Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Tips for Visiting the Empire State Building

When visiting New York City, one of the most iconic places to visit would be the Empire State Building. Located on the Fifth Avenue in New York, this building can be pretty crowded during peak travel season and on weekends. However there are many tips and tricks to make the most of your visit to the Empire State Building.

One of the ways to avoid long queues at the location is to purchase your tickets online. Visitors from the New York charter bus are encouraged to buy tickets in advance in order to skip the ticket line. There are three lines at the Empire State Observatory; the security line, ticket line and elevator line. Hence, by buying tickets in advance, New York coach bus travellers can at least skip one line.

In the past, visitors can only visit up to the 86th Floor Observatory, but now you can head up to the 102nd Floor Observatory. Although the 102nd floor Observatory is not open air compared to the 86th floor, you can get breath-taking views from there. You are able to see the New York City area bridges and even Central Park makes heading up to the 102nd floor worthwhile. Tickets for the 102nd floor can be bought at the 86th floor so you still can skip the line at the entrance.

The Empire State Building opens at 8 a.m. and the last elevator ascends at 1.15 a.m. which means you can visit it anytime of the day and decide whether you would like to start your day with this visit, or end with it, since it opens before many other attractions and closes later than others. Don’t forget to consider the weather though, when visiting the Empire State Building. It is best that you visit it on clear, dry days.

There are two different times you can choose to visit the Empire State Building – in the day, or at night. The view on both times are just as impressive, but firstly you need to figure out what type of view do you like best. By visiting during the day, you will get to view the city’s geographical layout and the surrounding area in detail. At night, you will enjoy the nightline and the mesmerising lights of New York City. Or, you can catch the best of both worlds by going in the evening to catch the sunset, and watch the sunlight fade as the city glowing lights start to come alive.

Don’t forget to be prepared for the security check as you enter the Empire State Building. Visitors are not allowed to bring in glass and bottles, and while cameras and camcorders are allowed, tripods are not. Since there is no luggage or coat check-ins at the Empire State Building, you have to carry whatever you bring in throughout your visit there.