Empire State Building
One of New York City’s most iconic sights, the Empire State Building is a huge part of the United States' cultural history. Built on the site of the former Waldorf-Astoria hotel, it took 410 days, seven million hours, and cost the lives of five workers to build this giant limestone building. Constructed during the Great Depression it held the record of the world's tallest building for many years.
The highlight of the building is not just its height but also the views from the 86th-floor opening and 102nd-floor indoor observatory from which you can see as far as 5 neighboring states on a clear day.
The building’s 1454ft high gazebo, 6400 windows, the marble occupying 328,000 sq feet, and the iconic antenna are a must-see. The building boasts over 10 million bricks,weighs 331,000 tons, has 1,886 kilometers of elevator cables, and is constructed with 60,000 tons of structural steel.The façade comprises over 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana calcareous and granite, 1575 stairs from the lobby to the 86th floor and houses over 1,000 companies
It is decorated with bronze medallions celebrating the craftsmen who built it, and a metal mosaic, the 2nd floor has a museum, the top 30 floors are floodlit each night, celebrating events like Christmas, 4th of July, St Patrick’s Day,etc. You can never go wrong with a ticket to the iconic Empire State Building.
