New York, With Altitude – A visit to the Empire State Building

There’s a particular thrill when a Londoner lands in New York, the familiar hum of a great city, just tuned louder. Manhattan doesn’t whisper; it announces itself. And standing tall above Midtown, like a perfectly tailored tuxedo in a sea of streetwear, is the Empire State Building, still, unapologetically, the main character.

Owned by Empire State Realty Trust, the World’s Most Famous Building rises 1,454 feet from pavement to antenna, a feat of ambition that feels especially poetic when viewed by someone raised on Georgian restraint and polite skylines. This is vertical confidence. And thanks to a $165 million re-imagination of its Observatory Experience, it’s now as refined on the inside as it is iconic on the outside.

The experience begins with a dedicated guest entrance, already a promising sign for anyone who values elegance over elbowing tourists and unfolds into an immersive museum of nine galleries. Here, the building’s Art Deco origins, construction bravado, and enduring pop-culture stardom are explored with cinematic flair. Think less of a dusty monument, more of a curated love letter. By the time you reach the observatories, you feel properly introduced, as though the building insisted on good manners.

The ascent culminates in two showstoppers. The 86th Floor Observatory is the only 360-degree open-air viewing platform in New York, offering a windswept, cinematic panorama that makes you feel both infinitesimal and invincible. Above that, the redesigned 102nd Floor Observatory—wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass—feels almost celestial. London has its viewpoints, of course, but this is something else entirely. The city stretches endlessly, a grid of dreams, ambition, and excellent tailoring.

It’s no surprise the Empire State Building welcomes millions of visitors annually or that it has been ranked the #1 Top Attraction in New York City for the fourth consecutive year in Tripadvisor’s 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards. Add to those titles like America’s Favourite Building from the American Institute of Architects and Lonely Planet’s #1 New York City attraction, and the accolades begin to feel less like marketing and more like inevitability.

What truly seals the deal for the modern luxury traveller is substance beneath the sparkle. Since 2011, the building has been fully powered by renewable wind electricity, proof that heritage and responsibility can, indeed, share an address. Its floors house a mix of forward-thinking tenants like LinkedIn and Shutterstock, while downstairs, dining options such as STATE Grill and Bar, Tacombi, and Starbucks ensure you’re never far from sustenance, whether you crave a martini or a latte.

Visiting from London, the Empire State Building feels less like a tourist obligation and more like a rite of passage, one that elegantly orients you to New York’s scale, swagger, and soul. Some icons fade with familiarity. This one simply updates its wardrobe and keeps shining.

For more information and Observatory Experience tickets:  esbnyc.com

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