I got to go on the top of the Empire State Building for the first time on April 30th 2016. I had a blast, even though the elevator ride was really long. I went on the 86th floor and the 102nd floor. The 86th floor was huge. It went all the way around the perimeter of the building, and there must have been at least 300 people. It was outside, and a huge fence surrounded the viewing balcony. There were so many visiting tourists, that at some points, it was a little hard to capture things, and at some points, there could be almost 10 minutes of waiting! I was able to get many pictures, many of the Freedom Tower, and the Chrysler Building. After about an hour of that, I took a little trip to the 102nd floor. I’m not very scared of heights, but needless to say, it was really high. It wasn’t the best place to take pictures though. It was a tiny circular room that was completely indoors, and could only fit about 20 people (I forget the exact amount). There was glass windows surrounding the room, so depending on what I wanted to take a picture of, and where I was standing, the lighting against the glass reflected some things inside, and sort of messed up my shot. I decided to put my camera away, and just enjoy the fact that I was basically on the top of the Empire State Building, and that this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for some people (maybe not me). After about a half hour up on the 102nd floor, I took a trip down to the 86th floor where I took a few more pictures, and caught an awesome picture of the sunset over the Hudson River. Finally around 9:00 P.M., I decided to call it a day, and head to my Dad’s apartment in the city. One long elevator ride, and a 5 minute taxi ride later, I was at home. What a day full of adventure!
Copyright 2016 James Calderone
James Calderone Photography 