The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is an art deco, architectural masterpiece and one of the most striking sights you will see in New York City. A living monument to era of the Great Depression it is an iconic sight that has been in countless movies; King Kong has climbed it and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fell in love on the top floor of it in Sleepless in Seattle.

If you want to be just a few steps away from the action; the Empire State Building, Macy’s and fifth Avenue, then stay at Hotel Metro for a room with a great view and central location. This Midtown gem of a hotel is only a block away from the Empire State Building so you’ll have some fantastic views and as well as all the usual amenities including high speed internet and cable television, you’ll also find a hot deluxe continental breakfast to start your day.

Every year millions of tourists flock to the observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors to get a glimpse of the magnificent views of the whole of New York.

For more than forty years the Empire State Building was the tallest in the world, from its completion in 1931 until the World Trade Centre’s North Tower took its place at the top of the list in 1972.

The mammoth building was the result of a competition between Walter Chrysler, of the Chrysler Corporation, and John Raskob, creator of General Motors to see who could build the tallest building first. Raskbob won. After the Chrysler building was finished at 1,046 feet with 77 stories, Raskbob decided to put a ‘hat’ on the Empire State Building which would be used for mooring air blimps. Although this idea was eventually scrapped it meant that the Empire State Building was the tallest in the world at 1,250 feet tall.

The excavation for the project began on January 22nd, 1930, and only took one year and 45 days to complete. The structure’s masonry was completed ahead of schedule on the 1st May, 1931, and on the same day President Herbert Hoover officially opened the building by pressing a button from Washington D.C. to turn on the Empire State Building’s lights.

Since the lights were first turned on the Empire State Building has lit up the Skyline of the Big Apple with an array of colourful schemes. At the end of World War II in 1945, an Army bomber plane crashed into the 79th floor in a dense fog, and since 1931 the building has acted as an ‘Ambassador’ to New York welcoming important guests such as Fidel Castro, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.