Standard Admission to the One World Observatory is $37 dollars per adult if you buy the tickets inside at the window. Keep in mind that the lines are always long and you’ll have to go through a security screening process. You’ll be required to remove any jackets, bags, belts, phones, and electronics and place them in a bin to be scanned while you step through a metal detector.
Once that’s done, you’ll walk along a tunnel-like corridor lined with presentation screens that display short movies about One WTC and Ground Zero. This corridor eventually leads to the elevators.
Once inside an elevator, you’ll find that the elevator walls are actually screens that show an animation of how New York City has changed over the decades. This is done in a way that gives you the sensation of rising above the city while it builds up below you. The elevator ride ends with a depiction of the construction of One WTC itself as you see steel beams assemble overhead.
You’re then brought into a theater-like area and treated to a movie projected onto a large wall showing all sorts of scenes from around NYC.
When the presentation ends, the wall itself lifts up revealing huge windows and a taste of the amazing views that One WTC offers.
After a brief orientation from one of the staff members, you’re given the chance to take in the views of the city via One WTC’s two-level observatory.
Through the large windows you can see many landmarks including the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building.
You have as much time as you want in the Observatory. There’s even a cafe that serves coffee, tea, pastries, sandwiches, and so on. So relax, hang out, enjoy the views – and take lots of pictures.
Whether you’re visiting New York City or are a long-time New Yorker, I highly recommend visiting. All of the presentations were excellent, the staff was very friendly, and the overall experience was inspiring and uplifting with a very positive statement about New York and the city’s resiliency.
Photos in this story taken with an Olympus EM-10, Panasonic 25mm f1.7 and the Olympus 14-42RII kit lens.