Page 135 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

CHELSEA AND THE GARMENT DISTRIC T  133

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
350 5th Ave.
Map 8 F2.
Tel (212) 736-3100. Observatories:
Open 8am–2am (last adm:
1:15am); open ing hours may be
shorter on Jan 1 & Dec 24 and 31.
& 9 7 0 ∑ esbnyc.com
. Views from the Observatories Transport
q A, B, C, D, E, F, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3 to
The 86th-floor observatory offers superb views, both from its
indoor galleries and its 360-degree outdoor deck. The 102nd- 34th St. @ M1–5, M16, M34, Q32.
floor observatory, 1,250 ft (381 m) high, requires an extra fee,
payable at the second-floor Visitors’ Center or online.
A Head for Heights
As the building took shape,
construction workers often
showed great bravery. Here,
a worker clings to a crane
hook. The Chrysler Building
and other skyscrapers in
the background appear
surprisingly small.
Lightning Strikes
The Empire State
Building is a natural
lightning conductor,
struck up to 100 times
a year. The observation
deck is open even during
unfavorable weather.
Pecking Order Empire State
New Yorkers are justly proud of their 1,454 ft (443 m)
with mast
city’s symbol, which towers above
the icons of other countries. Eiffel Tower
1,063 ft
(324 m)
Great Pyramid
449 ft (137 m)
Big Ben 315 ft
(96 m)

Encounters in the Sky
The Empire State Building has been seen in
many films and the finale from the 1933 classic
King Kong is easily its most famous guest
appearance, as the giant ape straddles the spire
to do battle with army aircraft. In 1945 a B-25
. Fifth Avenue bomber flew too low over Manhattan in fog
Entrance Lobby and struck the building just above the 78th
A relief image of the skyscraper floor. The luckiest escape was that of a young
is superimposed on a map of elevator operator whose cabin plunged 79
New York State in the marble- floors. The emergency brakes saved her life.
lined lobby.

132-133_EW_New_York_City.indd 133 4/3/17 11:11 AM