Empire State Building

The sheer scale of New York City cannot be fathomed until one stands atop the Empire State Building. Wow! The buildings are so enormously chunky! And so many of them! So many! "Can you believe how many buildings there are?" You will hear this comment over and over again. You will see the dazzling Chrysler building, the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center (if you look really hard), Central Park (it takes up a huge portion of the city!), and any other building you choose to search for. You are King Kong and you have the whole of Manhattan at your feet!

The wait to get to the top can seem extreme. After you buy your tickets and stand in line, you don't realize how many more rooms there are in front of you still to pass through. These lines are filled with people waiting ahead of you in line. As you wind sloooowly round more and more lineposts, you begin to feel a sort of desperation. Hold onto your patience, because it is worth it once you reach the top!
Overall, the wait is about one hour.
For some cool shopping nearby, check out the trendy, well-priced Swedish clothing chain, H & M Stores, on W. 34th Street.
If you're hungry, head over to the mezzanine at Macy's, for a coffee or snack. While in midtown, stroll through French-inspired Bryant Park. Also don't miss out on incredible Times Square at night! Another way to see the city from above is at Top of the Rock. Both experiences are wonderful (I preferred Empire State because of its architecture)- the views are slightly different- you see the Chrysler building much better from the top of the Empire State Building, but you see the Empire State Bldg, of course, much better from Top of the Rock. One thing's for sure, it's much better to visit these vantage points at night than in the day! The lights are just astounding!

Directions

The Empire State Building is located on 5th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Street, a few blocks from Penn Station.
$38 for adults, $36 for seniors, and $32 for children aged 6-12. 
Open daily 8am-2am. Last elevator at 1:15am.
Macy's, 151 West 34th Street, call (212) 695-4400.

Click on map for interactive view