The Empire State Building is one of the New York skyline's most famous landmarks. It is a limestone classic, built in 410 days at a cost of $40 million during the Depression. I always think of it as the vertical perch off which King Kong was knocked.

When it was completed in 1931, this was the tallest building in the world. Now it is the tallest in Manhattan. It is 1,450 feet high, used 60,000 tonnes of steel and has 6,500 windows (all of which have to be washed).

It is not the most beautiful skyscraper in the city - the Chrysler Building wins this, but it is definitely the most iconic. At night it looks beautiful, bathed in lighting chosen the reflect the season or holiday.

We bought our tickets in advance on-line - highly recommended as it saved us about 45 minutes queuing to buy them. We paid $19 each, under 5's are free. You still have to queue to go through security and for the lifts, but you skip the long lines waiting for tickets. Be sure to show the staff you have your tickets, otherwise they just let you line up anyway.

The lifts go to the 86th floor observation deck where there is an outdoor viewing area. Be prepared for the crowds - even on a Friday morning it was so crushed and packed up there you could hardly move. The views are good though and it's fun to look down at all the shorter skyscrapers reaching up to you. You get an 80 mile view from the top.

As well as the Empire State Building, there are other sights of interest not too far away. The New York Public Library is a short walk away. It is an impressive building with 2 majestic stone lions out at the front - called Patience and Fortitude, and during our visit they were wearing holly garlands. The library building is 2 blocks long with 2 million books inside.

Grand Central Station is also not far away. Definitely go there as it is so beautiful. Built in 1913, this was the gateway to New York, with trains arriving from all directions. It has been beautifully restored. The Main Concourse has a 4 sided clock in the centre, 2 grand staircases and on the high vaulted ceiling is a blue and gold mural depicting the night sky.

At Christmas time in Grand Central they have a holiday lights laser show on the ceiling every 15 minutes. It is quite pretty and interesting to watch.

There are also lots of lovely little shops in the walkways and a great food market. During December they also have a Christmas Market - the stalls all have lots of lovely trinkets, Christmas ornaments and great ideas for gifts and souvenirs. We loved it there and ended up spending a small fortune.

The Empire State Building observatory has some breathtaking views. My only regret is that I tried to time it for just before sunset, I wanted to be on the observatory for long enough to take some great shots while still light out and some at sunset and after dark. Well, we were up there for quit a while, got the daylight shots and waited and waited… sunset never came.

Everyone was a bit tired and cold, and ready to come down. About 10 minutes after we ventured back into the building… was my sunset! Next time I’m timing it better, I’ll check the weather report and get the exact time for sunset. Yup, that’s what I’m going to do. The admission to the observatory is also included in the New York City Pass (as I said earlier… definitely worth it).

It sort of goes without saying that one of the things you have to do while visiting New York City is to go up the Empire State Building. In my opinion, it won't disappoint.

First, the facts: The Empire State Building is located at 34th Street on Fifth Avenue. The building has a remarkably nondescript entrance, with a simple awning that says "Empire State Building." If you didn't know better, you could easily overlook it while you walk on the street. Once you go in, you have to go up a level to purchase tickets to the observatory. The standard is $18 an adult, but there are varying other prices for kids, seniors, etc.

And that is where they start trying to get your money. After that, they'll try to get you to buy a ticket to a simulator ride over NYC in combo (don't, it is a waste of money). Then they'll take your picture to try to guilt you into buying it later. Then they'll try to sell you an audio tour. They'll also make you walk through a gift shop or two. Anything to make a buck, I guess.

But if you can get past that, the view is amazing. There is nothing like seeing New York from above, and the lower observatory is on the 86th floor. That is pretty high up there.

Here's a helpful tip: We went at 10:45pm on a Friday, and we faced literally no line. There were very little people there. As a result, what would at some points take a very long time to get through, we did in a very short period of time. If you want to go in and get straight up, you might try going later.

Anyway, it really is worth it. The other advantage to going at 10:45pm is that you can see New York at night, which is an amazing view. Totally worth it.

My husband had never been to New York before, so we had to do a few of the "touristy" things while we were there. We went up the Empire State Building to catch some views of the city.

We had decided to spend the money ($30) to go all the way to the 102nd floor (there is also the main observatory on the 86th floor), but when we asked for tickets to the 102nd floor at the ticket window on the 2nd floor, we were sold regular tickets ($14) for the 86th floor observatory. We couldn't figure out what was going on - the clerk told us nothing, although there were signs all over the place saying "the 102nd floor observatory is now open!" We thought perhaps you bought a supplement when you got to the 86th floor, but according to their  website, that's not so.

It ended up not mattering. The views are great from the 86th floor - nothing else in that area is as high as the Empire State Building, so you get great views of the downtown skyline. One interesting fact that we learned is that you can see the location of 5 of the world's previously-tallest buildings from the Empire State Building... although two or three of them are no longer there.

We were at the Empire State Building on a Friday afternoon, and it was somewhat crowded. There was a bit of a wait for the elevators and we did have to fight our way to the rail on the observation deck. However, as everyone is constantly moving to get a different view, it wasn't a big deal - someone was always moving along so you could squeeze in fairly easily and quickly.

One note, though - if you think you'll need to use the bathroom, do it downstairs. The only women's restroom I found only had two stalls in it - and one of those was out of order when I was up there.

We enjoyed our visit to the Empire State Building, and even for an "old hand" like me, it was still fun to view the NYC skyline from the observatory.

Due to the 9/11 attacks, security is at an all time high. However, the building is not closed to the public. The wait for the elevator is about a couple of minutes. It quickly takes you to the 80th floor (or near it), where you transfer to another elevator, which takes you to the observation deck. From afar, you can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island above the skyscrapers of Manhattan. At that height, it gets cold enough to snow, something I missed out on but some of my friends reported to me just after I left. The elevator trip downward is a little rough. If you have ear pressure issues, be forewarned. Your ears will constantly pop, but nothing too serious. Otherwise, the building is a wonderful stop for a classic NY visit!