Im true movie style I found myself rushing to the Empire State Building, except sadly I wasn’t rushing to meet my true love there like in Sleepless in Seattle or An Affair to Remember.
Instead it was a race against time to get there before the sun went down over Manhattan. I had seen the New York skyline at night from Top of the Rock, but I wanted to appreciate the view from the top of the Empire State building whilst it was still daylight. I found myself running late, and with it being the middle of December, the sun was due to set at the early hour of 4:29pm.
Luckily, thanks to my New York CityPASS, I was able to skip the ticket queues and head straight to the elevators. Had I not been in a hurry to make it to the top for sunset, I might have spent a bit longer admiring the interior, but I was on a mission. My ears popped as the elevator made a rapid ascent, but other than that there was barely an indication that we were moving at all.
The Empire State Building is currently New York’s tallest building, although it will soon be downgraded to the city’s second tallest building when One World Trade Center is built. This iconic landmark is more than just a tall building though- it has been the central focus for many epic movie scenes. This is the building that was scaled by a giant ape in King Kong, was destroyed in Independence Day and featured in some of the most heart-wrenching love stories ever.
I may not have been greeted by the handsome Cary Grant at the top, but I was greeted with a beautiful sunset.
Sunset at the top of the Empire State Building was the most specatcular sunset I’ve ever seen. I’ve taken photos of some incredible sunsets around the world, but this one was truly magnificent.
Standing on the 86th Floor Observatory 1,050 feet above Manhattan, one thing I noticed was the silence. Barring the voices of the other tourists and the sound of camera shutters, it was incredibly quiet all that way up in the sky.
Bracing the winds and the cold December air, I walked around the Observation Deck for 360 degree views of the city. A row of people lined the south side of the Observatory and gazed through the bars in a south-westerly direction. As the sun melted below the horizon, the sky was streaked with a spectacular display of burnt oranges and reds. And as darkness fell, the lights of New York’s skyscrapers and buildings flickered on, so I could see both the twinkling lights and the splash of colour from the sunset. It suddenly got bitterly cold as the winds battered the West-facing side, so I took a break inside the heated indoor part of the observatory, before braving the outdoors one last time to capture a shot of New York City at night.
When I came down from the observatory I had a bit more time to admire the Art Deco interior of the foyer to the Empire State Building, which was decorated with Christmas trees and had some pretty holiday windows.
The wonderful thing about visiting the building at sunset, is that you get to see the New York City skyline in daylight, at dusk and at night time, giving you the best of both worlds. I had timed it perfectly. It was an unforgettable experience and one that I’ll treasure in my memory bank forever.
Related posts:
Oh man those photos are amazing. So so so can’t wait to go in June now.
Beautiful! I want to go there.
I love the views of the city and the lights.
nice pics – enjoyed your NYC reports. My only trip to NYC was curtailed somewhat by the weather. Due to rain, I was restricted to a weekend shopping trip. Empire state was shrouded in cloud and rain.
Beautiful! I’ve heard Top of the Rock can also be a good place to view sunsets – did you look at that as well? I’m trying to decide which one to go to when I go to New York.
Really cool photos! It’s 2 out of my 3 best things – sunset and a view (just a beach is missing!)