A recent op-ed piece in the Daily News lamented the sky-high price of admission for the new observation deck at One World Trade (opening this spring). It tried to make the case for providing free public access to the terrace of the Manhattan Municipal Building a few blocks to the east. That\u2019s an excellent idea. It would give the regular joe a shot at a panoramic view of NYC\u2019s dense greatness.<\/p>\n
It got me thinking about the few times I got freebie views of this great city. Flying into LaGuardia on a clear day is perhaps the best, most exhilarating look at the city from above but you can\u2019t really bank on it. And you only get a short glimpse if any at all.<\/p>\n
My aunt had an upper floor room at that Marriott hotel just south of ground zero and I was dazzled by her view when she visited last December. That view wasn\u2019t free for her but it was for me on the short visit I made to her room.<\/p>\n
A few months before that, I had a restaurant week lunch at Gannouri which sits on the 39th floor of a building at Broadway and 32nd. The look uptown from the windows in that place is pretty incredible and you can look and linger for nothing as long as you square the dining tab.<\/p>\n
The Rosie Island Tram is a kick-filled ride of high-from-above views and that\u2019ll cost you the price of a Metrocard swipe.<\/p>\n
If you have any suggestions on additional places to get great urban landscape views for cheap – or for nothing – please comment here so I can try \u2019em.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of popular, touristy observation decks and their regular adult admission prices using info from each site\u2019s web page.<\/p>\n
One World Observatory (opening in a few months)<\/strong> – $32<\/p>\n Empire State Building (main deck)<\/strong> – $29<\/p>\n Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock)<\/strong> – $29<\/p>\n Willis Tower Chicago<\/strong> – $19.50<\/p>\n John Hancock Chicago<\/strong> – $19<\/p>\n CN Tower Toronto<\/strong> – $29 (Canadian)<\/p>\n Space Needle Seattle<\/strong>\u00a0– $19<\/p>\n -The Democratic National Committee\u2019s choice to stage the party\u2019s 2016 convention in Philly instead of Brooklyn is consistent with how Democrats will approach the selection of its nominee. It\u2019s about taking the safe route. I disagree with Mike Grynbaum and Alexander Burns of the Times who blamed Brooklyn\u2019s failure to get the nod on \u201clogistical difficulties\u201d created by Brooklyn\u2019s location \u201cfar from the ample hotels and amenities of Manhattan.\u201d That\u2019s ridiculous. Most U-S political convention sites feature far worse commutes between lodging clusters and the host arena. Philly will be no better in that regard. The Dems chose Philly for its optics. It\u2019s a battleground state. The DNC may have ducked Brooklyn to avoid some of the nonsense that could emerge 18 months from now including both a governor and assembly speaker in the crosshairs of a federal criminal investigation. It didn\u2019t help that NYC police unions made noise about their discontent during the bidding process. And yes, the mayor of this city is left of the party and may not provide Hillary the visuals she\u2019ll want – and get – with Brotherly Love moderates. Madison Square Garden is not an option as long as Jim Dolan is attached to it. And so Brooklyn made a lot of sense. It would have worked great. Don\u2019t blame it on location. Delegates would have loved it more than anywhere else but this is about a pre-ordained candidate wanting a safe stage in a theatre that\u2019s aligned with the strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A recent op-ed piece in the Daily News lamented the sky-high price of admission for the new observation deck at One World Trade (opening this spring). It tried to make the case for providing free public access to the terrace … Continue reading