Top of the world, ma!

My mother wanted to see the tree. I asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to go to Rockefeller Center to see the tree.

We had dinner in Chinatown and then took the train up to 49th street. We passed by Radio City Music Hall, with its throngs of people milling about outside. Some were lined up to see the Rockettes, some had just seen them.

As we passed by the GE Building en route to the tree, people were advertising the Top of the Rock. First opened in 1933, the observation deck had recently reopened after twenty years. Guilemette had gone for a press preview and said the views were stunning. Last night it was cold, but crystal clear, and so we bought tickets and took the elevator to the 67th floor.

As the elevator rose, lights revealed the transparent ceiling. We could see the shaft as we climbed while videos were projected onto the plexiglass. Once at the top we took an escalator outside to the 69th floor. Clear glass allowed panoramic views to the north. Central Park loomed like a dark lake in the center of upper Manhattan. As we walked to the south side of the building, we walked through a small room where colored lights embedded in the ceiling followed our progress. Once on the southern terrace, the Empire State Building loomed over lower Manhattan.

A set of stairs lead to the 70th floor. Gone was the glass, and the wind blew fiercely across the observation deck. From there, you could look in both directions, all of Manhattan stretched out in lights. The views were breathtaking, made all the better by the incredibly clear night. Looking down we could see the snowflakes on Saks Fifth Avenue, but couldn't quite get the right angle to look straight down at the tree.

After a few minutes, chilled to the bone, we retired to the gift shop. The heat was blasting. The few people who had collected on the roof all passed through to warm up. After a few minutes, we took another quick turn around the lower deck and descended to see the tree. Posted by eku at December 3, 2005 9:12 AM