Top of The Rock- New York (USA)

Up there is Top of the Rock!

There are many places in New York from where you can see the skyscrapers from above. You can have a cocktail in one of the hundreds of roof bars in the coolest buildings, see them from your hotel or from one of the classic and massive steel giants. Top of the Rock at the  Rockefeller Center is one of them. Someone told me this, and not the Empire State, is the best place to see the city from the heights. But in my quick 48 hours visit there was no time for everything, so I will have to come back to be able to tell you.

Anyway, Rockefeller won't let you down. This is one of the busiest places in the city. Night and day. In fact, I could see for myself the extreme security, at the corner of the building where the Top of the Rock is, there was a policeman with the biggest gun I have ever seen. Bigger than in the movies, I mean. I tried to take a picture, but he was not keen of showing off and at the end I decided to give up as a picture is not as priceless.

As I was saying, all the area is quite busy. There are loads of people at the complex at night, enjoying the summer terraces, walking around or queueing to go to the top.

The entrance is where it says Observation Deck, 50th Street, next to Radio City Music Hall, other interesting place you might want to visit. 

The entrance is sumptuous, like the rest of the building. At the exit (from the back of the building) you could see how a normal Rockefeller building entrance looks like, with its hundreds of lifts and shops in the ground floor.

Once you buy the ticket in the basement, you have to queue to have your picture taken on a beam. Yes, you know, like in one of the most famous photos in the world: 

You can always buy it when you get to the top, for a ridiculous price.
But let's go to the point. After that, you board into a huge lift that takes you to the top with scenes from the complex and that has a transparent ceiling. It's amazing seeing how you go up and up through the high walls.

Once up, there are three observation levels. The first one (67th floor) is indoors, with floor to roof windows and crystal walls created by Swarovski. There is also a small terrace, but I encourage you to go to the upper floor, where the views are even better.

The second (69th floor) has some indoors parts, like an interactive musical room that did not look exceptional to me; and then all the exterior part, with big terraces from where you can see the whole city.

Because that is what this is about, being able to see the whole city: the Hudson River, Manhattan, New Jersey, Central Park and beyond. You can see all through crystal panels on floors 67 and 69 or without them from the 70 floor, although this is smaller than the others.

When should go? Clearly not a cloudy day. If you can, I would recommend you to go on daylight and night (there are special tickets for this), it's amazing seeing all the lights at dark, but being able to see it during the day must be marvellous too.

You should also consider the weather conditions, at the end of the day, the most interesting is at open air.

And why not doing something romantic up there? A couple got engaged right there when I was there and it was really moving. Or maybe an event?

Tickets have the time and date

Planning ahead, you can download the app that helps figure out what you are seeing.

Buy the tickets on-line, at the ticket desk or to any of the red jacket guys around the tower.



25$ adults
16$ kids
23$ over 62 
Night and day 38$ adults y 20$ kids

From 08:30 to 00:00 (last lift leaves at 23:30). Bank holidays can vary.

30 Rockefeller Plaza, 

New York, NY 10112 

Phone 00 1 (212) 698-2000

web info@topoftherocknyc.com

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