The Empire State Building Observatory (ESBO) in New York City has wrapped the final component of its four-year, $165 million revamp with the opening of its 80th floor. The reimagined 80th floor adds exhibits to orient visitors on their visit to New York City and showcases the building's unique place at the center of it all.
New on the 80th floor is an exclusive, interactive partnership with NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership bureau for New York City, with five interactive video blades which allow visitors to design itineraries for their visit using a massive inventory of destinations in all five boroughs. The itineraries automatically download to a visitor's phone with the use of a QR Code reader, or they can be sent via e-mail. The new service was designed in response to research that showed ESBO is many visitors' first destination.
Interactive, augmented reality scenes from New York City, housed inside classic binoculars, bring visitors directly to the sights and sounds of popular destinations. Other exhibits include videos of ESB's famous light shows with interviews with Marc Brickman, the lighting artist who brings them to life, user-generated content, and famous British memory artist Steven Wiltshire's monumental skyline of New York City.
To celebrate the opening, the Empire State Building has also announced the premiere of a new video starring Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and Pulitzer-Prize winning composer, lyricist, and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Set to his love letter to New York, Cheering for Me Now - an original track from his Hamildrop series with music by John Kander (Cabaret, Chicago) and lyrics by Miranda, the video will include a new music-to-light show designed by Brickman and footage of Miranda exploring the all-new Observatory Experience. A portion of the video premiered on November 27 on CBS This Morning's live broadcast, and it will be posted exclusively on the Empire State Building's YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
Tickets to the 86th Floor Observatory start at $38 with tickets to the 102nd Floor Observatory available for an additional $20. Tickets can be pre-purchased online at www.empirestatebuilding.com or in real time on-site at kiosks located on the second and 86th floor.
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