SUMMIT One Vanderbilt

"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had a lovely weekend in NYC the week before Christmas, and visiting SUMMIT One Vanderbilt was easily one of the highlights of our trip. My wife and I originally thought our tickets were for earlier in the day, so we showed up around 2 PM, only to realize our entry time was actually 10 PM. At first we were disappointed, but wow… we are so glad it worked out that way. Seeing the city at night from SUMMIT was absolutely incredible. The views were breathtaking, and the entire immersive experience was unlike anything we’ve done before, from the mirrored glass floors to the floating silver balloons and the glass sky box that suspends you 91 feet above the street below. It was thrilling and unforgettable. If you want really stunning pictures to make your NYC trip memorable, this is the place to do it! We even purchased the photo package at the end with the keepsake book, which was well worth it. Overall, this was a fantastic value and a true 5-star experience. Don’t skip this one if you’re in NYC…very cool and highly recommended!"

"I visited Summit in December 2025, due to holiday season it was crowded. It was very professionally managed. As compared to Edge, Rocker feller & Empire State, it has nice & bigger indoor observatory. It has a nice but smaller outdoor observatory, by the time you will reach outdoor observatory, you won't find view appealing since you must have seen those from indoor view. Summit Acent is absolutely fantastic & must do experience. There is a whole glass elevator which takes you to the top of the building & the whole experience is stunning. I highly recommend to experience this during dusk time to avoid sunlight."

"We had quite a mixed experience with Summit One Vanderbilt. The timed ticketing definitely didn’t work. We had booked for 3pm on a December day, wanting to allow plenty of time to be there for sunset. We joined the queue at 2.50pm and queued for over an hour before getting into the first lift. There is no information to read or anything to keep you occupied while you are waiting. Also no seating which might matter for some people. We had booked the tickets when they became available (several months months before). Many people were trying to buy tickets on the day but it was fully booked so securing reservations in advance is recommended. We went through security checks and after more queuing we were eventually taken out into a ‘backstage’ area that looked a little dodgy, and were put in a lift to the first level, level 91. It’s a one way flow system. So once you have spent time in the first level (no rush, stay as long as you want) and head upstairs (level 92), you can’t go back down. Same for then heading up to level 93. The ‘experiences’ on each level were a bit gimmicky for us, but might really appeal to some people. The room with the silver balls, the reflection room, the moving clouds etc. We were there for the view, and that did not disappoint. The view of the Chrysler Building, The Empire State Building and the city in general, were amazing! The rooms were pretty crowded, which was disappointing and we had to line up to get a spot at the window to take a few photos then leave so the next person could do the same. The top level is the smallest and also where the bar is. We had an included cocktail in our ticket which was definitely better than expected. There aren’t many seats in the bar area and we completed lucked out and got 2 stools over looking the Empire State Building literally at sunset, and this made the experience for us. We ended up having hot dogs there for dinner (and another cocktail!). There was both an inside and outside viewing gallery on this level, although the outside gallery was still behind glass. Having such amazing seats in the bar area was definitely the highlight of the experience for us. There are several interactive options on all the floors that would definitely appeal to some and make it more ‘fun’. To leave you had to queue again to get in a lift back to street level. That queue was about 25 minutes and added to the frustration of feeling like the experience was over subscribed. So while the queuing system seemed to fail on many levels, the view was incredible."