New York's Observatories - Page 4

NYguy · #61 Posted **Nov 9, 2021, 1:55 AM**

Finally was able to get up to the Summit last week, and it was an amazing experience. Truly unique among the decks, as they all are trying to care out a corner of the observation market. Let me just say, for anyone who's thinking we may be getting too many decks - NO Way. I wasn't expecting the place to be immediately swamped they way it is now, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It just makes me wish other decks were opening sooner.

Two observations: First, as amazing as everything was, it shouldn't be forgotten that New York City is and always will be the star. That's what we go up there for.

For my second observation, and it's more of a rant that I don't want to get into right now, it makes absolutely no sense to put the ledges there for photo ops only. They give you a couple of seconds to step in, and look up at the camera, for a photo they will charge you for later. You don't even get to look down on what it is you're supposed to be amazed by. Absolutely ridiculous.

So, on to some pics...

NOVEMBER 4, 2021

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For anyone wondering, the deck entrance is in Grand Central, just off the Shuttle entrance...

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I was told this was a light day, didn't seem that way to me.

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I didn't think it was a good idea to put bags on our feet, then send us down a dark hall...

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But it's all worth it for the awesome skyline views.

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This is the line for the ledges. You'll stand in line for a photo op you're expected to buy. Forget about the view.

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Crawford · #62 Posted **Nov 9, 2021, 3:57 AM**

Wow. Spectacular!

I definitely need to check out this observatory.

NYguy · #63 Posted **Nov 9, 2021, 5:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford

Wow. Spectacular!

I definitely need to check out this observatory.

It's definitely worth it, despite the money-grubbing. It's one of the best views of the city, and one we rarely get (of the east side). All the extras are nice and interesting to see. It's almost like stepping into some future version of the city, with the classic city still visible and within reach.

NYguy · #64 Posted **Nov 10, 2021, 4:13 AM**

• Video Link

Amanita · #65 Posted **Nov 11, 2021, 8:56 PM**

^I SO want to do that!

NYguy · #66 Posted **Nov 20, 2021, 12:36 AM**

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWUNB4xsCB0/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWbuJySpiDB/

https://twitter.com/sgtcrypto99/stat...83508149551113

https://twitter.com/DanBehringer221/...876620/photo/1

NYguy · #67 Posted **Jan 2, 2022, 1:26 AM**

• Video Link

NYguy · #68 Posted **Jan 21, 2022, 3:03 AM**

Revisions to the proposal for a renovated Top of the Rock...

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NYguy · #69 Posted **Mar 8, 2022, 2:54 AM**

The new kids on the block...

MARCH 5, 2022

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mrnyc · #70 Posted **Mar 8, 2022, 6:48 PM**

i haven't been in all the newer observatories, i'll get to them! but so far i still like top of the rock best.

then there is a whole other level of these types of views via rooftop bars and the like.

i went to all of those i could over a summer a few yrs ago, that was a pretty fun casual type project.
some are better than others of course, but all are nice if you ignore or pass on the oftentimes crazy drinks prices at some of them.

i really could not pick a fav, but a few examples are:
skylark in midtown
empire hotel on uws
top of the beekman for eastside (now called ophelia i think)
gansevoort hotel or public hotel downtown
sheraton kimoto roof bar in downtown brooklyn

and non-bar/hotel rooftops like the new museum and the met rooftop --

of course there are many more to discover and check out!

kimoto

NYguy · #71 Posted **Mar 10, 2022, 2:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrnyc

i haven't been in all the newer observatories, i'll get to them! but so far i still like top of the rock best.

then there is a whole other level of these types of views via rooftop bars and the like.

There have been a lot of those opening in recent years.

ArchGuy1 · #72 Posted **Mar 21, 2022, 12:54 AM**

A visitor observatory was considered for one of the early plans for the top of the Central Park Tower in 2014-2015, but it was decided against. Furthermore, the Q1 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia have public observation decks on their top floors despite being residential skyscrapers otherwise. Since New York City has privately owned public spaces that are included as part of a building permit for a number of skyscraper lobbies, I wish that the city would have required one on the top floors of the Central Park Tower as a condition for a building permit. Furthermore, the city should have banned an admission fee of over $10 so that working and middle class New Yorkers would have had a sky high vantage point open to the public without being a huge strain on their budget. Very much a missed opportunity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/n...-revenues.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Tower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyPoint_Observation_Deck
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/pops/pops.page

NYguy · #73 Posted **Apr 27, 2022, 5:44 PM**

https://www.6sqft.com/30-rocks-new-s...-by-landmarks/

30 Rock’s new ‘skylift’ observation platform and rooftop ride approved by Landmarks

APRIL 26, 2022
BY DEVIN GANNON

Quote:

A popular New York City observation deck will soon offer a new point of view. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans for several upgrades to the Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, including a rotating ride, a rooftop beacon, and a new “skylift” viewing platform that takes visitors above the 70th floor and offers uninterrupted 360-degree views.

“This is one of our most important landmarks,” LPC Commissioner Sarah Carroll said about 30 Rockefeller Plaza and the Top of the Rock, adding it attracts residents and visitors to the area, as well as encourages businesses to open.

Carroll also said the new experiences could help boost tourism. “I think allowing for new circulation and these activities on the roof will even help support the recovery of the city.”

Quote:

On the 70th floor, the “skylift” includes a circular glass platform that will lift visitors above the rooftop, providing unique 360-degree views of the cityscape. This level also includes a rooftop beacon, a kinetic globe that will be programmed to change with the arrival of guests. Plus, the red tiles will be replaced with mosaic tile work with a celestial design, a motif seen throughout the complex.

Quote:

First presented last September, Tishman Speyer’s original proposals underwent a few revisions before gaining approval by the LPC on Tuesday. While the agency was supportive of changes to the landmarked building’s ground floor and mezzanine levels and the rooftop ride, commissioners were concerned about the visibility of the originally proposed viewing platform.

The third and final design ditches the large platform and replaces it with the vertical lift that is not visible when not in use, unlike the original proposal.

“I think what is being composed here now is exciting,” Commissioner Frederick Bland said during Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s there when it’s there, and it’s not there when it’s not there, which introduces a level of kinetic quality to architecture which I’ve always been interested in.”

NYguy · #74 Posted **Apr 27, 2022, 5:46 PM**

One more…

Crawford · #75 Posted **Apr 27, 2022, 6:03 PM**

Looks pretty good.

It's a shame that the NIMBYs at Landmarks nixed the viewing platform, but not surprising. Oh, well. Still look like great improvements.

NYguy · #76 Posted **Apr 28, 2022, 12:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford

Looks pretty good.

It's a shame that the NIMBYs at Landmarks nixed the viewing platform, but not surprising. Oh, well. Still look like great improvements.

NIMBYs gotta NIMBY. That new version looks like it could be scary, but I'm ready to go up there.

NYguy · #77 Posted **May 6, 2022, 6:22 PM**

This one will be great for a view of Times Square from above…

https://www.curbed.com/2022/05/one-t...vertising.html

One Times Square, Long Empty, Will Now Bring the Billboards Inside
By Kim Velsey

Quote:

….. Jamestown, the longtime owner of Chelsea Market (which Google bought for $2.4 billion in 2018) plans to lease 12 floors of One Times Square for branded experiences. Companies will take over half or full floors, building out immersive spaces with digital, virtual, and augmented-reality integrations. They’ll likely be similar to the interactive van Gogh exhibit, but instead of feeling surrounded by fields of sunflowers, visitors might be immersed in the world of Coca-Cola or Kia. (Jamestown estimates that leases will run three to five years, long enough for companies to justify extensive build-outs but only about a third of what a traditional commercial lease would be

Another six floors will become a museum that will “tell the story of the building, New Year’s Eve celebration, and its place in the history of Times Square” — that is, kind of an ad for Times Square itself.

The whole thing will be topped with a viewing deck, the go-to for any new tourist attraction these days, though One Times Square has the distinction of being not so much above it all, like One Vanderbilt or the Empire State Building, but very much in the middle of things. “It’s the only building in the world that has a physical piece — celebrating New Years and the ball dropping — and also an advertising piece. It’s the only one that ties everything together,” said Michael Phillips, the company’s principal and president.

NYguy · #78 Posted **May 6, 2022, 6:26 PM**

Another look, from the Post…

https://nypost.com/2022/05/06/one-ti...-visitors/amp/

UrbanImpact · #79 Posted **May 6, 2022, 6:42 PM**

I love it! Rooftop/Viewing areas are always appreciated in Times Square since that is what it's all about.

NYguy · #80 Posted **May 6, 2022, 8:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

I love it! Rooftop/Viewing areas are always appreciated in Times Square since that is what it's all about.

I always felt there should be a deck there, closer to the actual experience. It’s a no brainer, and will draw off the endless supply ov visitors. Extell’s nearby deck would be a diiferent ecperience.