Top of the Rock in NYC

The "Top of the Rock" is the observation deck of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York!

(All photos in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

When my husband and I were in NYC in June, we passed by Rockefeller Center on our way to our hotel and realized we never made a visit to the Top of the Rock when we lived in NYC. We had been to the Empire State Building numerous times and both the old and new World Trade Center Observations Decks.  We also once brought our children to a tour of the NBC studios, and dined at the Rainbow Room, both located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and on many occasions saw the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree, but we never ventured up to the observation deck because it was closed for twenty years, between 1986 and 2005, due to a expansion project for the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor.  We decided now was the time to finally go to the top and proceeded to the entrance on 50th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue.

After we paid our entrance fee, we entered the hallway leading to the elevator that would take us up to the 70th floor.  At 850 feet (260 m) high, this is the 14th tallest building in New York City.

There were many interesting historical placards to read along the way, and a short movie on John D Rockefeller Jr,  who was the developer and sole financier of Rockefeller Center, which opened in 1933 during the Great Depression.

The elevator takes you to the 67th floor, where you step out into a room with floor to ceiling windows and this magnificent view!

You then can walk up to the 69th floor, which is outside, but also enclosed with glass windows which helps the squeamish feel safer.

We headed up to the final 70th floor observation deck, which has no glass ...

...but still feels very secure, as you are behind a high wall....

...with a full open air 360 degree view of Manhattan!

This iconic view of the Empire State Building at 34th Street, and the new World Trade Center building in the distance in Lower Manhattan, is fabulous to see.

As a native New Yorker, I could easily identify most of the sights I was seeing.  Here, to the left was the East River and a few of the bridges in the distance that span it, connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan.

A close up view of the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridges.

Here, to the right, is the Hudson River with New Jersey in the background.

Looking towards New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan, one can see Ellis Island and Liberty Island in the harbor.

A closer view, and you can see the Statue of Liberty....

...and even closer view.

A view uptown and of Central Park.

Closer view...

...and closer....

...and looking further north  up towards the George Washington Bridge. that connects the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan with Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Looking towards Park Avenue you can see the tall skinny residential building at 432 Park Ave.  It is the second highest building in Manhattan, at 1,396 feet (426 m), after the World Trade Center, and the highest residential building in the Western Hemisphere.

432 Park Avenue was developed by the CIM group and built between 2012 and 2015, and features 104 condominium apartments.

It is said that the top penthouse condominium sold for $95 million dollars!  I find it hard to imagine living someplace so expensive, and so high in the air!

The Chrysler building is somewhat hiding behind the Met Life building

A close up of the Chrysler Building tower and the east side of Manhattan 

 Elegant buildings on the west side of Manhattan...

...and more here.

Back around towards the Empire State Building, and to the left at the horizon I noticed the Verrazano Bridge that connects Brooklyn to Staten Island.

A close up of the Verrazano Bridge and in the forefront the tops of new high rise condominiums being constructed in Brooklyn.

A good view of the borough of Brooklyn--my former hometown. Some of the Jersey shore beaches can be seen in the far distance across the water.

My husband and I really enjoyed the views from the Top of the Rock and we were happy we finally had the opportunity to visit it.  It is a different overlook perspective and on a clear day the views are magnificent!

Before we departed Rockefeller Center we went to see the iconic statue of Atlas holding the Heavens....

...and we also visited the Channel Gardens in the Rockefeller Center Plaza, as we knew they are an ever changing display and always beautiful.  For the month of June they were filled with desert cactus plants.

The array of cacti, succulents and canopy trees in the Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens were amazing!

In summer, the recessed ice skating rink becomes a Summer Garden and Bar, where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.  It was well shaded from the sun on the day of our visit.  There is also a Rockefeller Cafe, located inside at the concourse level, at 20 West 50th Street, that is open year round, and looks at the Rink and Summer Garden and Bar.

The Prometheus statue is said to be the best known sculpture in Rockefeller Center and the most photographed monumental sculpture in all of New York City!

We spent quite a bit of time in Midtown, Manhattan, on our trip, so I'll save some of those experiences for my next post. One thing about NYC-- there is always something new to see and do!

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