The Wandering Disciple

The grand entrance into one of the most iconic buildings in New York City, the Empire State Building. (Photo: August 26, 2004)

Cars look like small toys and people looks like ants from the observation deck of the Empire State Building.  Located 86 stories in the air, the observation deck provides a 360 degree view of New York City and if the weather is right you can see up to five states.  (Photo: April 26, 2004)

The lower Manhattan skyline covered in a layer of summer haze as seen from the top of the Empire State Building.  In addition to providing a bird's eye view of NYC, on a clear day you can see over 80 miles encompassing five states from the observation deck.  (Photo: August 26, 2005)

New York, New York: Towering over the Midtown Manhattan sky, the iconic Empire State Building has been an symbol of New York City for over seventy five years. At 102 stories, it is the third largest building in the United States and fifteenth in the world. Construction of the William Lamb designed tower began in January of 1930. Thousands of workers aided in the quick construction of the building, with an average of four and a half floors a week added to the rising structure. The building officially opened on May 1, 1931 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and President Herbert Hoover officially turning on the lights. The Empire State Building was in a race with the nearby Chrysler Tower to be the world’s tallest building. Upon completion of the project at 1,454 feet tall, the Empire State Building remained the world’s tallest structure until 1967. It still remained the tallest building in the city until the completion of the World Trade Center in 1973. Upon the collapse of the Wor...