This is a must see sight for people visiting New York City. The Empire State Building started its excavation on January 22nd, 1930 and building construction began two months later on March 17th. It was completed in just seventeen months on May 1st, 1931. The 102-floor building completed in an amazing speed with 3,400 workers and hundreds of iron workers. Even with today’s technology, it is hard to beat it. The building height is 1,250 ft (381 meters) and 1,453 ft (113 meters) with its pinnacle. Empire State Building held the tallest skyscraper for 42 years until it was surpassed by the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1972.
When the building completed in 1931, the site was a little distant from the public transportation. Twenty years later in 1951, it started being profitable from its office rental. The world-famous Empire State Building Observatory is on 86th and 102nd floors. You need to buy ticket in the lobby, and it is always packed with people. Most of the time you need to queue for a long time in order to get in. The other way is to buy tickets from their website or get the New York Pass to bypass the long line for tickets and go straight to the queues leading to the elevators.
We were there before 6 pm and hoped to see the sunset and nighttime Manhattan. Everything did not work out as we had hoped. It was full of people; you couldn’t even find a spot on the south side facing the New World Trade Center. It is even harder for anyone to take good photos after dark without a tripod. I managed to get few acceptable photos from 100+ shots. The security was tight, and you aren't allowed to bring luggage, large bags or any camera stands such as mono-pods. You can find the full list on their FAQ here. I think you must be a VIP in order to take good photos at night with a tripod.
The Empire State Building is currently undergoing a $550 million renovation, with $120 million spent in an effort to transform the building into a more energy efficient and eco-friendly facility. It received gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating in September 2011. Also, on November 26, 2012, the building had its first ever synchronized light show, using music (Girl on Fire and Empire State of Mind) from recording artist Alicia Keys. I really loved and enjoyed the music – Empire State of Mine from Alicia Keys. Below is the video for the event.
When the building completed in 1931, the site was a little distant from the public transportation. Twenty years later in 1951, it started being profitable from its office rental. The world-famous Empire State Building Observatory is on 86th and 102nd floors. You need to buy ticket in the lobby, and it is always packed with people. Most of the time you need to queue for a long time in order to get in. The other way is to buy tickets from their website or get the New York Pass to bypass the long line for tickets and go straight to the queues leading to the elevators.
We were there before 6 pm and hoped to see the sunset and nighttime Manhattan. Everything did not work out as we had hoped. It was full of people; you couldn’t even find a spot on the south side facing the New World Trade Center. It is even harder for anyone to take good photos after dark without a tripod. I managed to get few acceptable photos from 100+ shots. The security was tight, and you aren't allowed to bring luggage, large bags or any camera stands such as mono-pods. You can find the full list on their FAQ here. I think you must be a VIP in order to take good photos at night with a tripod.
The Empire State Building is currently undergoing a $550 million renovation, with $120 million spent in an effort to transform the building into a more energy efficient and eco-friendly facility. It received gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating in September 2011. Also, on November 26, 2012, the building had its first ever synchronized light show, using music (Girl on Fire and Empire State of Mind) from recording artist Alicia Keys. I really loved and enjoyed the music – Empire State of Mine from Alicia Keys. Below is the video for the event.
More photos please click the photo below for larger picture
James Huang - All rights reserved.
Nice photos.
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