Some people prefer to avoid places and attractions with a lot of rush and long lines when they travel. The crowds may be overwhelming or the lines may be just too long with hours of wait and sometimes I also feel it best to avoid places like that. But when it came to Summit One Vanderbilt, this was one of those exceptions where no matter how crowded I thought it was going to be, I was ready to take the risk as I was just too intrigued by this place. Summit One Vanderbilt is one of the newest observation decks in Manhattan atop Midtown Manhattan's tallest skyscraper which opened in October 2021. What attracted me to this place was that it was not just a conventional observation deck. They boasted of some unique experiences and themed rooms that seemed very interesting.
I also came to know after checking out their website that the maximum demand is during sunset hours because one can experience both day and night views of New York. Summit also takes an additional charge over and above the regular ticket fee if one visits during these particular times of the day. I however was not interested in something of that sort as I assumed that the rush would be even bigger during those hours. I chose a morning slot on a weekday at 11 am and booked my tickets from their website a week in advance.
On the day of the visit, it was very cloudy and there was a drizzle for a while so I went to the entrance around an hour early and asked them whether there were clear views at the top, otherwise I had read on some websites that if visibility is zero they do usually accommodate and reschedule your tickets. However, I was assured that there is visibility. I then went close by and had a good breakfast at Epicerie Boulud. Then at around 10:45 am, I proceeded to the entrance and thankfully the lines weren't that long. There was a swift bag check (check your tickets for all the rules carefully and for items that are not allowed. Also considering it's an all-glass exhibit in some rooms wear appropriate clothing) after which came a room where there was a short introductory video of how Summit came to be. Then our tickets were scanned and we were given stick-on wristbands with unique QR codes on them. These QR codes were scanned at each picture point during the visit and then our pictures were taken by the staff. Next, there was an area where they were asking to scan your face for some special "surprise" at the end. This surprise I guess I missed out on as I did not go to that particular room or it may have been nonfunctional that day. In the end, when I purchased my pictures taken by them, I got a picture of my face on a set of clouds and I did not fully understand it. Anyway coming back to the visit, after that, we were also provided shoe covers so that their glass flooring is protected and clean.
After that, we proceeded to a dark hallway with an assistant asking us to queue up for the lifts to the top. In around seven minutes we were in the lift and the lift too was designed to give a mirror-cascading effect combined with light and sound effects as the lift climbed to the top floor. It was an extremely swift ride and we reached the top (ninety-first floor) in hardly ten seconds.
We then exited the lift and came to the first room which was the grandest of them all called the Air: Transcendence 1. This was the room I was most looking forward to after seeing various reels and it did not disappoint. Despite this room being quite crowded, it was a truly "transcending" experience to just look around and see glass everywhere and the reflections and illusions it created were something I had never seen or experienced before.
Also, the views of Manhattan were stunning, especially the Empire State Building, and the bridges and bodies of water separating the island on both sides were also clearly visible. We spent a good half hour just clicking pictures and exploring each side of this room for the views. There was no set timing of how long we could stay in one room so one could easily spend an hour here.
The next room after that was Reflect, consisting of metal droplet-style art installations but this room I just did not feel like spending much time in. The room was intended so that one sits there and meditates but I was too excited to see what was next!
We then came to another famous room at this exhibit which was the Air: Affinity which had numerous floating "orbs" or as I might call them silver balloons. People were having a lot of fun in this room bouncing and sending the orbs upwards and taking a lot of pics. But what turned me off about this place was that these balloons constantly kept bursting and every few seconds there was a loud bang. I know that does not affect many people but for me it was quite unpleasant. Nevertheless, it was a great place to get some Instaworthy pictures. So I bore the loud sounds and got some good shots as hey those Instagram posts are important!
Then we went to the ninety-second floor where we came back to the same room we first visited but on a different level and it was called Air: Transcendence 2. It gave a different perspective to the room we first visited. Honestly, this room from both levels was the best part of the exhibit.
After this, there was a small area (which I came to know later was called Levitation) where many people had lined up. I was almost going to skip this as I did not want to stand and wait in line but my husband suggested if so many people were lining up it must be worth it. Shortly after that, I realized that people were waiting here for their pics to be taken with them standing over a glass bottom ledge suspended outwards of this skyscraper!
It took around fifteen minutes for our turn to come and the first thing that happened to me when I stood on this ledge was that I looked down through that clear glass to see exactly how high above I was! It was a little scary and I got a bit dizzy but I was then distracted by the assistants guiding us to look at their cameras. These specialized cameras on the ceiling were taking photos of us from above to give the illusion of us floating in the air or levitating. Then we were allowed a couple of minutes to take a few selfies etc. I almost missed out on this experience as I saw the lines but I'm glad I did it as the photos came out fantastic.
Then came the ninety-third floor where there was a cafe that didn't intrigue me, I proceeded to the terrace area which was open air so I could get a sense of the weather and breathe in some fresh air at that high altitude. Thereafter we walked through the boutique, we did not want any souvenirs as we just instead wanted to spend our money on buying the pictures that they took of us. Here is where we scanned the QR codes on our wristbands to retrieve the photos they shot of us. They did get some great photos of us in levitation and transcendence and we purchased the digital images set. Then there was a line to take the elevators back down and this too we had hardly a ten-minute wait and we were able to get on an elevator. During the time that we visited the optional add-on Ascent experience (12-story glass elevator journey) which is separately chargeable was unavailable.
To sum it up, I quite enjoyed the transcendence and the levitation rooms and it was according to me a wonderful observation deck to view my favorite city in the world Manhattan, New York. It was a truly unique experience, it was quite interesting and it did not seem chaotic despite the crowds, it was well-managed. I however did come on a weekday during the morning so do keep that in mind as well when you plan your visit.
Thank you for reading ❤️
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