Empire State Building, New York (must see)
The king of Art Deco skyscrapers, the 102-story Empire State Building soars to 1,454 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan. Once the tallest building in the world, it is now the seventh-tallest in New York, ninth in the USA, and 54th in the world. It is still the sixth-tallest freestanding edifice in the Americas.
The name "Empire State" is the nickname of the State of New York. The design of the building was created by the architectural firm Shrive, Lamb & Harmon. Construction started in 1930 and finished in 1931. The skyscraper stands on the site of the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, built in 1893. The builders of the Empire State determined it should be the highest in the world.
The Empire State sits in Midtown South on the west side of Fifth Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets. The 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors have observatories with a commanding 360-degree view of just about everything. The Empire State Building is a cultural icon. It has been featured in more than 250 television series and films since the film King Kong was broadcast in 1933.
The facade is made of Indiana limestone and granite. The decorations on the exterior are mainly geometric, without narrative. The metal doors of the main entrance are flanked by molded piers topped with streamlined eagles and a transom with the golden letters of its name.
The Empire State Building was designated a city landmark by the New York City landmarks Preservation Commission in 1980 and was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1986.
The name "Empire State" is the nickname of the State of New York. The design of the building was created by the architectural firm Shrive, Lamb & Harmon. Construction started in 1930 and finished in 1931. The skyscraper stands on the site of the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, built in 1893. The builders of the Empire State determined it should be the highest in the world.
The Empire State sits in Midtown South on the west side of Fifth Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets. The 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors have observatories with a commanding 360-degree view of just about everything. The Empire State Building is a cultural icon. It has been featured in more than 250 television series and films since the film King Kong was broadcast in 1933.
The facade is made of Indiana limestone and granite. The decorations on the exterior are mainly geometric, without narrative. The metal doors of the main entrance are flanked by molded piers topped with streamlined eagles and a transom with the golden letters of its name.
The Empire State Building was designated a city landmark by the New York City landmarks Preservation Commission in 1980 and was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1986.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in New York. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Empire State Building on Map
Sight Name: Empire State Building
Sight Location: New York, USA (See walking tours in New York)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: New York, USA (See walking tours in New York)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in New York, New York
Create Your Own Walk in New York
Creating your own self-guided walk in New York is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
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Every part of Manhattan is terrific, but if you are looking for one that showcases the best overview of New York City’s history and architectural styles, it’s Lower Manhattan. This is where it all started, where New Amsterdam was founded, where Canal Street used to be a canal, and where Wall Street used to be a wall marking the end of town. It’s also where the city has seen the most tragedy,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Brooklyn New York Walking Tour
Named after the Breukelen village in the Netherlands, Brooklyn, one of New York City’s five boroughs, occupies the western tip of Long Island. Its history began in the 17th century as a small Dutch settlement on the East River shore; Brooklyn Heights, or Clover Hill, is where the village was founded, in 1646.
By the 19th century, Brooklyn had grown into a sizable town. The iconic Brooklyn... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Manhattan Architecture Walking Tour
The skyscraper, which has shaped Manhattan's distinctive skyline, has been closely associated with New York City’s identity since the end of the 19th century. Despite the Great Depression, some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers were completed in Manhattan during the 1930s, including numerous Art Deco masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline – most notably the Empire... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour
Welcome to the iconic New York City that so many tourists dream about before they visit – spectacular skyscrapers, iconic public buildings, large neon flat screens above ground level and the non-stop activity on city streets.
They say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, and Times Square, Broadway, is definitely a part of that slogan. Day time or night time, it’s one of the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
They say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, and Times Square, Broadway, is definitely a part of that slogan. Day time or night time, it’s one of the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
New York's Central Park Walking Tour
Arguably the most famous public park in the world today, Central Park has been called the lungs of New York City – literally “central”, it is where Manhattanites go to get a sense of space and air. Plan for at least half a day to wander along its many pathways, take a rowboat on the water, enjoy the landscaping and the numerous man-made wonders, spend some time at the zoo or bring a pair of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.6 Km or 2.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.6 Km or 2.9 Miles
NYC's Chinatown and Little Italy Walking Tour
New York's Little Italy and Chinatown were places that attracted Italian and Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s, with densely packed ethnic communities having grown around them, as they brought their customs, food and language. In the 1960s, however, right around the time that Italians stopped coming to the city in large numbers, Chinese immigrants did the opposite, hence why Little Italy... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
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