Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Spire
The spire is lit
to honor holidays,
seasons, and the
many ethnic groups
of New York: red,
white, and blue for
national holidays;
green for St.
Patrick's Day; blue
and white for
Chanukah.
86th Floor Observatory
Breathtaking views from the 86th
floor's glass-enclosed pavilion 1,050 ft
(320 m) above the city attract more
than 3.5 million visitors each year. For
visibility updates call 1888 NYC VIEW.
Wonders of the World
The 34th Street lobby houses eight 3D
panels, created in 1963 by Roy Sparkia and Rene
Nemerov, depicting the seven wonders of the
ancient world and a wonder of the modern world,
the Empire State Building.
Fifth Avenue
Gallery Windows
Five display windows in
the lofty marble-clad
Fifth Avenue lobby
exhibit art and memor-
abilia from New York
City's many museums,
galleries, and artists. The
exhibits are changed
on a regular basis.
Building the
Empire State
The Empire State
Building was designed
by William F. Lamb fol-
lowing a brief to “make
it big.” It took only 410
days to build this 102-
story, 365,000-ton
limestone and granite
skyscraper, with an
average of four and a
half stories added every
week. However, in one
outstanding ten-day
period, the 3,500-strong
construction team
completed no fewer
than ten stories. Due to
the building's relatively
shallow foundations,
60,000 tons of steel
beams were used to
support the tower.
Valentine's Day
Several couples
are married in the
80th floor Sky Lobby
on February 14 and
become members of
the Empire State
Wedding Club, with
free entry every
Valentine's Day.
New York Skyride
A virtual reality, big-
screen simulation of a
helicopter ride takes
viewers over, under, and
through some of the city's
best-known landmarks.
Empire State Run-up
Each February, following a tradition dating to 1978,
150 runners race up the 1,576 steps from the lobby to
the 86th floor. The record is 9 minutes, 33 seconds.
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