Midnight At The Empire State Building, Part II
If at first you don’t succeed, get some beer, have a Papaya dog and then try, try again! Last week I tried to go to the Empire State Building and it was closed due to fog, which I’ve never heard of and it surprised a lot of commenters as well. So I thought I’d retrun tonight at midnight tonight and try it all again.
First stop on the way there was to get a Mega-Millions ticket. It's up to over 300 million dollars! Let's hope this is the winner and I'll be taking some real trips if it is!
Deja view. Straight up Sixth Avenue, just like we did last week.
And as we cross over to Fifth Avenue, there she is. It's a clear night tonight, so there shouldn't be any problems.
And here we are, the Empire State Building on a clear night.
There's quite a few people here, considering it's kind of late.
I thought there'd be a long wait, but you get zipped through fairly quickly. Here we are boarding the elevator already.
They really jam a crowd into the elevators here. My claustrophobia has kicked in big time.
And as we approach the 86th floor, I realized one crucial mistake. I was stone-cold sober. And I have a quaking fear of heights. I was thinking so much about the possibility of it being closed again I forgot to drink to calm my nerves for this. As I realized this, I even said aloud, "Motherfucker, I forgot to drink!" The woman who's looking at me in this photo like I'm nuts, looked at me like I was even nuttier. I kind of felt like throwing up at this moment.
The Observation Deck. The moment of truth. I really thought about taking the elevator back down and going to a bar and trying to salvage this post somehow, but I knew it would be disappointing if I did. I was up here and I had to get photos and be a professional about it. Onwards and upwards...well, we're already upwards, so onwards we go.
It was a little freaky just being on the inside of the Observation Deck, but I thought maybe I could get some decent pictures without going outside. I was wrong, I kept getting reflections and they looked like shit, so it's outside I go.
Oh fuck. As soon as I got outside and snapped this photo I felt dizzy, started sweating. and kind of had a mini anxiety attack I couldn't move for a few minutes and the building felt like it was swaying. They really should have a bar up here, it's just not fair!
I decided to focus on other people taking photos so I wouldn't have to look directly down over the fenced in ledge.
Okay, I'm a little more at ease, time to get some official shots from up here.
Here's a shot I took while about a foot from the ledge, but you can see the ledge in the bottom, so I sucked it up and went all the way to the fence.
Okay, here's one shot and I'm sweating bullets up here.
And another, I'm starting to feel dizzy here.
Okay, I think you get the picture, everything's bright and shiny down there. I gotta get outta here.
Aaahhhh!
Okay, back to sweet ground level.
And it comes full circle as I see this in a souvenir store on the way home.
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave. (Near 33rd St.)
212-736-3100
Further Reading: essortment, Great Buildings and Wired New York.
Anxiety Attacks, Empire State Building, Mega-Millions Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 10:09AM
Reader Comments (33)
what a trooper!
UFB !
you get an a for effort! and that top shot of the empire state building is really cool!! so are the other shots from up top, thanks for sweating it out for us!!
My wife actually did some work for a company that has offices in that building. I was kinda jealous.
Cool, you made it ;)
@night goat: Thanks! I'm glad I got the photos to share!
@GENE: UFB, indeed!
@Bobby D: Glad you liked the photos! I was happy with the top one too!
@Dan: I couldn't work in any office above the fourth floor there!
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: The coolest part for me was the ride down!
Proud of you Marty, you stared down your demons, gave em the middle finger then high tailed it! out of there! Love the colors in shots. I've never been at night, but love looking up at the building and seeing all the camera flashes going off from the safety of the ground! Now isn't there a 2nd observation level about 12 more floors up? I see MATESB,PIII coming up!
You should of high tailed it across the street to Foley's for a few pints, calm the nerves.
Here you go Marty, just for you!
http://youtu.be/PawwEk9E8i8
Aren't I a stinker? Mouahahahahahaaaaaa.......
Ha ha ha. CBM mocks your every move.No worries, you just completed the Jet Blue captain flight training program. Kudos.
It might not make sense, but your whole post reminded me of this.
@Spike: I'll go up to the next highest observation level when they install a bar up there!
@Al: I would've, but by the time I realized I had forgotten to drink, I was already on the elevator!
@Jaws: Aaaaahhhh! Maybe it's time for a pre-evening beer or three after that!
@csp: CBBM is never far away! And I just sent Jet Blue my resume! And your second comment is a good look inside my mind last night!
Love the photo of the uptight lady staring at you on the elevator. That would have been the perfect time for you to throw a rap:
TWM: I'm Marty...How YOUUU doin?
Uptight lady on elevator (clutching bag): Uhh, ok?
TWM: You look like you recognize me; I'm pretty famous on the internet, you know
ULOE: Not really
TWM: Ever heard of Fishwrap?
ULOE hunts around in her pocketbook for pepper spray while maintaining eye contact
TWM: If you have some time tomorrow, perhaps you'd like to accompany me to the cinema - I know a great little place on Kings Highway
MVP to JAZ !!!
Cool photos and...don’t forget to get more lottery tickets for this Friday!
If they still have the "sky ride" inside, you should really try it - it's a film of a helicopter ride through the streets of Manhattan set to Rachmaninov's piano concerto #2, interspersed with scenes from "An Affair to Remember." The theater seats are on a moving platform, so when the helicopter swoops around, you feel it - all the danger without even being outside!
Marty, Cheers for facing your fears. Next time bring a flask of Tequilla or Scotch, did you have to go thru a metal detector?
I used to have the same fear of heights, I got over it by climbing very high mountains. I love the King Kong souvenir.
I've been up there a few times, but never at night. Gorgeous!
You should try this next time. I'll spot you! http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/C5OSsUBa8k0/Cirque+Du+Soleil+Acrobats+Perform+Empire+State/93gkyKkIYRu
The last time that I was on the observation deck, some poor girl was having such a panic attack that she sat down on the deck and was trying to "scoot" to the door. Her husband/boyfriend/companion was trying so hard to just pick her up and get her out of there that he was practically having his own panic attack.
About 12 feet away, a guy was throwing his toddler 10 feet in the air so that the mother could snap pics with the city skyline behind the baby. Oddly enough, security was all up in the first couple's grill about not sitting on the deck---- and completely ignoring the flying baby :)
HA HA HA! This reminds me of that time we made you walk across the Williamsburg Bridge! Thank goodness for Nice Guy Eddie's. Anyhoo, I'm very proud of you, Marty...that was clearly not an easy task for you, but you did it anyway, for all of us Trippers. You da man! Now go buy another Mega Millions ticket. It's up to $500M.
Hey, everybody,
guess who has High Anxiety?
@JAZ: Ha ha ha! Perfect!
@GENE: Agreed!
@Share The Wealth: Going to get more than one ticket for sure!
@Goggla: I didn't see the sky ride in there, that sounds like something I could handle!
@Danny the Freelancer: Yeah, you do have to go through a metal detector, but there's plenty of plastic flasks out there, excellent idea for the return trip! Maybe I'll take Spike up on his challenge after all!
@roadside wonders: Ha! I'll start practicing my moves! Thanks for the linkage! That's nuts about the flying baby, some people shouldn't breed!
@Biff: Walking across the bridge is on my list of things to do when it gets warmer! I think I'll have a few cocktails first. And maybe a Valium or ten. And yes, TO WINNING MEGA-MILLIONS!
@Nurse Diesel: That would be me! I get really anxious when I'm high. Hey, Mel Brooks might owe me a royalty for this!
Well done Marty.Good effort and some nice pictures.I've never been up there at night.I went on the skyride one time when I was hungover.I honestly thought I was going to have to get them to stop it as I was so close to puking due to the motion sickness.I was sweating bullets that day!
Damn, Marty! You're brave!!
"As soon as I got outside and snapped this photo I felt dizzy, started sweating. and kind of had a mini anxiety attack I couldn't move for a few minutes and the building felt like it was swaying. They really should have a bar up here, it's just not fair!"
Yes, I cannot handle heights AT ALL! So terrifying!
@Alan: Glad you liked the photos, I was worried they wouldn't turn out, because my concentration was more on not having a full-blown anxiety attack! I don't know how you rode the sky ride hungover, that must've been hell!
@Meleah: I almost turned around and left, but knew I wouldn't have much for a post. Ah, the powers of these blogs!
You should've bought the King Kong tchotchke.
Glad you made it to the top after the abortive first attempt.
@DaveW: I've got so much stuff in my tiny apartment, I wouldn't know where to put it! I'm glad I did it too, but it was a little nerve-wracking, next time I'm having many drinks before I go up!
I went up once when i was five..I barfed.
I went up maybe three times in the space needle
sat on floor in elevator and cried too.
barfed there too.. they had a bar there when we first moved there..had a coffee then barfed.. ate in the restaurant.. barfed...300 dollar meal for four..yikes...
went in the john hancock.. did not barf but did sit on the floor for a few minutes.
did not help that someone i was with kept pushing my head to the window to show me things.
the people from kick ass were there.
never ever going to "what you talking bout willis tower."
fuck bridges.. i close my eyes when i drive across them...
You stood up to the fear and got some great shots! Well done lad!
@Gidget: Sounds like you can't handle heights either! And I agree with you on bridges, they freak me out too, although I am planning on walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in a bit to face another fear here!
@Marco: Thank you sir! It wasn't easy, but I'm glad I stayed and got the job done!
Thanks for facing your fears and phobias for all the good of Martykind!
@"Boris:" You're welcome, Daddio, it was my pleasure...once I was down on ground level!
Marty, you conquered your fear and got some really wonderful photographs.
The images that you captured are just stunning.
Thank you so very much for letting us tag along.
@Tiki Bar Susie: Good to hear from you! So glad you enjoyed the photos and the post!