Empire State Building

The Empire State Building has been the most recognisable building in New York for almost a century, though it was surpassed in height by the World Trade Center in 1972 and by the new One World Trade in 2014. At 443 metres to the tip of the antenna, it remains the tallest building in Manhattan. The Art Deco lobby alone is worth visiting; the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors offer some of the best elevated views of the city available.

Skip it if the Empire State Building line is very long (it often is). The Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza is an alternative with arguably better views of the Empire State Building itself. For the best view of Manhattan from the south, the free Staten Island Ferry gives a spectacular approach to the skyline. But the Empire State's observation deck on a clear night remains one of New York's iconic experiences.

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A story
The Empire State Building was completed in 410 days in 1931, at a rate of about four and a half floors per week — a construction pace that has rarely been matched since. It was built during the Great Depression, and for much of the 1930s it stood substantially empty: "The Empty State Building," New Yorkers called it. The antenna at the top was originally designed as a mooring mast for transatlantic airships. It was used exactly once.