From 1890 to 1973 New York was the city where the tallest building in the world was located. Later surpassed by Chicago and later by Asian megalopolises and by large projects powered by petrodollars, even today it is one of the cities that accumulates the most skyscrapers – the first according to how we classify – and, even informally, I believe which has two other brands: for good and for bad it is the one in which these giant buildings have had a more notable historical, cultural and social impact; and, finally, it is surely the one that gets the most out of them from the point of view of tourism.
Also, the Big Apple is living a true revival of high-rise building: In recent years, quite a few projects have been undertaken above 300 and even 400 meters, some where the failed Twin Towers were, but many others in various areas of the city: south of Central Park, in the new neighborhoods to the west of the island, even in the intricate streets in southern Manhattan, below 14th and near Chinatown.
A skyscraper fever that makes the New York skyline keep changing, but to remain what it has always been: a dazzling accumulation of steel, glass and concrete that can be recognized from almost anywhere, one of the most iconic images of a city in the world.
The novelty: Edge New York
Just the next March 11 -That is, only a few days after the publication of this report, here we do not stitch without thread- the last great attraction opens to the public in height of the Big Apple, Edge New York, an open platform at a height of 335 meters that opens like a somewhat impossible terrace in one of the newly constructed buildings in Hudson Yards, probably the trendy neighborhood.
Located west of Manhattan, very close to the Hudson River I am sure that the island perspective that it will offer will be wonderful, and it also announces other attractions that catch my attention: a part with the transparent floor that opens on the abyss of hundreds of meters at the foot of the Visitor and sloping glass at the edges seen downwards quite unique. Attention: if you are still in a hurry they can get tickets for the day after the opening.
The Colossus: One World Trade Center
Until the arrival of Edge New York, the great tourist novelty of recent years had been the One World Trade Center, the largest of the great buildings destined to replace – insofar as that is possible – the Twin Towers.
Its height is 417 meters, just what Tower 1 of the original pair measured, but with the antenna it rises to 541 that they do the seventh tallest building in the world and the champion in the western hemisphere. It is not bad at all, of course, although architecturally the truth is that it can be a bit nondescript, when one looks up at its feet it is impressive.
In its last floors it has opened el One World Observatory that it is part of a visit whose show begins already in the elevator and that I have to confess that I did not like it too much: a lot of straw to justify a very expensive ticket. I also did not like the crystals conspicuously full of reflections, but everything was surpassed by impressive views, with all of Manhattan at our feet and at a height -about 400 meters- that takes away the hiccups.
Art Deco Wonders: Chrysler and Rockefeller
The smallest of this review are, however, two absolutely essential milestones and two perfect exponents from the time when the word skyscraper itself began to make sense, especially there, In New York.
The Chrysler Building It is for many the most beautiful in the Big Apple, and I am probably among them: its wonderful pointed dome, which makes it look like the space rocket from a futuristic fantasy from the 1920s; his gargoyles that are a tribute to a then new era of motors and mass industry; the balance of its ascending forms …
In addition, although its incredible height -319 meters- today may seem modest, it also knows records: when it opened in 1930 it was the tallest building in the world, if only for the eleven months before the Empire was finished, and nine decades later it still holds the title among those built with brick. There is no observatory at the top or a tour of the interior, but its wonderful hall can and should be visited.
The Rockefeller CenterFor its part, it is not a single building but a whole complex of 19 in which we find some of the most iconic images of New York. Built in the 30s it is another beautiful example of art deco, spectacular at the entrances to each building and in many other details.
In the tallest of its buildings stands Top of the Rock, an open viewpoint at 260 meters high that offers wonderful views of the city, the closest to Central Park and, for now, the northernmost of the island.
Remain King: Empire State Building
This journey through the heights that I propose ends in what I believe is still the great icon and the king of New York skyscrapers, although its height has already been surpassed: the Empire State Building.
It is also a mythical example of Art Deco, but I would say that it is somewhat more discreet, more sober, which does not prevent it from being a building that besides being very tall, he is very beautiful: not only in its most iconic and photographed upper part, but in all its mass of geometric volumes that rise towards the top with a strange mixture of weight and weightlessness.
In the 86th floor and more than 300 meters high An open-air platform allows us to see the city from a point of view that is perfect for me, and also without glass in the way. It is, quite simply, a paradise for photography fans: one could spend all day up there enjoying how the city changes with the movement of the sun. Of course, as most likely they do not have a whole day to dedicate to it, I recommend that they come in the afternoon and enjoy New York in all its splendor and in three very different moments: with daylight, that of sunset. and that of the night.
Every time I remember what I enjoyed by all these heights I am more convinced that instead of scratching it buildings like the Empire State Building caress the sky and, almost almost, they allow us to caress it. Or that he caresses us, who knows, it doesn’t matter much either.
By the way, one last practical recommendation: New York City Pass It includes not only the tickets for the Empire and the Top of the Rock -and several other essentials of the city-, but on top of that they will avoid queues, so it is quite worth it.
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