Empire State Building & One World Trade Center

The first time we were in New York City, we didn’t go to the top of any of the 6,486 designated skyscrapers that crowd the city streets. But, when we were there in September 2018, we went to both the Empire State Building and the One World Trade Center. The Empire State Building was completed in 1931, stands a total of 1,454 feet tall (including its antenna), is the 5^th-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and 28^th-tallest in the world. One World Trade Center, at a symbolic 1,776 feet (not including its tip, which puts it to 1,792 feet) is the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the 6^th-tallest building in the world.  

To me, the most impressive thing about both of these buildings, their history and sheer tallness aside, is the amazing views from the top floors. From this perspective, New York looks like a city made of Tinker Toys and Legos, and every direction you turn, every step around the observation towers, reveals an everchanging skyline. At first the pictures appear quite similar, if not identical, but look closer and notice that each one has something different, a unique building or perspective, different colors, different lighting.

The Art Deco style Empire State Building, located in Midtown Manhattan, is 102 stories high and has 2,700,000 square feet. It was completed in 1931 and its name comes from “Empire State”, the nickname of New York. From the observation tower, visitors can see 80 miles into New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts (on a clear day). The building itself consists of office space which is rented out when available, numerous television and radio broadcasting stations, art galleries, gift shops, restaurants, and educational programs. It’s been the site for movies and many romantic encounters over the decades (it’s said that if you kiss someone on the observation deck, your lips might spark, due to static electricity).

One World Trade Center is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. This structure has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Designed to be the safest commercial structure in the world, it contains 3,000,000 square feet of office space, 104 stories, and is home to many large companies, which also include several broadcasting companies.

Even though the One World Trade Center is higher, I preferred the view from the Empire State Building. See what you think after looking at the pictures yourself (the last 8 pictures are One World Trade Center, all the others are the Empire State Building).