The Big Apple On A Not So Big Budget - Top of The Rock

The view from The Empire State Building was breathtaking but it seems like there's something missing. You can see The Chrysler Building, The One World Trade Center, and even a tiny dot that is The Statue of Liberty. You can't see The Empire State Building if you're standing on the building itself. Enter the Top of the Rock.

View from the Top of The Rock

After getting the night time view of New York from The Empire State Building, we tried to go up 30 Rock just before sunset for us to experience both the day time and night time view of New York. Unfortunately this was not an easy task. For sunset viewing times, you have to book in advance. We went to the ticketing office early afternoon but was told that the sunset time slots are fully booked for the next 3 days. This even if we purchased the New York City Explorer Pass a week before.

Central Park is the only dark spot at night

There are a number of explorer pass available in the net offering discounted prices for different attractions for different cities. We chose the NYC Explorer Pass from SmartDestinations.com for one major reason, you get to choose on the go. I purchased a pass for 3 attractions which can be any of the more than 60 attractions offered. Total cost was $159.60 (Php8,500 on my credit card) for two tickets. For the 3 attractions we went to, The Empire State Building ($56), The Top of The Rock ($37), and MoMA ($25), total cost for two would have been $236 or around Php12,000. Aside from the savings, the convenience of not having to line up and pay was totally worth it.

While we didn't get to see the view in daylight, it was still a thrill to see the Empire State Building lit up staring right in front of you. I guess I now have an excuse now to go back to this city!

Aside from recommending the New York City Explorer Pass, I would also recommend going to 30 Rock and reserve your preferred Top of The Rock slot on your first day in New York. We did not foresee the deck being full on our target hours and somehow derailed our itinerary a bit.

On our way home, we stopped by Shake Shack, and I ordered the ShackBurger Double for $8.35. All I can say is Shake Shack > In-N-Out.

Time to get a good night sleep as we head to Washington DC next!