Visiting New York City: Rockefeller Center and Central Park [Part 9]

New York City is a city of skyscrapers. It's a concrete jungle, so in order to really appreciate it you have to go up and take an over compassing view of it all. And we did just that. We booked our tickets to the Rockefeller Center's Top of the Rock weeks in advance. As I have read online, and which got later confirmed to me on site, this is really the best observatory in the city. There are a few reasons for that. The views are not hindered by steel posts (like at the One World Observatory and Empire State Building) and second of all, it's centrally located so you get great views from all sites. It would be a shame to go so high up to take a shot of the city and not have the Empire State Building actually in the shot, now would it? So for that reason we marched Top of the Rock, and later on strolled through Uptown and visited Central Park as well. Enjoy!

This is only a part of our big travel series to the USA 2016

For the other parts click here

Views from Top of the Rock

In order to go up here you have to order official tickets through their website. The lines on site aren't too long, since you book an exact time and date for your visit. We went up here at 10:15. Once you are up you can stay as long as you want. An elevator takes you over 70 stories up in just 45 seconds. But it's not too fast or nauseating. Of course you go through security check, and then there is some entertainment inside while you wait for the elevator, like a spot where they take your picture (which you can later buy online for a high price!) and some videos about the construction of Rockefeller Center.

The most iconic sights are north and south. North you can take a glimpse of uptown New York City with the Upper East and West side, as well as Central Park. Looking south you can of course see the iconic Empire State Building as well as Downtown Manhattan further back.

There are a couple of viewing decks here. One part is inside the building where you can find some shield from the winds up here. The other two are out in the open. One of them is shielded by (very safe) glass. I am afraid of heights but never felt uneasy here so everyone can enjoy it. The second one is on the top and it's not guarded by glass, only a concrete wall, which is safe as well, since this deck doesn't go to the edges of the building.

If you have a guide book handy you can sort of explore the city from here. You can really for the first time take a complete look at the city and grasp all of it. Of course just standing here and looking at the busy city life down below is equally exciting.

Rockefeller Plaza

After we finished up our stay at Top of the Rock we strolled inside of the Rockefeller Center which is an amazing building. Outside of it you will find the Rockefeller Plaza. Life is rushing by here, but all very exciting. In front of the Rockefeller Center you can find the ice skating range and many shops, restaurants and cafes. It's both a tourist spot and place of business, but never too crowded or uninteresting. This spot is also famous for its annual Christmas tree lighting.

Quiet time in Central Park

After all the hustle it was time to quiet down. We went to the Central Park and started to gaze at all the natural beauty in the middle of so many buildings. There is a lot to see here and do here. From fountains (like the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, a few images down) to the nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City is definitely a city for walkers. So much of it is explored by foot. We mostly used the metro to go back home, since our feet would hurt a lot after a whole day of walking around. I leave you off with some images from Central Park, taken just as the sun came out and chased away some of the darker clouds we had on this day.

The last part of or stay in New York City is coming up and we will take you out on a night in town, by going to see "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway and then visiting Times Square by night. So stay tuned for more NYC.

End of Part Nine

To be continued...

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