Once we had booked our trip to New York City we immediately started planning what we wanted to do. One of the main things that kept coming up was One World Observatory. It was quickly decided between the three of us that this would be one of the stops on our trip to the city that never sleeps.
What is One World Observatory?
Some of you might be wondering what this place I speak of is. Well, in a nutshell, it is the observatory decks located on floors 100-102 of the One World Trade Centre. This one building was put in place of the two world trade centres that we sadly lost on 9/11. One World Trade Centre is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the observatory deck allows you to take in a 360 degree view of NYC and it's surrounding waters.
Should I Book or Just Turn Up?
My advice for nearly everything you want to see in New York is to book in advance. I booked these tickets separately for the three of us and it really was worth it. We were able to skip straight past the people standing in long queues as we had been given a time that we should be there. Pricing isn't too bad either, in my opinion it was pretty average compared to the rest of the sites.
- Standard reserved admission - $32 per adult (13-64) (kids under 5 free)
- Priority reserved admission - $56 per adult (no senior offer here) (kids under 5 free)
- Priority anytime admission - $67 per adult (no senior offer here) (kids under 5 free)
- Highlights tour admission - $67 per adult (no senior offer here)
We went for the standard reserved admission. When booking of buying anything in the states always remember that there is tax to be added on. For the three tickets I paid just over $8 dollars in tax. You can just turn up on the day you wish to go but remember that there is a chance that you will be standing in long queues.
What Time is Best To Go?
I think this really depends on what kind of views you are looking to see. We went around 11am and there was a little bit of a haze over the sky. The only thing about this is that the photographs I took of the views then looked a little less clear than I would have liked. Just keep in mind that cause you are so high up things always look so different than they do from ground level. I have been speaking to other people who have been to One World Observatory and they went at dusk. This meant that they got to see the beautiful views at night with all the lights on. We chose to do Top of The Rock at night instead but you could always do it the other way round or even do both at night.
How Does it all Work?
When you arrive you will be directed by some very helpful staff to the correct queue that you should be in. From here you will be taken to wait for the lifts. One of the most spectacular parts of One World Observatory is the lift. It's a completely immersive experience which takes you through the building of NYC from the beginning. It is a breathtaking thing to behold that really starts the whole experience off right. Once you disembark from the elevator you will then go into a room where you are shown a video - which in true American style is out there and full of pizazz. Following this you will be asked if you want your photograph taken - this is something which happens at nearly all the big sites. At the start I wasn't a big fan of the photo thing but we ended up purchasing a few and I have to say I am really glad we did. They are lovely memories to have.
Do I Recommend It?
Yes!! I really do recommend the whole experience. It's worth every penny and there are so many more things to do that just look at the views. There are interactive talks to listen to, you can get an iPad tour so that when you hold it over buildings or landmarks it then gives you the history and information about them. We didn't spend the money for this but I reckon some people would love this kinda thing. If you are going to be down doing the 9/11 memorial stuff then I would definitely make time to do this too!
I think this really depends on what kind of views you are looking to see. We went around 11am and there was a little bit of a haze over the sky. The only thing about this is that the photographs I took of the views then looked a little less clear than I would have liked. Just keep in mind that cause you are so high up things always look so different than they do from ground level. I have been speaking to other people who have been to One World Observatory and they went at dusk. This meant that they got to see the beautiful views at night with all the lights on. We chose to do Top of The Rock at night instead but you could always do it the other way round or even do both at night.
How Does it all Work?
When you arrive you will be directed by some very helpful staff to the correct queue that you should be in. From here you will be taken to wait for the lifts. One of the most spectacular parts of One World Observatory is the lift. It's a completely immersive experience which takes you through the building of NYC from the beginning. It is a breathtaking thing to behold that really starts the whole experience off right. Once you disembark from the elevator you will then go into a room where you are shown a video - which in true American style is out there and full of pizazz. Following this you will be asked if you want your photograph taken - this is something which happens at nearly all the big sites. At the start I wasn't a big fan of the photo thing but we ended up purchasing a few and I have to say I am really glad we did. They are lovely memories to have.
Do I Recommend It?
Yes!! I really do recommend the whole experience. It's worth every penny and there are so many more things to do that just look at the views. There are interactive talks to listen to, you can get an iPad tour so that when you hold it over buildings or landmarks it then gives you the history and information about them. We didn't spend the money for this but I reckon some people would love this kinda thing. If you are going to be down doing the 9/11 memorial stuff then I would definitely make time to do this too!
If you have any more questions about One World Observatory please leave them down below and I will try to answer them for you!
Have you been to the observatory before?
What did you think of it?
Would you recommend it?
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