点评:To visit the Top Of The Rock we opted for an express pass to get us to the 67th floor – one of the main observation decks and whilst we probably didn’t need it on the day we went, it is apparently not uncommon to be queuing for up to an hour for a lift, so we thought it better to be prepared.
The 67th floor had indoor viewing areas, outdoor terraces and most importantly at the time – the Weather Room café; always the best way to start a visit anywhere. We enjoyed a leisurely drink while people watching and then made our way up the 69th floor (no public access to 68th), which was called Breezeway and featured a 360 degree outdoor terrace, enclosed by glass. Of all the skyscrapers we had visited, this was the skyscraper that was located furthest north in Manhattan (but was actually still in mid-town Manhattan) and so it gave a very different perspective to those offered by other famous skyscrapers, giving the view of the skyline looking south and Central Park looking to the north.
Then it was up to the 70th level, the highest observation floor, providing completely unobstructed, glass-free panoramic views of the city. This was also where the Skylift is situated.
To be fair, my husband and I made a conscious decision not to take part in probably two of the biggest draws that the Top of the Rock offers. Firstly, you are given the opportunity of experiencing The Beam, which recreated the black and white photograph “Lunch atop a skyscraper” with the participants seemingly sitting out on the beam. However, for those who know us well, we don’t do photographs – so we gave The Beam a miss. The other unique feature offered by Top Of The Rock is the opportunity to ride in the Skylift.
The 70th floor observation deck is 850 feet above street level but the Skylift gives you the opportunity to go up a further 50 feet, as it is a circular, open-air platform enclosed by anti-shatter glass that rises and slowly rotates 360 degrees. The floor itself can transform from frosted white to fully transparent mid-flight.
Not sure whether to do it or not, the additional cost of $64 each made the decision for us and we decided against it. We did watch others go up and the ride lasted less than 3.5 minutes, so we felt we had made the right decision.
All in all, we did enjoy Top Of The Rock, as it gives such a different perspective due to its location on Manhattan Island and we have no regrets about missing The Beam and The Skylift but if we were to go back, we would like to experience it at dusk/night time, as it is open until midnight.
翻译:为了参观顶层观景台,我们购买了快速通道票,以便直接前往67层——那里是主要的观景区域之一。虽然去的那天我们或许并不需要这张票,但据说经常有人要排长达一小时的队才能乘电梯上去,所以我们觉得有备无患为好。
67层设有室内观景区、室外露台,而当时最吸引我们的则是Weather Room咖啡馆——去任何地方游玩时,能在这里小憩一番总是最惬意的开始。我们悠闲地喝着饮料,欣赏着来来往往的人群,随后前往69层(68层不对公众开放)。这一层被称作“Breezeway”,设有一个被玻璃墙环绕的360度全景露天露台。在我们参观过的所有摩天大楼中,这栋楼位于曼哈顿最北端(但实际上仍属于曼哈顿中城区),因此它为我们呈现了与其他著名摩天大楼截然不同的视野。可以看到向南望去的天际线,以及向北望去的中央公园。随后我们来到了第70层,也就是最高的观景层,在这里可以毫无阻碍地欣赏到城市的全景——而且没有玻璃的遮挡。Skylift也设在这一层。
说实话,我和丈夫特意决定不体验Top of the Rock最具吸引力的两个项目。首先,那里有体验“光束”的机会。该活动重现了黑白照片《摩天楼上的午餐》,参与者们仿佛就坐在横梁上。不过,熟悉我们的人都知道我们并不拍照——所以我们没有参与这项活动。Top Of The Rock的另一个独特之处就是可以乘坐Skylift。70层的观景台距离地面850英尺,而乘坐Skylift后还能再上升50英尺,因为它是一个环形的升降装置。这是一个由防碎玻璃围合的露天平台,能够升起并缓慢旋转360度。在上升过程中,平台地面还可以从磨砂白色变为完全透明。
我们原本拿不定主意是否要体验这个项目,但每个座位64美元的额外费用帮我们做了决定——我们最终决定不体验。我们确实看到其他人乘坐了,整个行程不到3.5分钟,因此觉得自己的决定是正确的。
总的来说,我们还是很喜欢“顶层观景台”体验的。由于它位于曼哈顿岛上,能提供截然不同的视角,所以我们并不后悔没能去“The Beam”和“The Skylift”;不过如果再去一次,我们希望能在黄昏或夜晚去体验,因为它们一直开放到午夜。