Photo Credit: Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons
Whenever I head into New York City, it’s usually for one reason: to attend a special event like a Broadway show, an art exhibit, a concert, to watch a live taping of a talk show, or for any event that requires a pre-purchased ticket. This past weekend my husband and I went into the city because we had tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a gift I had given him for Christmas that we were now cashing in to celebrate his 32nd birthday. After we finished exploring this wonder, we had a late dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. followed by a spontaneous thought of “let’s go to the top of the Empire State Building.” Joe’s never been there and I’ve never seen its views after dark. So, on a whim we decided to walk over to this sky-high gem.
Google Map It: You’ll find the Empire State Building located at 350 5th Street at West 34th St.
Upon entrance to the Empire State Building, we had a Great Gatsby-esque moment with its 1920s decor of dark-colored, shiny marble facing every direction we turned. After paying our entrance fee, we waited in a short line to the elevators that took us up to the 80th floor. Suprisingly, this elevator ride lasted less than two minutes. After exiting the elevator, we stood in another line for a second short elevator ride up to the 86th floor.
Making our way down to the observation deck, we were in awestruck of the glistening world that stood in front of us. We gobbled up luscious views and looked on as far as our eyes would allow us. Slowly making our way around all four corners of the observation deck, we heard on-lookers from all corners of the world like Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy, India, and then some. We bumped into strangers as we patiently waited for an opening along the crowded observatory to gaze at views. We took pictures of couples who in turn took pictures of us as NYC gleamed in the backdrop. NYC sparkled and we were captivated by its peaceful simplicity from above as we nostalgically tried to point out the landmarks that make NYC so famous.
A spontaneous thought ended up giving Joey and I a piece of romance, love, and unforgettable NYC views. On our next trip to New York City, we will definitely come prepared with a guide book in hand as we crave to explore more of NYC’s treasures. This time around, we’ll leave our pre-purchased tickets at home and save them for another day.
For information on the Empire State Building, please check out their official website. To book affordable flights to New York, check out CheapFlights website.
