It is home of the famous ice skating rink in the sunken garden in the winter and this is where New York has its large Christmas tree. In the summer this is removed to leave the beautiful Art Deco Buildings to look at with its sunken plaza with cafes, and pretty promenade with a fountain. You can go into the building. They welcome visitors. Impressive art deco murals grace the entrances and the back wall of the lobby called, " American Progress", by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

At the security and information desk in lobby you can get details on the Rockerfeller Center or NBC Studios tour. The NBC morning show is filmed in a ground level office each day and there are studio tours. There are pamphlets that assist you with taking a self tour of the surroundings. There is a shopping mall downstairs with shops and restaurant. They are nothing special, a bit dark and sterile.

The Rockefeller Center Observation Deck gives great panoramic views over Manhattan. It is not as crowded as the Empire State Building and in my opinion is better because photographs taken from the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck can include view that include the iconic Empire State Building. The Observation Deck entrance is on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Ave.

It is open at 8am. The last elevator up is at 11pm and it closes at Midnight. Tickets can be pre booked online. The system enables you to choose precisely the time and date of your visit, to minimise queuing when you arrive.

There is a well thought out museum information post at the building entrance, detailing the history and construction of the Rockefeller Center. It includes a virtual reality simulation of what working at the top of a skyscraper looks like and a short film. The automatic elevator up has a glass roof. Once doors close the music starts and the lights go down, your eyes were drawn upwards.

The 70 storey lift shaft has been lined with neon tubes to give a science fiction experience. It whisks you up 66 floors in 45 seconds. The Empire State Building viewing deck uses railings as a safety barrier. The Rockefeller Center Observation Deck uses 8ft reinforced glass sheets to stop you falling off the edge, but it gives you a clear unobstructed near perfect 360 degree view of Manhattan. The tickets are not cheap but the view is worth it.

The Top of the Rock is a three-level observation deck on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floor of the Rockefeller Center. The observation deck was constructed as part of the Building in 1933. The designer wanted to make it feel like a cruise ship. The Empire State Building's 86th floor observatory is taller than the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck. you can actually see the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock.

The view of the Chrysler Building is slightly blocked my the Metropolitan Life Building, but the view of Central Park is much better. There are no crowds three-deep here like those on the Empire State Building. If you're stuck between Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building, there's NO contest for me. The Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center Observation Deck view wins every time.

Travel books