The Heights of New York

We will be in New York in November and are trying to work out which of the following three attractions we should visit.

The Freedom Tower or Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building.

Your views (pardon the pun!) would be gratefully received

I have not been to Freedom Tower, so I can't really comment.

Between the other two, if you want the view, go to Top of the Rock; if you want to say you've been to the top, go to the ESB. From Top of the Rock, on a clear day, you can see pretty much all of Manhattan, into Brooklyn, and into Jersey. You can also see the ESB. Also, in November, expect a 25-30 degree F (or more) temperature change from the street to the observation deck of the ESB, and a cold, gusty wind. You won't stay there for long...

As mentioned on another recent thread, the Empire State Building is an icon. It's been featured in movies such as An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle. It's a matter of personal preference if that is important to you.

Even though I lived in NYC for 30 years and now visit every year have not done top of rock ( which is waking distance from where we stay) or empire state building, but did do top of old twin towers and will do freedom tower on visit ( last visit we missed opening of that by less than a week) you will have a great view of NYC and Statue of Liberty

Also, in November, expect a 25-30 degree F (or more) temperature change from the street to the observation deck of the ESB, and a cold, gusty wind. You won't stay there for long...

The top floor is about 1250 feet above ground level. On a humid cloudy day, that's maybe 3 or 4 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than ground level. On a dry day, maybe 6 or 7 degrees. Of course, as always, wind can make it feel cooler.

The top floor is about 1250 feet above ground level. On a humid cloudy day, that's maybe 3 or 4 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than ground level. On a dry day, maybe 6 or 7 degrees. Of course, as always, wind can make it feel cooler.

It sure felt a lot colder than that when we did it!

You're right, it was probably the wind.

Having done both the Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building my vote would be for the ESB - at night!!

Having done both the Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building my vote would be for the ESB - at night!!

I always hesitate to respond to this question. We've also done both. We loved both for different reasons. There is a certain "romance" to going to the top of the ESB, whether it's "An Affair to Remember" or "Sleepless in Seattle", or Fay Wray and King Kong. The views are great. The line is long. You can't actually see the ESB, BUT, you've been there!

Top of the Rock has none of that. BUT, it has tremendous views, and other than possibly now Freedom Tower, the best view of the ESB in Manhattan.

Which is why I say it depends...

Just want to add, it is easy to see the Empire State Bldg from the street.

If you want to take photos, I'd recommend Top of the Rock over the ESB. As I recall the ESB has chain link fence all around, which hampers photo shooting. I was on Top of the Rock earlier this month and had forgotten that it has 2 levels above the main one. The latter has plate glass as protection from falling (?), but there is at least a 2-3" gap between the panes so if you have an SLR or a camera with a lens you can stick it through those gaps. However on the highest level, there's no glass at all so wish I hadn't wasted my time shooting "thought the gaps" on the lowest level! Because of it's nearness, you can get good shots of Central Park and, as others have said, there's the good view of the ESB. The visibility to the south was poor the morning I was up there so the Freedom Tower was a "shadow" of its real self. Got many good shots of the latter when we were near and at "Ground Zero" a few days later and during our lengthy stay in the harbor after departing from Port Liberty on our way to NE/Canada.

Thanks everyone. I think we have narrowed it down to between the Top of the Rock and the Freedom Tower. I find it interesting that nobody has mentioned the Freedom Tower. Is this because it is relatively 'new' ?

Thanks everyone. I think we have narrowed it down to between the Top of the Rock and the Freedom Tower. I find it interesting that nobody has mentioned the Freedom Tower. Is this because it is relatively 'new' ?

We haven't been up there (we did walk by it), but since it's near the southern tip of Manhattan a good part of the view is water. The Top of the Rock is more centrally located with good views of the Empire State Bldg and One World Trade Center (their preferred name for the "Freedom Tower") to the south and Central Park to the north. And you're closer to the ground (259' hi) than atop 1WTC (387'), giving one a better view IMHO. Finally, Trip Advisor ranks Top of the Rock as the best observation deck in NYC. That may change over time as only 1,700 people have reviewed 1WTC to date, while 34,000 have reviewed Top of the Rock. Both are comparable in price (abt $30/adult, $25/child).

We haven't been up there (we did walk by it), but since it's near the southern tip of Manhattan a good part of the view is water. The Top of the Rock is more centrally located with good views of the Empire State Bldg and One World Trade Center (their preferred name for the "Freedom Tower") to the south and Central Park to the north. And you're closer to the ground (259' hi) than atop 1WTC (387'), giving one a better view IMHO. Finally, Trip Advisor ranks Top of the Rock as the best observation deck in NYC. That may change over time as only 1,700 people have reviewed 1WTC to date, while 34,000 have reviewed Top of the Rock. Both are comparable in price (abt $30/adult, $25/child).

Thanks for that. I think you may well have helped make up my mind and we will almost certainly do Top of the Rock. Maybe if we've the time and the weather is kind we could do both :)

We haven't been up there (we did walk by it), but since it's near the southern tip of Manhattan a good part of the view is water. The Top of the Rock is more centrally located with good views of the Empire State Bldg and One World Trade Center (their preferred name for the "Freedom Tower") to the south and Central Park to the north. And you're closer to the ground (259' hi) than atop 1WTC (387'), giving one a better view IMHO. Finally, Trip Advisor ranks Top of the Rock as the best observation deck in NYC. That may change over time as only 1,700 people have reviewed 1WTC to date, while 34,000 have reviewed Top of the Rock. Both are comparable in price (abt $30/adult, $25/child).

When I wrote this msg, I didn't realize the hts of the observation areas were given in meters! So in feet, 1WTC is about 1,200 ft, TOTR is about is about 800 ft, with the ESB in between those two.

Many will suggest other than the Freedom Tower so you can have it in any photos you take.

By the way, we just did the 9/11 Museum last week - excellent!!!

 

By the way, we just did the 9/11 Museum last week - excellent!!!

Interesting comment. We did a walking tour which took in the area of Ground Zero. On some of the names of the dead people, presumably family, had placed small flowers in remembrance which we found very moving. However, we did not go into the Museum as our guide told us that a lot of survivors and victims' families found it to be tacky and distressing. They did not want people to remember the horror of the day by buying souvenirs such as dogs' coats, etc.

Did you see anything like this?

Interesting comment. We did a walking tour which took in the area of Ground Zero. On some of the names of the dead people, presumably family, had placed small flowers in remembrance which we found very moving. However, we did not go into the Museum as our guide told us that a lot of survivors and victims' families found it to be tacky and distressing. They did not want people to remember the horror of the day by buying souvenirs such as dogs' coats, etc.

 

Did you see anything like this?

We did tour last May and I thought it was very very well done and respectful of all that perished. I would highly recommend doing this. There is a small gift shop. Take the tour with the guide, I would get the tickets online.

We visited the 911 Museum in September, and it did not seem tacky at all. When we were there, visitors were very respectful of the site. It was busy that day, but people spoke in hushed tones. We were told that families of the victims had been consulted about the design and displays in the museum. I found the experience very moving, especially one display showing the signs family members posted following the attack while trying to find their missing loved ones. We paired our visit with the Ground Zero tour, which was conducted by a 911 survivor, and he even gave us suggestions of exhibits to look at in the museum.

The top floor is about 1250 feet above ground level. On a humid cloudy day, that's maybe 3 or 4 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than ground level. On a dry day, maybe 6 or 7 degrees. Of course, as always, wind can make it feel cooler.

Indeed correct, it is the temperature lapse rate, there is dry and wet, and it varies as you describe. I just use an average of around 4°F per thousand feet of altitude. If someone says they are at 1,000' and feel it is 25-30° cooler, then you have some major wind chill going on, or you need to check it with a thermometer!

I was one of the first responders and I think that the 911 museum is well worth the visit. They did it with honor and respect. Now if it was up to me I'd tell you to visit the Freedom tower first and then very nearby the memorial and 911 museum.

We were in NYC before our cruise in September, and we chose Top of the Rock because we did not have an emotional attachment to going up in the EBS. We wanted good views, and the day we were there, we were really pleased. It was clear, and we could see the Statue of Liberty even without binoculars. When using my zoom lens on my camera, I was able to take a good shot of it. The view of Central Park was also really good because you could see the shape of the park and even make out the reservoir in the distance. We had visited the park the day before and knew the reservoir was large. Seeing how far it stretched across the park was really interesting. From one side of the observation deck, you look right at EBS. I have a nice photograph that I took of EBS from that spot. We also saw the Times Square ball from another area of the deck and the various bridges. There are three separate decks at differing heights, which is very nice. It gave space for the other viewers to spread out and you can see how the view changes as you go higher. Like others have said, I think it is a matter of preference, but I was quite pleased with the time we spent at Top of the Rock. I bought tickets in advance online, and it was a time saver for getting inside, but the wait for the elevator was still a bit long.