Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building. (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building. (New York, May 2012.)

New York at my feet

  New York - May 2012

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text: 

Seeing New York from above is THE tourist thing to do... So, Rockefeller Center or Empire State Building? Both are better! One by day and the other by night.

Two buildings to take height

I have to admit, during this week in New York, at the end of May, I played the tourist. My main activity: walking! Like all those who discover New York for the first time, I walked around Manhattan in all directions, discovering, smelling, absorbing the atmosphere of each district...

Of course, I did all the touristy stuff or almost all of it. Starting with the Rockefeller Center. Because seeing New York from the top, well, it's worth the detour...

And then, as there is also the mythical Empire State Building to take height, to make a small night ascent there, the last evening of my stay, did not seem superfluous to me at all.

Manhattan and the Empire State Building. View from the top of Rockefeller Center. New York, May 2012.
Manhattan and the Empire State Building. View from the top of Rockefeller Center (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan. Night view from the'Empire State Building. New York, May 2012.
Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)

Two buildings... like spectacular parentheses to frame my first steps in the Big Apple. Two dizzying visions of the city, which give only one desire: to dive back in!

Top of the Rock: the Rockefeller Center Observatory

At the top of Rockefeller Centerthe observatory Top of the Rock offers a breathtaking view of Manhattan. I agree with my friend Marie Toumit, who made a comparison with the Empire State Building on his blog Further The top of Rockefeller Center is the best place to see New York from above.

The observatory is vast, made up of beautiful terraces, distributed on three levels. As a result, we don't jostle with the other tourists for the pictures. We enjoy quietly the view, at our own pace, as we go up from one level to the other.

It's a little gray the day I climb it. But it doesn't matter. I'm so happy to be there, in the middle of the postcard! It's crazy, completely crazy! New York at my feet!

On the flip side, with the Empire State Building in sight:

Manhattan and the'Empire State Building. View from the top of Rockefeller Center (New York, May 2012.)
All New York at my feet, from the top of Rockefeller Center ...

Front side, overlooking Central Park:

Manhattan and the'Empire State Building. View from the top of Rockefeller Center (New York, May 2012.)
The green rectangle of Central Park by a gray day, seen from a terrace of the Top of the Rock. (New York, May 2012.)

We do not get tired of it...

Manhattan. View from the top of Rockefeller Center. (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan "in real life", it's a blast...
Manhattan. View from the top of Rockefeller Center. (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan... It's big, it's beautiful, it's high!
Manhattan and the'Empire State Building. View from the top of Rockefeller Center (New York, May 2012.)
Rockefeller Center is the perfect place to see Manahattan from above. 

Empire State Building: a city is beautiful at night

Ah, to contemplate one last time the city from above, after having spent the week walking from one end of Manhattan to the other... To do it at night is worth all the fireworks in the world! Wonderful "final touch" to this New York stay. Head for theEmpire State Building

The Empire State Buiding, like everyone else, I've known it since I was a kid. It's a King Kong's building ! It would be a shame to miss it.

But there are people who want to see the city like King Kong. You have to wait in several (and beautiful) halls before you can take the elevators. Then play a little elbows to fit his lens between the cameras of other tourists.

But hey. Once up there, we don't regret it. As the other said, it is beautiful, a city, at night...

Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building. (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)
A bridge of light ...
Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)
Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)

My favorite building is the Chrysler Tower, recognizable among all, even more elegant with the night lighting:

Manhattan. View of the Chrysler Tower from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)
View of the Chrysler Tower from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)

There either, we do not get tired of it...

Manhattan. Night view from the Empire State Building (New York, May 2012.)
New York, New Yoooooork !!!!

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  New York - May 2012

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  1. Congratulations on your blog.
    Vos articles sont vraiment sympas et vos photos donnent envie de s’évader.
    Continue to make us dream.
    Pierre-Yves

  2. New York, ça fait une parait une destination pour passer quelques jours, je garde ça de côté et te remercie d’avoir tranché en faveur de l’un ou l’autre des points de vue, même si voir les deux semble être le must 😉

    1. @Bruno: ben, à dire vrai, je n’ai pas encore bien tranché, comme tu vois… Il faudrait que j’y retourne à d’autres moments de la journée – à l’aube et avant le coucher du soleil – pour bien apprécier, encore, la vue depuis l’un et l’autre building. Mais c’est vrai, si on peut, ça vaut le coup de s’offrir la montée aux deux !!!
      8)

  3. Moi aussi mon préféré c’est le Chrysler, de jour comme de nuit! Par contre, je n’étais pas monté en haut du Rockfeller, mais il faudra que j’y remédie… Ça coûte combien montée en haut du Rockfeller?

    1. @Lucie: je ne me rappelle plus exactement… Le mieux, c’est d’aller voir au bout du lien du site officiel : http://www.topoftherocknyc.com
      Voilà, sur le site, ils indiquent : 25 USD le ticket adulte, et 38 USD pour s’offrir à la fois le sunrise et le sunset (bonne idée ça, c’est ce que je ferai la prochaine fois, je pense).
      🙂

    1. @Marie: oui, j’y compte bien… D’autant que je viens de découvrir l’existence du billet “sunrise-sunset”.
      😉

  4. J’ai une préférence pour les photos de nuit. Cela me rappelle les photos prises durant mon séjour à Singapour.
    La ville change totalement d’allure lorsqu’elle revêt ses habits de lumière !

    1. @Maïder: moi aussi, j’aime beaucoup les photos de nuit. Ça me fait penser que j’ai une série nocturne sur Singapour aussi (des photos prises en 2009) et que je ne les ai jamais postées… Faudrait que je me replonge dedans!

  5. Always nice to come to your site!
    Je garde plein de beaux souvenirs de la mythique NY, j’aimerais y retourner et louer une chambre minuscule… et prendre le temps!

    NowMadNow

    1. @NowMadNow: merci miss, pareil pour ton site ! 😉 Je rêve moi aussi de retourner à NY et d’y passer davantage de temps.

  6. Des photos qui me donnent envie d’y retourner. L’idée de faire une tour le jour et une autre de nuit est une excellente idée. Les vues sont totalement différentes.

    1. @Elyes: oui, je recommande chaudement l’expérience : s’offrir la vue depuis l’Empire State Building ET le Rockefeller Center, l’un de jour et l’autre de nuit (ou inversement), on ne vit pas la même chose, et dans les deux cas, c’est spectaculaire…
      🙂

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