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Published: April 28th 2007
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My first impression of New York is that it never sleeps, you can get virtually anything at any time .i was staying at the Latham Hotel for 2 nights so I had to think also about further accommodation wasn’t prepared to stay any longer there as half the hotel was being occupied by single mothers with loads of rug rats ,I was paying $100 a night !I wanted more from the hotel. Decided to look further later in the day the only thing really in its favour was the location. Just off 5th Avenue. And round the corner was that Icon the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York, NY. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until the construction of the World Trade Center North Tower in 1972, and is now once again the tallest building in New York after the destruction of the World Trade Center in the 11th September 2001 attacks. The building's opening coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, and as
a result much of its office space went unrented. In its first year of operation, the observation deck took in over a million dollars, as much as its owners made in rent that year. The lack of renters led New Yorkers to deride the building as the "Empty State Building. To counteract this the owners had people running up and down at night switching the lights on and off” The building would not become profitable until 1950. It’s amazing how quick it was built during the depression years, at one stage laying a floor a day, the construction was part of an intense competition in New York for the title of the world's tallest building. Two other projects fighting for the title, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were still under construction when work began on the Empire State Building. Both would hold the title for less than a year, as the Empire State Building had surpassed them upon its completion, just 410 days after construction commenced. The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931 in dramatic fashion, when United States President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights with the push of a button from Washington, D.C..The
building's distinctive art deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for dirigibles. The 102nd floor was originally a landing platform with a dirigible gangplank. One lift, traveling between the 86th and 102nd floors, was supposed to transport passengers after they checked in at the observation deck on the 86th floor. However, the idea proved to be impractical and dangerous after a few attempts with airships, due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself. The T-shaped mooring devices remain in place, and a large broadcast antenna.
At 9:49 a.m. on Saturday July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith who was flying in a thick fog, accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and another plummeted down an elevator shaft. The fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed in the incident. Lift operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside a Lift, which still stands as the Guinness World
Record for the longest survived Lift fall recorded. Despite the damage and loss of life, the building was open for business on many floors on the following Monday.
The Empire State Building remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for a record 41 years, and stood as the world's tallest man-made structure for 23 years. It was surpassed by the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1972, and the Sears Tower shortly afterwards. With the destruction of the World Trade Center by terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York City, and the second-tallest building in the United States.
Over the years, more than thirty people have committed suicide from atop the building. The fence around the observatory terrace was put up in 1947 after five people tried to jump over a three-week span. In 1979, Elvita Adams jumped from the 86th floor, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor and left with only a broken hip. The building was also the site of suicides in 2004 and 2006. Most recently a lawyer committed suicide by leaping from the 69th floor on Friday, April 13,
2007.
This was to be my first port of call, I wandered up 5th Avenue towards the building as I approached the entranced to the building I was “OPCed” by a tout selling city tour packages. After considering I took the deal which included a ticket for the building, I then entered the building then began the inevitable wait of 40minutes to get to the 86th floor .
Once there the view is spectacular if windy and chilly, the building really dominates the skyline the views are outstanding and to make it much more interesting there is a n audio tour by “Tony the New York Taxis driver”. He describes the skyline in all directions pointing out the land marks and filling in on the history and growth of New York One thing for sure the new Yorkers are really proud of their City.
Some hour or so later the descent took about 30minutes I then went exploring the local streets and avenues .I just had to chuckle at the Sex Museum and the comments written in the window (see Pics) .One thing that’s different in N.Y: is that because parking is an outrageous price with severe fines (Like
London ) people use the local transport or they walk .It’s a great walking City (Unlike the rest of U.S.A. cars all the time ) the layout is such that it’s almost impossible to get lost walking the roads in the city, the horizontal are Avenues the vertical are streets with numbers so when you ask a taxis driver to take you somewhere it’s “Corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue,” from there returned to hotel and then went to dinner. Back to hotel ready for next day to go on the city Bus Tour South.
Phileas
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