afternoons are worst for haze. The building is open until 2am year-round; visiting after 10pm means noticeably fewer people than the sunset rush period. Manhattan’s light grid from the 86th floor terrace at midnight on a clear night is the best argument for the late schedule.

The tower lights change colour for holidays, sports, cultural anniversaries, and awareness causes throughout the year. The schedule is published at esbnyc.com for anyone who plans around specific colour combinations – and there are dedicated people who do exactly this.

Around the Building

Bryant Park, one block west on Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, is one of the better-managed public spaces in Manhattan. The Morgan Library and Museum at 36th Street (around USD 25, closed Mondays) has the finest collection of medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts in the United States, along with major holdings of literary and musical manuscripts. It is considerably quieter than the observatory, more intellectually interesting, and costs less. Worth knowing about as an alternative if the ESB queue is discouraging.

New York CityPASS and similar multi-attraction passes often include the Empire State Building and reduce the per-attraction cost significantly for visitors planning to see several major NYC sites.