[United States holiday] Rockefeller Centre + Top of the Rock + Grand Central Terminal

The skyline of Manhattan is one of the most beautiful views of modern society and skyscrapers in the world, and to fully experience this, we made a trip down to Rockefeller Centre, to visit the 'Top of the Rock'. The 'Top of the Rock' is the name of the observatory on the top of the Rockefeller Centre!

 

Prior to our trip, we did some research and studies online, and compared the Empire State Building with the Rockefeller Centre. Although the Empire State Building is taller and has a more rich and longer history, we opted to visit the 'Top of the Rock' instead, as the tickets were significantly cheaper and easier to obtain.

 

 We took a 15-20 minute walk from our hotel, and along the way I came across the famous statue of Atlas, which is situated along Fifth Avenue.

 

 

Apart from the Atlas Statue, and we also stopped by the New York Public Library which was also near to Fifth Avenue too. It is a prominent Historic Landmark in Midtown Manhattan.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 Upon reaching Rockefeller Centre, I was greeted by many different countries flags at the Rockefeller Plaza, and I even spotted our national flag!

 

 

 

The lower plaza of Rockefeller Centre with the ice-skating rink.

  

 

 

 

The famous Rockefeller Centre in Midtown Manhattan is a NYC landmark that has various shops, cafes, offices and even an Art Deck. The main tenant in the Rockefeller center, at the GE building is NBC network, and they broadcast most of their shows from here. Hardly surprising that it is one of the more popular tourist attractions in NYC.

 

We paid USD25 for 'Top of the Rock', as it provides stunning views of Manhattan. It is located on the 70th floor of GE Building in Rockefeller Centre and they have various visitor packages for visiting the Top of the Rock, such as the Sunrise and Sunset ticket, which allows visitors to take in the view of Manhattan in the day, as well as at night!

 

 

We picked up the Sunrise tickets!

 

 

 If I were to best describe Manhattan, it would have to be an utopia of skyscrapers and massive buildings, and no other city will give me that 'True Urban Feeling' that New York can give, and I can safely say that New York is one of the most impressive and daunting cities in the world.

 

 

The 'Top of the Rock' is worth checking out, even if you have been to the Empire State Building as well.

 

After finishing our tour at the 'Top of the Rock', we walked down to Grand Central Terminal (GCT). It is the largest train station in the world with 44 train platforms and several great NY restaurants.

 

 

 

 

Grand Central Terminal (GCT) is a major Railway Station to travel to the other parts of the United States via train, and it was built in 1871. It is also a famous NY landmark.

 

 

 

We had our lunch at the legendary Oyster Bar & Restaurant which is located on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal (GCT), and it was opened along with the terminal in 1913.

 

 

Oyster Bar & Restaurant is specializing in seafood and also became one of the landmarks of the New York culinary scene over the years.

 

 

 

 

We started off with Manhattan Clam Chowder, and it tasted awesome and I savored every bit of it.

 

 

 

We ordered 8 raw oysters to share between us. The sweetness and freshness of the oyster made me go 'Wow'. We had Fried Calamari too. The damage was pretty hefty, as it cost us USD75 exclude tax. Oh well, we are on holiday, and thanks Baby for the lovely meal!

 

 

  

I took some random photos along the way as we walked back to our hotel from Grand Central Terminal (GCT).

 

 

I had fun at Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Centre.

 

 

 

 

 

In the store, consumers/shoppers can play the game consoles freely, and no one will give you any weird looks. This is ultimately what i like best about New York. Nobody really bothers about what people do around them, and everyone is left to their own devices. Surprisingly, this is even more so as i encountered a myriad of interesting and bizarre people in NYC, where if they were in Singapore, people would be staring at them. However, here, no one really bothers how you dress, how you act, or what you do, as long as you don't get physical.

 

 

 

Lastly, thank Baby for the Super Mario Key-ring!