Empire State Building: What Actually Happens When You Visit

The Empire State Building was constructed in 14 months and opened in 1931, which remains one of the more extraordinary logistical achievements in the history of construction. At its peak, 3,400 workers were on site simultaneously, building at a rate of more than a floor per day. The building was up and renting space before its mortgage was paid off and before New York’s office market could absorb it, it was nicknamed the “Empty State Building” for most of the Depression. That context makes the building feel like a different kind of achievement: not just engineering but an act of economic confidence that took years to vindicate.

The Empire State Building is 443 metres to the roof, opened in 1931, and is one of the most visited buildings on earth. The crowds are real. The security line is real. The views, on a clear day, are genuinely worth it. The crowds are real. The security line is real. The views, on a clear day, are genuinely worth it. Here is how to make it work.

The Observation Decks

The building has two public decks. The 86th floor (320 m) is the classic one: open-air terrace, circular, with the full Manhattan panorama in every direction. Tickets run around $44 for adults, or $79 for the combined 86th + 102nd floor pass. The 102nd floor is enclosed glass, smaller, and honestly a bit airless - the 86th is the better experience unless you specifically want to go higher.

Address: 350 5th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets. Elevators operate 09:00-23:00 daily, last entry at 22:15.

One tip that actually matters: book a timed entry online and show up at that time. The standby queue on summer weekends can hit 90 minutes. Even with a timed ticket, get there 15 minutes early. The security process is slower than an airport.

Night vs. day: Daytime views are sharper and you can see further. Night views are more photogenic. If you can only do one, go an hour before sunset and stay for the transition - best of both.

Dress for wind even in July. At 320 metres the temperature drops noticeably and the gusts on the terrace are steady.

Nearby Things Worth Doing

Macy’s Herald Square is literally across the street on 34th. If department stores are not your thing, skip it.

New York Public Library (42nd and 5th) is free, beautiful, and usually uncrowded on weekday mornings. The Rose Main Reading Room on the third floor is one of the best interiors in the city.

Bryant Park sits behind the library. Useful for a coffee and a sit-down without paying cafe prices. The small-batch stands along the perimeter are better value than anything inside.

The High Line is 15 blocks north-west on foot: a converted elevated railway with city views and decent food stalls. Better than it sounds, more crowded than it should be at weekends.

Eating Near the Building

Most restaurants within two blocks of 350 5th Ave exist to catch tourists who haven’t walked far enough. Move on before you spend $28 on a mediocre burger.

• Keens Steakhouse (72 W 36th St): old-school New York steakhouse, lamb chops are the move. Pricey, but it is not a tourist trap.
• Xi’an Famous Foods (multiple Midtown locations): hand-pulled noodles, spicy lamb face, cheap and fast. The Midtown East branch on 45th gets less tourist foot traffic than the tourist-facing ones.
• Margon (136 W 46th St): a Cuban lunch counter with daily specials around $12, packed with office workers, closes mid-afternoon. Worth the 10-minute walk.
• For coffee, Culture Espresso on W 38th makes a better flat white than anything in the immediate ESB vicinity.

Katz’s Delicatessen is excellent but it is 35 blocks south on Houston. Plan it as a separate trip rather than a post-ESB detour.

Where to Stay

The Midtown hotel market is big and competitive. A few honest picks:

• The Renwick (118 E 40th St): well-located, comfortable, often good value on weekdays when business travellers go home.
• YOTEL New York (570 10th Ave): small cabins but clever design, significantly cheaper than comparable Midtown options, slightly awkward location near the Lincoln Tunnel.
• Pod 39 (145 E 39th St): basic rooms, excellent rooftop bar, genuinely budget-friendly for Midtown.

For longer stays or if you want a kitchen, the Murray Hill and Kip’s Bay neighbourhoods east of the building have apartment hotels that run cheaper than anything on the Fifth Avenue corridor.

Getting There

The 34th Street station serves the B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W subway lines. The 1/2/3 trains stop at 34th/Penn Station one block west. You do not need a cab.

If you’re flying into JFK: the AirTrain to Jamaica + E train to 34th costs $9.75 and takes about 60 minutes. A taxi runs $70-90 with traffic. The subway wins on both time and cost unless you have heavy luggage.

One Last Thing

The 86th floor open deck has coin-operated binoculars that still charge 1990s prices ($0.25 for a look). Bring quarters if you want them. The Central Park reservoir and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx are visible on a clear day, as are the bridges over the East River as far as the Williamsburg. It is a better view of New York than you get from the Top of the Rock, which faces south towards ESB itself.