2012.06 New York: The Empire State Building
This United States trip was officially for work, but since I was already near New York, I had to squeeze in a little time before and after the meetings. The previous post was about the Statue of Liberty. This one goes to the Empire State Building: coming out of Penn Station, walking past Seventh Avenue, food carts, pedicabs, and tourists, then sending myself up above Manhattan.
The most interesting part of the Empire State Building was not simply "New York is tall and the view is good." It felt more like seeing several versions of New York spread out at once: movie romance, the World Trade Center reconstruction after 9/11, Central Park, the Flatiron Building, crowds everywhere, and one visitor who thought the 102nd floor would be much better, only to spend an extra USD$17 and end up with @.@'"
Walking from Penn Station toward Fifth Avenue
The Empire State Building sits at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. From New York Penn Station, beside Madison Square Garden, I walked straight along 32nd Street, turned left on Fifth Avenue, and after two more blocks I was there. That was my 2012 route; anyone actually going now should check current maps and official transit information.
Right after leaving the station, the streets did not look like a clean movie version of New York. They looked like practical Manhattan: cars, people, signs, carts, and everything moving at once. When I saw the pedicabs, I thought that if I brought my wife and kids next time, we should probably take one. It would save a lot of leg power ^.^
Along Seventh Avenue, halal food carts were everywhere. A colleague who had studied in the U.S. told me that whenever he came to New York as a student, he always ate this because it was cheap and suited our taste. Unfortunately, every time I saw one, I happened not to be hungry. Buying one just to hold in my hand and eat while walking would also have been strange, so I missed it {"~.~"}
As I got closer to Fifth Avenue, the Empire State Building became a clear marker at the end of the streets. Those street photos were not elegant compositions, but they match the mood of the moment: checking the direction while using the camera to record that I really was almost there.
No long line downstairs, but a line on the 80th floor
At the time, there were two observation deck ticket options: USD$23 for the 86th floor, and another USD$17 if you wanted to go up to the 102nd-floor observatory. Those prices are only my 2012 experience, not current ticket advice.
I went on a Friday afternoon and did not meet a long line downstairs, so I felt LUCKY!! Security screening was still unavoidable. After the express elevator reached the 80th floor, there were displays about the building's construction, stills from King Kong, and souvenir counters.
I thought that since there was no real line downstairs, the rest would be smooth. Instead, I spent quite a while waiting on the 80th floor. Then I saw a group of people heading for the stairs, followed them without thinking, and ended up exhausted @.@'"
Whew. Finally made it up.
The audio guide made the view more than just a view
Near the security area downstairs, there was an audio guide rental. It was basically an iPod adapted for the tour, and the rental fee was USD$10. It had matching photos and introductions to the surrounding buildings. The Mandarin narration had a strong Beijing accent and stiff translated phrasing, but it was still quite detailed. Without one, I probably would have gone up, looked around casually, and been done.
Looking south from the observation deck, the building under construction in front was the World Trade Center being rebuilt after 9/11. When the original World Trade Center was first completed, I had heard that many New Yorkers felt it did not fit the city. After 9/11, though, people felt that something had been lost, so the local government decided to rebuild on the site.
To the right of the World Trade Center, the two small islands on the water were Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Since I had just visited the Statue of Liberty in the previous post, seeing those places again from above suddenly connected the route in my head.
The audio guide introduced the major buildings in detail. Listening while matching the narration to the skyline was more interesting than I expected, so the USD$10 felt worthwhile. Of course, after getting home, I could not remember that much.
Well then... let us keep looking at photos XD
From Manhattan, New York's edges became visible
Looking north from the Empire State Building, the green patch behind the buildings was Central Park. When walking on the street, New York simply felt packed with high-rises. From above, I realized that the tall buildings were concentrated in Manhattan. Once the view moved away from the island's core, the city slowly turned into a flatter landscape.
After circling around, another easy landmark to recognize was the Flatiron Building. Its triangular shape was not just a design trick; the site became triangular because Broadway cuts across Sixth Avenue.
The observation deck was full of tourists moving in every direction, filling almost every gap. At that moment, I really felt that movies are movies.
If Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle had wanted to come up here to find Meg Ryan, he would first have had to line up for security downstairs. After reaching the top, he would have found a sea of people like this. He probably would have gone back to Seattle disappointed XD
The extra USD$17 for the 102nd floor
Since I was already there, I took the elevator up to the 102nd floor too.
It looked almost the same as the view from the 86th floor @.@'"
There went another USD$17 T.T
Some travel money buys scenery. Some travel money buys the experience of thinking, "If only I had known." The 102nd floor was the second kind.
Back on the street, New York became crowds and trade-offs again
After coming back down, the street pulled me back to reality. From above, I was looking at landmarks and the skyline. At ground level, it was department stores, signs, traffic, and the basic proof-of-visit photo.
Macy's, Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden made this area feel like a mix of tourism and daily city life. Back near Penn Station, because this was Knicks territory, I saw a sports memorabilia shop selling Jeremy Lin bobbleheads during the peak of Linsanity ^.^
Originally I wanted to watch a musical that evening, but it would have ended around 10:30 p.m., and then I still had to take the train back to Princeton. When traveling alone, safety comes first, so the show was moved to Saturday afternoon.
The price was giving up my Metropolitan Museum plan T.T
Related Posts
2012.06 United States Business Trip Side Story - Part 1 The Phantom of the Opera
2012.06 United States Business Trip Side Story - Part 2 New York: The Statue of Liberty
2012.06 United States Business Trip Side Story - Part 3 New York: The Empire State Building
2012.06 United States Business Trip Side Story - Part 4 Princeton
2012.06 United States Business Trip Side Story - Part 5 Impressions of America
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Originally published: 2012-07-15 Revised: 2026-07-15 View the original Blogger post
