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Photos From The Best Legal Views In NYC: One World Trade Center
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 11, 2016
Modified Jul 11, 2016
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 11, 2016
Modified Jul 11, 2016
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The views around New York City—whether you're on the ground or 100-floors over it, whether you're a tourist or native—are spectacular to behold, and you don't need to be an urban explorer leaning precariously over a ledge to enjoy some of the best ones. Over the next week, we'll be visiting some of the highest legally-accessed views around Manhattan, starting now with One World Trade Center. Click through for a look at these magnificent vistas, and below are some facts about the building.
12 Facts About 1WTC
- The building—including the spire—stands at 1,776 feet tall, symbolizing the year of America’s declaration of independence.
- The observation deck is on the 100th floor, at 1,362 feet high, with a glass parapet bringing it to 1,368 feet, which was the height of the Twin Towers.
- There are three dining options on the 101st floor.
- The 104-story building opened in 2014, and includes 3 million rentable square feet of space. Condé Nast is the most high-profile company that relocated to the 1WTC offices.
- A proposal for the site in 2002 from Daniel Libeskind included a scheme called "Vertical World Gardens," featuring plants and trees representing various areas (desert, tropical, etc). It was one of the many design features that didn't move forward.
- You can see a lot of landmarks from the Observation Deck, including the Empire State Building, which is 322-feet shorter.
- The transportation hub is not only Instagram-worthy, it will connect you to 11 subway lines and the PATH. The latter is linked via a 600-foot long marble-clad walkway that runs below West Street.
- A group of young men base-jumped from 1WTC in 2014, filming on their way down.
- A teen also snuck to the top of 1WTC in 2014, aided by an easygoing elevator operator, a sleepy security guard, and the ridiculous utter lack of security cameras at the site.
- The elevator to the Observatory shows a pretty remarkable time-lapse video showing the development of lower Manhattan from pre-Colonial times to present day.
- During his 2013 residency, the British street artist/anarchist Banksy wrote an op-ed—rejected by the NY Times—that said 1WTC should never have been built.
- Vendors may try to rip you off outside of 1WTC—hot tip: never buy a $30 dirty water dog.
Tickets to visit 1WTC's observatory cost anywhere from $32 to $92, depending on when you go and what package you purchase.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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