Top Of The Rock

We Went to MoMA one day and bought the USD38 combo ticket for the museum (including the newer MoMA PS1) and Top Of The Rock. Top Of The Rock is the observation deck on the top floors of Rockefeller Center. RC was built by J. D. Rockefeller, the president of the US during the from the 30 to the mid 40s, in 1930 during the Great Depression. The building took 9 years to build and is still one of the outstanding buildings in NYC. You may have seen a famous photo of the workers taking a break, perched on a steel beam that stuck out thousands of feet above ground.


Not a Photoshopped picture; no Photoshop in 1932.

I chose Top Of The Rock instead of the more famous and taller (observation deck at 86th floor)Empire State Building (there are other combo tickets, such as Top Of The Rock and City Tour, and if you buy online, there's more savings) because I had no desire to line up for hours at the landmark Empire State Building. I'm glad I observed NYC from Top Of The Rock because it is the perfect place to see the Empire State Building! Also, the building is designed so that you get 360 degree view of the city. If I go to NYC city again, I'm going to do Top Of The Rock at night because New York City at night is the most beautiful of all cities I think. I had a glimpse of the NYC skyline when coming back from the Woodbury Outlet one night and the night skyline was even more beautiful than HK's. We were at The Rock on a cold and windy day (50 F) because we didn't have Internet access to weather report. It was terribly cold so we didn't spend much time at the 70th floor. Actually a lot of t! ime is s pent waiting to go up the building because of the procedures (15 minute intervals for each batch going up, long queues, security checks, elevator wait) so you need a morning or afternoon or night.


While lining up at the security check point, I saw a queue on the street below. NYC has so many events going on anytime of the year. Radio City Music Hall was giving away free tickets to a show; am not sure which performer was on. The Tribeca Film Festival was also on then.


Majestic Empire State Building. Brooklyn Bridge in the distance on the left.


Statue of Liberty is closed for repair/renovation. You can see it on the island on the right.


Central Park in the middle of the concrete jungle.