Top of the Rock: Central Park one way, the Empire State the other
Top of the Rock is the roof of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the tower at the centre of Rockefeller Center. Many New Yorkers think it the best view in the city, for a simple reason: from here you can see the Empire State Building.
- What it is
- Monument
- Time to allow
- 1 to 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Ticket
- Best time
- The hour before sunset
New York this week
Why Top of the Rock is worth it
The tower was finished in 1933, the centrepiece of the group of Art Deco buildings that John D. Rockefeller Jr. put up through the Depression. Raymond Hood designed it as a thin slab of limestone, 260 metres high, and it had a public deck on its roof from the start. The deck was closed for many years, and reopened in 2005 under its present name.
There are three levels. The 67th and 69th floors are terraces behind panels of clear glass. The 70th is the top of the building itself, open to the sky, with nothing between you and the view but a low wall.
North, the whole length of Central Park runs away from you between its two walls of apartment buildings. South, the Empire State Building stands a mile off with the towers of Lower Manhattan behind it. No other deck in Midtown gives you both.
What to see
The 70th floor
The open roof, a long narrow deck like the bridge of a ship. Photographs from here have no glass in them.
The view north
Central Park as a green rectangle, the Reservoir in the middle of it, and on a clear day the George Washington Bridge beyond.
The Beam
On the 69th floor, a steel beam that lifts and turns a row of visitors above the deck, after the 1932 photograph of ironworkers eating lunch on a girder. It is charged for separately.
Rockefeller Center below
Before or after: the sunken plaza with the gilded Prometheus, an ice rink in winter, the bronze Atlas on Fifth Avenue, and St Patrick's Cathedral across the street.
How to do it well
- Tickets are for a set time. The sunset hours cost more and sell out first: book them days ahead.
- The entrance is on West 50th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, not in the main lobby.
- Go up about forty-five minutes before sunset and stay until the lights come on. No one hurries you down.
- If you are choosing between this and the Empire State Building, this has the better view and that has the famous name. Many people do one by day and the other by night.
- In December the tree and the rink below draw very large crowds. Allow extra time to reach the door.
Where it is
Address
30 Rockefeller Plaza. The entrance is on West 50th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
Nearest station
47-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center (B, D, F, M), at the door
Museums and sights nearby
- The Museum of Modern Art300 m
- Empire State Building1.3 km
- Central Park1.8 km
- The High Line2.5 km
Distances are in a straight line.
Tickets and tours: Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock: common questions
- Is Top of the Rock better than the Empire State Building?
- For the view, many people think so: it looks straight up Central Park on one side and has the Empire State Building in the picture on the other. The Empire State Building is higher and is the one from the films. They are a mile apart and differ enough to do both.
- How high is Top of the Rock?
- The deck is on the 67th, 69th and 70th floors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The top level is about 260 metres (850 feet) above the street.
- How long do you spend at Top of the Rock?
- About an hour, and longer at sunset. There is no time limit once you are up.
- How much time do you need for Top of the Rock?
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.
What visitors say about Top of the Rock
Rating from Google
Things to do near Top of the Rock
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 6Stand in front of The Starry Night at MoMA300 m awayMuseum, 2 to 3 hours, ticket
- 9See a Broadway show550 m awayShow, 2.5 to 3.5 hours, square free, ticket for a show
- 12Go up SUMMIT One Vanderbilt from Grand Central750 m awayMonument, 2 to 2.5 hours, ticket, station free
- 3Go up the Empire State Building1.3 km awayMonument, 1.5 to 2 hours, ticket
Artists to see near Top of the Rock
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
The Museum of Modern Art, 300 m away
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2.6 km away
- Hans Holbein the Younger
- Pieter Bruegel the Elder
- El Greco
- Caravaggio
- Diego Velázquez
- Rembrandt
- Johannes Vermeer
- Francisco Goya
- Jacques-Louis David
- Edgar Degas
- Winslow Homer
- Paul Cézanne
- Claude Monet
- Henri Rousseau
- Paul Gauguin
- Vincent van Gogh
- John Singer Sargent
- Gustav Klimt
- Henri Matisse
- Pablo Picasso
- Edward Hopper
- Jackson Pollock
Where to eat near Top of the Rock
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in New York. Distances are in a straight line.
- The Modern4.6Museum restaurant, Inside the Museum of Modern Art300 m away
- Le Bernardin4.6Grand restaurant, Midtown, near Rockefeller Center300 m away
- Sardi's4.3Theatre restaurant, Theater District700 m away
- Grand Central Oyster Bar4.2Oyster bar, Inside Grand Central Terminal750 m away
Hotels near Top of the Rock
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in New York. Distances are in a straight line.
- Baccarat Hotel New York4.6Five-star hotel, West 53rd Street, opposite MoMA250 m away
- Lotte New York Palace4.4Five-star hotel, Madison Avenue at 50th Street400 m away
- The Peninsula New York4.5Five-star hotel, Fifth Avenue at 55th Street450 m away
- The St. Regis New York4.5Five-star hotel, Fifth Avenue at 55th Street450 m away