Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is one of New York City’s most popular tourist attractions. Built during the Great Depression, this building was completed in just over a year, employed 3,400 workers a day and cost $40,948,900 to build.

Empire State Building, New York (1931) by Lewis W. HineThe J. Paul Getty Museum

The top floor reaches 1,250 feet in the air—but the total height (including the antenna) reaches 1,453 feet high. The building is a masterpiece in Art Deco design and is the tallest LEED certified building in the United States.

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Lobby

The Empire State Building lobby is one of the few interiors in New York to be designated a historic landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. It is three stories high and offers a perfect example of Art Deco interior design.

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In 2009, 18 months were spent restoring its aesthetic to the original 1930 design - it only took 13 months to build the entire building!

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Ceiling

The Art Deco inspired murals (restored in 2009) come to life in 24-karat gold and aluminum leaf. In a homage to the mechanical age, planets and stars are rendered as an assembly line of gears. 

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Walls

In the 1960s, some of the marble walls were replaced with backlight panels. Following the 2009 restoration, new marble panels that match the originals were quarried and installed in the lobby. 

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Front Desk

Notice the image on the wall above the front desk. You can see the iconic depiction of the Empire State Building. This rendering features beams of lights radiating from the mast.

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North Side Observation Deck

As the most famous observatory in the world, the 86th Floor has been the setting of dozens of movie and television scenes, as well as millions of unforgettable personal moments.

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The entire Observation Deck wraps around the building, providing 360-degree views of New York City and beyond. From the north side you look towards uptown Manhattan, the Bronx, and parts of New York State, with views of New Jersey to the west and Brooklyn and Queens to the east.

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Central Park

Central Park was established in 1857 and was designed by the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead. Today the park includes 843 acres and is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

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The Hudson River

This river flows north to south, beginning in the Adirondack Mountains and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The river is named after Henry Hudson, an English sea captain and navigator who explored the region in the early 1600s.

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East River

This 16-mile-long waterway runs along New York City and connects the Long Island Sound to the Upper New York Harbor. It’s a salt water tidal estuary, a transitional body of water that connects rivers to open ocean.

Chrysler Building (1971) by Nina LeenLIFE Photo Collection

Chrysler Building

Built in 1930 on Manhattan’s East Side. The building’s Designer William Van Alen made it distinctive through inventively applied Art Deco design, using machine-age motifs such as hubcaps and radiator caps, and American eagle heads in place of traditional gargoyles.

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Times Square

Located in Midtown Manhattan where Broadway and Seventh Avenue meet, Times Square is the major commercial center of New York City. The iconic billboards and flashy advertisements make this shopping center a huge tourist destination for the city.

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United Nations

Founded in 1945 after WWII in an effort to prevent another worldwide conflict, the United Nations is headquartered in the Upper East Side of New York City. Originally it included 51 member states; there are now 193.

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South Side Observation Deck

You’re standing on the southern side of the most famous observatory in the world, the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building. From this location you look towards lower Manhattan and New York Bay. With Brooklyn towards the east and New Jersey towards the west.

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The Brooklyn Bridge

Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East River to connect the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan. This iconic bridge is a powerful symbol of innovative engineering technology in the New York City skyline. 

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Wall Street

Located in lower Manhattan, Wall Street marks the financial center of Manhattan, the United States, and some might say the world. The world’s largest investment banks and brokerages are located there. 

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South Street Seaport

The first European pier and trading outpost was built here in 1625. A designated historic district in Manhattan, this neighborhood continues to feature some of the oldest architecture in the city.

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The Statue of Liberty

The French commissioned Artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi to build a large-scale sculpture to celebrate American Democracy and the abolition of slavery. Completed in 1886 the statue stands 154 feet tall on Liberty Island in the New York City Harbor. 

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Ellis Island

Between 1892 and 1954 more than 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island. Located in New York Harbor, the main building is now a museum that provides the public with information on our nation’s immigration history. 

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