More than any other building in the world, the Empire State Building represents the ambition of humans to build towers that reach for the skies. It probably is New York's best known building and is prominent on many postcards.

The Empire State Building also features in many films, but the film that made it even more famous then it already was, was the classic King Kong in 1933. Even today, though the building has been stripped from its title of the world's tallest building, it is a symbol of New York itself visited by 2 million people each year.

8th World Wonder

At the time it was built on 5th. Avenue, the Empire State Building broke all records and was dubbed 'the 8th world wonder'.
The building had 64 elevators (now 73) and was constructed in only 1 year and 45 days. It was one of the last skyscrapers built before the Great Depression hit the real estate market. Its height of 381 meter (1253 ft) wouldn't be topped until 1972, when the twin World Trade Towers eclipsed the Empire State Building.

Observatory

You can visit the Empire State Building's observatory on the 86th floor from where you have a magnificent view over the city of New York.
The Empire State Building is situated south of Midtown, away from the skyscraper clusters in midtown and in the financial district downtown, so this is one of the few places in Manhattan where you have an open 360 degrees view.

Views from the Empire State Building Observatory: