http://bear.ras.ucalgary.ca/brads_home_page/NY-ESB.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)It's not simply a matter of boarding an elevator and going. First, there are, what?, more than 100 elevators in the ESB? Something like that, so picking the right one would be difficult. However, that wasn't the main reason. People want to look at the city from the ESB right? Well, somebody smelled money, and so we had to cough up $7.50 a head to go up. Before we could do that, however, we have to find where to buy the tickets. Turns out there is a narrow stairway into the first basement. The alternately surly and cheerful security guards can direct you there without even letting you finsh the question. You join a fast moving line, pay your money, and are directed to an elevator upstairs and across the building. Rather surly people will direct you like cattle to the elevator, then remotely send the elevator on it's way up to the first observation deck.
It's windy up there (surprise!) and cold. Half of the deck was roped off - probably because of the wind. The view from the other half was great though, although hard to describe. Looking down on the street shows a steady stream of yellow cabs. Look at the tops of the older buildings nearby and you are struck by a) the fact that they are almost completely black, and b) by the sheer number of watertowers on the tops of these things. Turns out that there is a requirement that any building over six stories in height needs one. Two purposes I guess - first, to keep up the pressure in the plumbing, and second, to serve as sources of water for fighting fires.
Look at some of the taller buildings and you see the Chrysler building. Very nice architecture up top, and it towers above it's neighbors. Look downtown you can see the world trade center and all the tall buildings down there. They cluster. Something to do with the distribution of rock able to support tall buildings on the island I suppose. Manhattan is basically a big dense rock, and can support the weight. Brooklyn is soft ground, and can't support the weight. That's why all the tall buildings are on the island.
Peer off into the river you can see the statue of liberty. Looks pitifully small from here, but when you get close to it you realize how big it really is. They do everything big on Mahattan.
There are two observation decks on the Empire State Building, one about 20 or so stories above the other. The line to the higher observation deck was about 1/2 hour long - didn't bother.