It shocks!
A new 360-degree skyline attraction at Rockefeller Center is guaranteed to put you a step — or several hundred — above the rest.
Top of the Rock unveiled its brand new Skylift ride – a stunning circular climbing platform that propels up to 13 riders 900 feet into the air. The attraction, which opened Tuesday atop the 70th-floor observation deck, offers clear and unparalleled views of the Big Apple and beyond.
Riders enter an approximately 6-foot-tall glass-paneled enclosure that rests on a stand that plays a colorful LED light show. The shutter slowly rises and rotates in the sky on the tiered stand, so it looks like a telescope opening with a spyglass. The journey takes 3 and a half minutes.
The Skylift is an additional $35 to the regular admission price, which ranges from $75 to $96. It’s also included in the attraction’s $190 VIP package. Photos and videos can be purchased for an additional $40.
UK residents Jason and Arlene Williams tied the knot in the Big Apple on Tuesday, and the smiling newlyweds were among those taking a trip online when the Skylift opened.
“We can’t wait,” the tuxedo-clad groom told The Post.
French tourist Nathalie Mary, a loyal Top of the Rock patron who has visited on all six of her trips to New York, praised the trip for being a one-stop-shop for sights.
“You just have to go once to see everything, instead of walking through different areas of the observation deck,” she told The Post. “All your photos can be made [Skylift] and I love it.”
The Parisian also noticed better views of Central Park when looking north. Rockefeller Center representatives said the Skylift can also be seen at ground level from Sheep Meadow in the park.
The Skylift is one story taller than its 10-month-old sister attraction, Beam, an open-air roller coaster ride that lifts people up a steel beam like that of the iconic 1932 photo “Lunch on a Skyscraper.”
However, if Beam is meant to be closer to a thrill ride, think of Skylift as more of a newspaper that plays pop music.
A head in the clouds
While a quiet ride, the Skylift has a bit of drama – as riders can look down through its visible floors during the 900-foot ascent.
There is some vibration during its revs and the wind pushes the partitions in the glass panels, but it’s nothing to sweat about. First-time rider Holcombe Hardin, an 11-year-old from Tennessee, agreed, although he was initially concerned about the height.
“It was really nice … and I definitely felt safe up there,” he told The Post.
“It was also a lot of fun to walk across the platform as it moved. You should do it if you get the chance.”
The tween’s excited mother Elizabeth Hardin, 37, also praised the trip for being a whirlwind experience in the sky.
After visiting the Empire State Building the day before, Top of the Rock had some stiff competition.
“In the Empire State Building you can see all the things, but not at the same time,” Hardin told The Post.
“You don’t get an unobstructed view like this very often.”
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Image Source : nypost.com