Empire State Building

New York City 2009

Thanksgiving Tour

New York City | New York

03 Dec 2009 | Thu

Day 09 of 11

The Apollo Theater Tour with Billy Mitchell
Empire State Building

Visiting the top of the Empire State Building is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should not be missed. Standing tall and proud on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, the building has been an iconic symbol of New York City for generations. Taking a trip to its observation deck can provide breathtaking views of the city and beyond, giving visitors a unique perspective of one of the most famous skylines in the world.

We visited the top late in the evening (around 10:30 pm). It all went by so fast, and we were not able to get any great photos. However, it was an awesome experience and something we will never forget.

The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from “Empire State”, the nickname of the state of New York. The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. The Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building until the World Trade Center was constructed in 1970; following the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building was New York City’s tallest building until it was surpassed in 2012. As of 2022, the building is the seventh-tallest building in New York City, the ninth-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States, the 54th-tallest in the world, and the sixth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.

The site of the Empire State Building, in Midtown South on the west side of Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th Streets, was developed in 1893 as the Waldorf–Astoria Hotel. In 1929, Empire State Inc. acquired the site and devised plans for a skyscraper there. The design for the Empire State Building was changed fifteen times until it was ensured to be the world’s tallest building. Construction started on March 17, 1930, and the building opened thirteen and a half months afterward on May 1, 1931. Despite favorable publicity related to the building’s construction, because of the Great Depression and World War II, its owners did not make a profit until the early 1950s.

– Wikipedia Empire State Building