Empire State Building

From streets all over the city, one tower stands out, stepping up in clean tiers to a slender crown, lit at night in changing colours. For decades it was the tallest building in the world, and it remains the best-loved skyscraper in a city full of them. This is the Empire State Building.

It went up with astonishing speed. Built during the early years of the Great Depression and completed in 1931, the whole tower rose in about a year and a few weeks, floor stacked on floor by crews working at a pace that still seems barely believable.

The building is a high point of the Art Deco style, all clean vertical lines, setbacks that step inward as it rises, and a polished metal-and-stone finish. It was designed to look modern and optimistic at a moment when the country badly needed both.

At 102 storeys, it was the tallest building in the world for around forty years, until taller towers finally overtook it. Even now, its shape and its place in countless films and photographs keep it the skyscraper most people picture first when they think of the city.

The main draw is the view. Observation decks high up, on the 86th floor and higher still near the top, give a vast panorama over the whole city, the rivers, the bridges, and the grid of streets stretching away in every direction far below.

The 86th-floor deck is open to the air, so you feel the wind and hear the city far beneath; the higher, enclosed deck near the very top gives an even wider view through glass. On a clear day you can see for many miles in all directions.

The building has its own place in popular culture. It is the spot where a giant ape clung in a famous old film, and it has featured in countless romances and dramas since, so for many visitors arriving at the top feels strangely familiar.

At night the tower's crown is lit, and the colours change to mark holidays, events, and causes, a kind of public signal visible across the city. Locals read the lights without thinking, a small shared language written on the skyline.

The trip up is an experience in itself, through an Art Deco lobby with a stylised image of the tower, then high-speed lifts and, near the top, some stairs. Exhibits along the way tell the story of the building's rapid construction.

Timing shapes the visit. Sunset is the most popular and most beautiful, with the city turning from day to glittering night, but it is also the busiest; early morning or late evening are calmer, and a clear day matters more than the exact hour.

A few practical notes. Book online ahead to save time, and check the weather, since low cloud can hide the view; there are separate, pricier tickets for the very top deck. Allow for security and lift queues, especially at busy times.

Step out onto the open deck, find a rail, and take in the whole city laid out below, the streets like canyons and the rivers shining at the edges. A building raised in a single year during hard times still lifts people above the city it helped to define. When you ride back down, the streets feel different.