NYC: One World Observatory

100 stories up, and a view of the Statue of Liberty

After some Nespresso and a hibiscus croissant (yes, it was good), we journeyed downtown to the tallest building in the Western hemisphere.  That would be One World Trade Center, which is a patriotic 1776 feet high.*

To see the view is pricey ($35 and up), but the 47 second elevator ride to the 102nd floor is a trip in more ways than one, and the view is indeed spectacular.  The observatory has probably wisely elected not to provide a glass elevator.  That would have caused some unpleasant vertigo.  Instead on the way up you enter an elevator with floor to ceiling video screens that race you through the history of New York in less than a minute.  The twin towers appear and then disappear, and then you arrive at the top. 

For an upcharge, you can rent a computer tablet that identifies all the major buildings and sites as you walk around in a full circle, peering through the floor to ceiling windows. This is helpful for those non-New Yorkers like myself.  And being downtown, you also have views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the outer boroughs.  So, was it worth the cost?  Yes. 

*As we approached Manhattan from JFK Airport in our NYC taxi, we noticed skinny skyscrapers that seemed taller than anything else in the landscape.  Also known as pencil skyscrapers or slender skyscrapers, they are home to ultra expensive homes. They are almost as tall as OWT, but not quite.