NYC Trip 2026 - Day 4, Part 3/Summit One Vanderbilt

Wow - this was definitely an experience that I never expected. We have visited The Empire State Building, Top Of The Rock and The Edge - and they were all special in their own way. But this experience was completely unique. It was truly a spectacle - and a little overwhelming at the same time!

 

 This is what One Vanderbilt looks like (from the internet since I couldn't get an actual shot myself of it)...

 

The Summit entrance...

 

A very short film when you first enter...

 

Then they make you put protectors on your shoes...

 

 Going up in the mirrored elevator to the 91st floor...

 

Then you enter the 91st floor...

 

You can see the city from all sides of the floor. Once you are done with the 91st, you get on an escalator to the 92nd and then you can go up again to the 93rd. Once you go up an escalator, you cannot go back down. We were there as the sun was setting, so it was a bit sunny and warm in certain parts of the building, but it made for beautiful views...

 

Honestly, I cannot tell one floor from the next in these photos, so I will try to post in order as best as I can. I don't really remember when we would go up an escalator, but this is the basic order of things...

 

 

We did not expect the amazing rooms we would enter coming to Summit. There were a number of art installations by Yayoi Kusama. You may remember when our family visited the High Museum in 2019 and saw Kusama's "Infiniti Mirrors" exhibit. 

 

These were amazing...

 

The Affinity Room (full of silver orbs)...

 

We arrived at a portion of the tour that allowed us to stand on the glass floor looking down...

 

Just incredible. 

 

The views were indescribable up there...

 

We went up to the 93rd floor and came across a gift shop...

Yes, I did buy the Yayoi Kusama head ornament for my Christmas tree - heh.

 

 Doug said we had one more thing to do. He purchased an upgraded ticket so we could go into an elevator that went up a couple more floors. You don't exit the elevator, but you do get even higher...

 

  

 

 

 

Once we got off that elevator, it was time to find something to eat. They had a little cafe on the 93rd floor and an area you could step outside. We ventured outside for a minute or so, but it was so windy up there!

 

Doug and I grabbed something to eat, but Briana wasn't hungry yet. This was the worst meal of the entire trip. How can you mess up a hot dog? This cafe managed to figure that out...

 

When we were done, we went back down 93 floors, grabbed an Uber and headed back to the hotel. 

 

The view as we waited for our car...

 

 The traffic was so bad getting back to Times Square that evening. We were stuck in the Uber just about two blocks from our hotel for a while. We told the guy we would just get out and walk back to the hotel. It was way faster.

 

That is when we happily walked by the Palace Theater...

 

We got back to the room and Briana was finally getting hungry. She ordered some room service (and I got a little something too since my food at the Summit sucked). 

 

We watched the Tony Awards. We missed the opening act (saw that when we got back home), but we saw everything else...

 

So, that was our day. The Summit is absolutely incredible, but it can be overstimulating at times. So depending on what type of experience you are looking for, do a little research on where and how you want to see the skyline of NYC.

 

My next post will be about our last day. I was sad to go home!