Golden Hour at the Top of the Rock

For the best view over Manhattan, go to the Top of the Rock during Golden Hour. Golden Hour is a photography term for the two times of the day when the sun gives the world a golden glow: the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. New York City has three major observation decks, but so far the Top of the Rock is my favourite.

I acknowledge the Wappinger and Lenape people as the First Nations owners of the lands now recognised as New York City. I pay respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. I recognise that these lands have always been places of great natural beauty, culture and community.

The Top of the Rock vs The Empire State Building

The Top of the Rock is an observation deck on the top floor of the Rockefeller Center in Midtown. One of the key advantages of choosing the Top of the Rock is that it has a million dollar view of the iconic Empire State Building as well as Central Park and the rest of the city. Just as the best view of Paris is not from the Eiffel Tower, but rather, of the Eiffel Tower from the Tour Montparnasse or the Arc de Triomphe, I wanted a view of the Empire State Building more than I wanted the view from it.

Next time I’m in New York, I’d like to go to the OneWorld Observatory in the new World Trade Center – it doesn’t have the classic Midtown Manhattan views but when I saw the view from the observation deck advertised on a billboard, I mistook it for an ad for helicopter tours. Yep, that tall.

Update: I went back to New York in 2018, and went to the observation deck at the OneWorld Observatory in the New World Trade Center. I prefer Top of the Rock!

Booking Tickets for the Top of the Rock

We booked tickets online, which gives you a specific time slot for entry. Once you’re up there, there’s no rush to come down. We arrived just before sunset, so we got to watch the sun go down and Manhattan light up. You can add an extra $15 to get a “Sun and Stars” pass that lets you return twice in 24 hours but we decided to just go up during the end of the day and waited til sunset. You have to be a bit patient but it’s worth it!

Top of the Rock Observation Deck vs Bar SixtyFive

Afterward we’d spent enough time at the Top of the Rock, we went down a few floors to Bar SixtyFive. I’ve read online that it’s better value to get a drink at Bar SixtyFive than to pay the entrance fee to the observation deck. Having done both, I’d disagree – I think the observation deck is better value.

The views are much better from the Top of the Rock observation deck, which has been designed with panoramic views in mind. It also isn’t that much cheaper to buy a drink at bar SixtyFive.

A $28 USD cocktail, for example, worked out to cost approximately $50 AUD once you included tax, a tip and the exchange rate. I’d rather spend that kind of money (tickets were approx $42 USD) on a ticket to a custom built observation deck with clear views from a number of vantage points, than an overpriced drink at a bar with limited balcony space. Also, I’d feel really inappropriate hogging the balcony to take photos from Bar SixtyFive, because I’d be blocking the view of people actually there to get drinks.

We didn’t end up ordering a drink but instead shared a snack: approximately five potato crisps artfully arranged in a bowl for $12USD. Um.

If I wanted Manhattan views with my cocktail, I’d go to the Top of the Standard or The Skylark instead. As for straight up amazing views? Golden Hour at the Top of the Rock takes the cake.