Empire State Building, New York

The lighting of the building for such events as celebrating 60 years of communism is an event that should have never taken place. This is a world known building and it stands on ground that stands for FREEDOM. Let China light their buildings in China because they practice such a lifestyle. If the Chinese who live in America want to celebrate then they should do so in their country for we do not believe in such a lifestyle here in America. No one ask you to come here and you are free to leave.

i'm dapson by name i wanna come to new york city.for tourism next month

Only do this place if your heart is set on going up the Empire State Building, just because it's there. My heart was set on it, so I guess it was worth it. Maybe. I bought my tickets online, but I honestly don't know if it saved me much time. Basically, it's a tourist trap and you will stand in line for a very very long time surrounded by other tourists. At first you will be in hallways and rooms that are beautiful, but after you are ushered in and out of an elevator taking you to the 80th floor, you will then spend a great deal of time in a very ugly room (more like a gigantic cattle car) where you will be subjected to having your photo taken against a 'green screen' so that you can be asked to cough up more money for your very own face superimposed against the Empire State Bldg., and will also be asked to buy an audio tape that will describe what you are seeing. I said no to both, as well as the virtual Skyride. Lord only knows what other stuff they have planned to sell in the future to us gullible tourists. Eventually you will be ushered into an elevator for the 86th floor, where you will go through a gift shop, out to a small open area where you can see Manhattan at your feet, between metal bars (fortunately, the bars are well-spaced, so you can truly see things -- plus, there are viewing machines that will give you a bird's-eye view for some spare change). There will be many people up there doing the same thing, so it may take a while, but eventually you should be able to shuffle to all four sides. This was the only over-rated, over-priced, touristy thing I did in New York, and my daughter kindly humored me with nary a complaint. But if I had spent all of our 3 days in Manhattan doing these types of tourist stops, I think she would have choked me.

Pros: The view was, indeed, amazing. You could see Lady Liberty and Central Park from up there. I bought great souvenirs. Cons: Way too many people. It was a hot day, and the lines were so long. We waited for an hour even though we got to go ahead of a couple lines. The cost of pictures were immense. I couldn't believe how expensive it was. It was rather dirty outside and terribly windy. Overall, it wasn't much of an experience.

If this is your first trip to the city then this has to be your first stop. It's a perfect way to see a whole view of this beauitful city. And also to see the history that this building has .

Want to be treated like one of a vast herd of dirty cattle? Visit the Empire State Building. This was the most negative part of an otherwise fabulous New York vacation and I won't be back. The line for the Empire State Building is deceptively long. We waited for more than an hour in lines that wound through corridors (with lots of exposed wires, as the site is being remodeled) and continued on several floors until we finally reached the top of the building. The worst part of the experience though, was the employees. These people must hate their jobs, because each one was rude or downright mean. We were crammed into packed elevators and told off by irate elevator staff who thought we weren't shoved in tightly enough. We were forced to pose for a cheesy group picture we didn't want (the employee told us we didn't have a choice?!), we were herded through the lines and glared at repeatedly by a number of surly employees. We were shouted at twice in two different locations when my exhausted daughters tried to find a place to sit for a moment. The second time, one of my daughters stood up and then tried to squat- The guard came back and shouted "No stooping either!" I don't think we've ever been treated so poorly anywhere. It was a horrible welcome to an otherwise great city and the beautiful view was not worth being treated like dirt.

Only bad thing about the ESB experience is the tourists. Too many create long lines.

It's the perfect plece if you wanted to fell the american life.

Loved the views. Watch out for the wind which is only coming from one side and which is not noticeable at street level! Went at 9.15am and took 10 minutes to get to the top. Was told they open at 8.00am so the early bird...

Long trip up but worth it for the view. You can step out onto a fenced in platform and take a look at the whole city with the wind howling around you.