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https://news.artnet.com/art-world/de...13203/amp-page

A Rockefeller Center Developer Wants to Build an Attraction for Tourists to Recreate the Famous ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ Photo
The attraction will pack guests on a replica steel beam, elevate them into the air, and then rotate around to provide panoramic views.

https://news-artnet-com.cdn.ampproje...n-Speyer_1.png

Taylor Dafoe
Sept 24, 2021

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You know that famous photograph of ironworkers eating lunch on a steel girder hanging high above midtown Manhattan? In an effort to wring more juice out of one of New York’s most popular tourist attractions, developers are proposing a new ride at Rockefeller Center that will allow visitors to recreate that 1932 photo—albeit in a safer manner.

Planned for the building’s 69th-floor observation deck as part of its “Top of Rock” experience, the proposed attraction would pack guests on a replica steel beam, elevate them into the air for selfies, and then rotate around to provide a panoramic view of the city.

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”With these changes, we’re looking to tell the story of Rockefeller Center in a new way that will bring people back to discover what Rockefeller Center symbolizes: a beacon in the city, a place with incredible history, a place that is of the city, and that provides this beautiful and unique perspective on this city,” Tishman Speyer managing director E.B. Kelly said at a community board meeting, according to 6sqft, which first reported the news.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission will have to approve Tishman Speyer’s plans before construction can start.

The real estate firm’s suggested enhancements to Rockefeller Center come as other New York buildings have entered into the observation deck game. A 100-story tall platform opened in Hudson Yards last year, while both the Chrysler Building and One Vanderbilt are constructing their own offerings.

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Lunch atop a Skyscraper, as the original picture is called, was taken on September 20, 1932, when 11 ironworkers assisting in the construction of the RCA building (now called the G.E. building) crawled out onto a steel beam some 850 feet above Rockefeller Plaza for a photo op.

The image, once an emblem of American achievement and its behind-the-scenes heroes, today reads more like a symbol of labor exploitation and an early piece of real estate propaganda (which makes its potential reinvention particularly ironic).

The shot, commissioned by Rockefeller Center management to promote the development project, first appeared in the October 2 edition of the New York Herald Tribune.

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https://nypost.com/2021/10/26/nycs-h...uilding-climb/

NYC’s Hudson Yards debuts world’s highest outdoor building climb

https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.or...rip=all&w=1250

By Zachary Kussin
October 26, 2021

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It’s the really high line.

Starting Nov. 9, thrill seekers can walk almost to the tippy-top of the 1,296-foot-tall 30 Hudson Yards skyscraper in Midtown, but not from the comforts of an indoor observatory.

This trek takes visitors along the outside of the building — with no windows or other protective barriers standing between them and sky-high views of the Big Apple. They will, however, be equipped with safety harnesses.

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Welcome to City Climb, a high-altitude attraction that takes up to eight daredevils and their skyscraper sherpa to a dizzying 1,271-foot-high perch, called the “Apex,” near the tower’s crown.

It begins at the building’s 100-story-high Edge observatory and only gets higher from there, with guests taken along a dizzying series of stairs and platforms that continually rise in altitude.

All it takes is $185 for a ticket and a strong stomach.

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Visitors with lesser constitutions can stick to Edge — a viewing platform 1,131 feet up that’s safely ensconced by glass paneling where general admission starts at $36 for adults. There, you can step out onto a portion of glass flooring for an added thrill.

From that platform, trained guides take participants on the vertigo-inducing climb and ascend a series of steps to reach the aptly named “Apex.”

Along the way, they visit a perch named “The Cliff,” where they can look down a full 1,190 feet to the street.

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The most intense portion comes during a 161-step climb up a 45-degree incline to the top.

Once they reach the zenith, climbers can get an extra thrill by leaning off the Apex’s open-air viewing platform — with nothing obstructing their panoramic views, which extend out to the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s “a chance to live out a superhero fantasy at the top of NYC,” Cassie Davison, vice president of marketing for Hudson Yards Experiences, told The Post.

https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.or...rip=all&w=1300

https://nypost.com/wp-content/upload...rip=all&w=1300

oof $185 that's steep... I would be temped tho.

^ lol

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Originally Posted by dropdeaded209 (Post 9433997)

oof $185 that's steep... I would be temped tho.

Don’t know if I could do it. Probably something I would need to try once.

https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.or...rip=all&w=1850

it's not the issue of doing this so much as it is the issue of bringing your phone along to prove it.

i just bought the new iphone 13, so no freakin way !!!

oh wait, i did get the insurance, so ... hmm! :haha:

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Originally Posted by mrnyc (Post 9434152)

it's not the issue of doing this so much as it is the issue of bringing your phone along to prove it.

I would imagine it's a lot like the Sydney Bridge Climb where anything that can fall off is banned...glasses, watches, jewelry, phones, etc. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be happy to sell you photos of your experience.:)

I'd be tempted to do it, but I'm on the fluffy side and might have trouble fitting into those suits they're wearing.

https://www.6sqft.com/worlds-highest...on-yards-edge/

World’s highest outdoor building climb to open in NYC atop Hudson Yards’ Edge

OCTOBER 26, 2021
BY DEVIN GANNON

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If simply standing on the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere isn’t enough of a thrill, how about scaling the outside of a supertall skyscraper? On Tuesday, Edge, the 100th-floor sky deck that opened at 30 Hudson Yards last spring, debuted “City Climb,” a ticketed adventure that challenges visitors to cross a series of open-edged outdoor platforms and stairs along the top of the tower, which stands over 1,200 feet tall. When it officially opens on November 9, City Climb will become the highest external building climb in the world.

As part of the experience, participants climb 32 steps to the “Cliff” and look down to the city 1,190 feet below, scale 161 steps at a 45-degree incline at the “Stair,” and end at the “Apex,” a 1,271-foot platform where visitors can lean out and hang over the platform.

The total experience takes between 90 minutes to two hours, with climbers spending 45 minutes on the course itself. Those just visiting Edge will be able to see the City Climb participants lean out over the Apex above them.

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“City Climb quite literally shouts from the rooftops that tourism is back in New York City and there has never been a more exciting time to visit,” Jeff T. Blau, chief executive of Related Companies, said. “This is an adventure unlike anything the City has seen before, and we are thrilled to welcome the world to an experience of a lifetime.”

Starting November 9, City Climb will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with hours subject to change seasonally. Available to purchase starting Tuesday, tickets cost $185. The tickets include the climbing experience, Edge entrance, and a digital image.

Wow. Pretty unique attraction.

My brother, who lives in Michigan, already mentioned he's definitely trying this next time he visits NYC. I'll probably eventually try it too.

I thought 30 HY was 1,270'? This says that the Apex is at 1,271' and isn't at the top.

So is 30 HY taller than stated?

30 Hudson Yards is 1,296 ft. (392 M) tall.

I always felt that Related delayed the opening of City Climb to take some thunder away from the opening of the Summit. In reality, it’s probably the pandemic that pushed things back. But it’s still fun to read the competing headlines for these two attractions. All while Gary Barnett is plotting to crash the party. The Peebles Corp and David Adjaye plan something higher. And somewhere on a yacht, Harry Macklowe is thinking of ways to be at the top of that list. What a time for skyscraper fans and thrill seekers.

https://www.architecturaldigest.in/s...y-skyline/amp/

A new observatory suspended nearly 1,300 feet in the air is redefining New York City’s skyline
Seeking all adrenaline junkies

Jessica Cherner
OCTOBER 27, 2021

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Manhattan is one of those places that’s easily identifiable by its iconic and, until recently, relatively unchanging skyline. However, the collection of soaring concrete and glass peaks recently grew by one mixed-use tower: One Vanderbilt, which stands at 1,401 feet tall—just 53 shy of the Empire State Building. And One Vanderbilt’s top three floors make up the highly anticipated SL Green Realty Corp.–produced Summit One Vanderbilt, a multisensory experience that will certainly leave a few jaws on the floor.

Though the skyscraper boasts a few dining concepts—including the Danny Meyer–led Après—the Snøhetta-designed Summit’s pièce de résistance is the observation deck. Here, 93 storeys up, the observation is the final stop on visitors’ exploration throughout the highly immersive experience in Midtown. This observatory, however, is like no other. This one dares visitors to look in all directions rather than just outward…………

https://untappedcities.com/2021/10/27/city-climb/

WITH CITY CLIMB, YOU CAN SCALE A MANHATTAN SKYSCRAPER

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If you think looking down at Manhattan’s concrete jungle through the glass floor at the Edge is thrilling, get this: starting on November 9, you’ll be able to climb up the side of the building on which it stands. At 1,131 feet high, the Edge at Hudson Yards is the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. City Climb claims to be the highest open-air building ascent in the world.

Those who dare to do the climb will be suited up with a harness for the 90-minute adventure. “Everyone gets a thorough briefing, and our guides harness them onto the course with two cables that are attached to a trolley,” Cassie Davidson, the vice president of marketing at Hudson Yards Experiences, told Architectural Digest. “Climbers are very secure.”

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”The architectural details in New York City’s buildings make our skyline one of the most instantly recognizable in the world, but until now the views from these iconic capstones have been reserved for cinematic superheroes,” Michael Gilbane, Senior Vice President of Related Companies, said in a statement. “We are exceedingly proud of the team who master-minded this entertainment marvel offering the world an unparalleled perspective of the City.”

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Such type of railing is not a good choice as it is bad for taking pictures! A grid-type railing with holes big enough that an objective of a reflex camera passes through is the best choice as you can photograph through it without reflections or dirt from glass!

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Originally Posted by Alpha (Post 9435915)

Such type of railing is not a good choice as it is bad for taking pictures! A grid-type railing with holes big enough that an objective of a reflex camera passes through is the best choice as you can photograph through it without reflections or dirt from glass!

Most observation decks are indoors, behind glass anyway. But for that particular deck, you can always go up on the stair seating it you want to look above the glass railing.

https://www.curbed.com/2021/10/edge-...ities-war.html

The Observation-Deck-Amenities War Is Over the Top

By Kim Velsey
October 28, 2021

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Well, that was fast. The Summit of One Vanderbilt opened just last week — in a blitz of press coverage, mirrored selfies, and LED shimmer — and already it’s been upstaged by Edge, the observation deck at 30 Hudson Yards that will allow visitors to climb the outside of the tower’s peak.

The experience, known as “City Climb,” involves strapping into a safety harness for a 161-step trek up an outdoor staircase while you’re considering your life choices. At the apex, visitors can lean back in dramatic fashion for a photo op (participants aren’t allowed to bring their own cameras but will receive a video and be able to purchase photographs, as at an amusement park) before climbing back down to gulp down a glass of Champagne that is included in the $185 ticket.

The Edge is indeed bold — not only in concept and timing but also for introducing a new pricing tier into the observatory game, where general admission runs around $35. There will also be a more traditional observation-deck experience, pitched as a “spectator ticket,” for those who want the experience of cheering climbers on without directly experiencing the risk of plunging to their deaths.

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Observation decks are a cash machine (as long as there are tourists, at least): When the Empire State Building filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an IPO in 2011, the documents revealed that the observation deck made more money than the office space, according to The Wall Street Journal. (During the Depression, when the building was brand-new and barely able to sign tenants, ticket revenues were said to be the only thing that staved off seizure for unpaid property taxes.)

Before the pandemic hit, the Empire State Building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza’s Top of the Rock, and the One World Trade Center’s deck were each drawing between 2 million and 3 million visitors a year. And while those three buildings are all famous in their own rights, for new towers that lack name recognition like One Vanderbilt, developed by SL Green, and 30 Hudson Yards, developed by Related, an observation deck could help confer it. It’s also a splashy, glitzy status symbol and a nice opportunity to one-up other developers.

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In the past few years, that competition has become an entertaining spectacle all its own, as buildings come up with ever more cheesy (and spectacular) antics to attract visitors and attention — as if looking down at the Manhattan skyline weren’t exciting enough. Even the wait for the elevator ride is now an “immersive” part of the “experience” — usually involving some kind of history of the building or the city and plenty of Instagrammable moments.

The Empire State Building, for example, has a mock-up of King Kong’s hand punching through the wall. The World Trade Center’s elevator — branded the SkyPod — “offers a panoramic experience that takes riders through 500 years of New York history.” On the way down, it simulates a ride outside the building. There are faux-glass floors with real-time feeds of the street below, and real glass floors, and mirrored floors. It’s enough to make a person long for coin-operated binoculars and a spiked fence.

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The language being used to sell tickets is also befittingly over the top. “New York’s most transformational experience is Summit One Vanderbilt,” claims the website, describing the dizzying immersive experience called Air by Kenzo Digital (just remember to avoid skirts, or at least wear bike shorts underneath, to defend against those mirrored floors).

Unintentionally flashing one’s underwear, of course, now seems downright tame in comparison to the wannabe Spider-Man feat of scaling a skyscraper’s skin. “It’s an adventure unlike any other in the world and an achievement that you will remember for the rest of your life,” Edge’s website suggests. (Climbing up and down a 161-step staircase in a harness seems cool, but hardly a lifetime achievement for anyone who’s not acrophobic.)

Still, it’s hard to imagine where observation decks can go from here. An unharnessed climb? A 100-story ride in an open-air elevator? Or maybe the most daring move of all: to make the top floors of a skyscraper into a place where you can experience something that’s not an “experience”?

The crown of the Chrysler Building is undergoing its own transformation, not into a simulacrum of the most death-defying experience yet, but into a new iteration of the Cloud Club, the Art Deco lunch spot that closed in the late 1970s. Edgy.

Remind me to make absolutely sure I don't need to use the washroom up there, I don't want all Manhattan to get a show. (Remember that photo of some dude sitting on the toilet in 432 Park Avenue, taken from a nearby office building?)