The Park Avenue Observatory was built in 1934…read more A lot of folks came to look for the autumn colors / foliage. (Hawks Nest is just down the road). This place has an actual parking lot though. (No restroom ) Park Avenue was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps along the base of Mt. William as a "scenic route" into the city of Port Jervis and to provide employment to the people in Port Jervis. What to expect? You can see the rooftop view of the town of Port Jervis! Note: There are stairs and a ramp as well so you can see the view of the foliage & rooftops.

Top of the Rock at night. It was just magical. I loved how the city just lit up…read more It gets cold up there, so bring a jacket. I loved the cute cafe where you can sit, relax, and drink. Great spot to check off from your bucket list if you want to see New York from a bird's eye view.

We went to the Top of the Rock on Jun 24, 2025 as part of the Road Scholar's "American Mosaic - An…read moreNYC Exploration" program. Entry to the top is through the "Observation Deck" entrance on the north side of the building (on W 50th St). Tickets were provided by our group, apparently one per family. After it got scanned, we went up the stairs to the mezzanine level and into an enclosed area. This area had a wide screen similar in size to the Immersive Theater in the Statue of Liberty Museum. A 5-minute film was shown summarizing 30 Rock's history, glitz and glamor. It culminated with a Christmas segment accompanied by a literal shower of snowflakes on us from the ceiling. "Now that's immersive," I thought. The door at the other end opened. We continued on until we entered the Welcome Gallery. At the far end, a staff member stood before a hall of elevators that would take us to the 67th floor. To our left was a miniature model of Rockefeller Center with light show and music. We were then directed a few at a time by the staff member to a specified elevator. Inside the elevator, an audio/visual material played from the ceiling almost like a fanfare to what was coming next. At the 67th floor, a staff member directed us to head right. I took in the view of the city skyline through the windows. Taking pictures was difficult due to limited field of view behind the walls. The unobstructed balcony view would be found on the 69th and 70th floors. Wife and Son weren't comfortable with heights so they hung out in the Weather Room. I was similarly acrophobic but that didn't stop me from taking the escalator to the 69th. After I got off the escalator, I saw the Beam to my right. Situated entirely on the deck and a maximum elevation of 10 feet from the floor, it didn't look as scary as the people sitting on it made it out to be. My attention quickly turned towards the balcony. From left to right as far as the eye could see, the unobstructed view was overwhelming. Reigning in my acrophobia - which was increasing the longer I remained at the Top - took effort. I proceeded to take pictures of the skyline. The 70th floor above me was accessible by stairs. The view was better. The Beam looked a lot less scary from the 70th floor. As I approached the windows, my breaths got slower and heavier. Taking each picture was laborious because the sunlight made it difficult to see my phone while managing the acrophobia at the same time. Yet I got through it and promptly went down. The experience at the Top of the Rock was much more enjoyable than that at the Empire State Building (ESB) back in Sep 2008. The wait line was much shorter (45 minutes alone just waiting for the elevator to get on top of the ESB). Top of the Rock didn't feel rushed. It offers a lot more space and more time to take it all in. I definitely recommend this place. If I ever return to New York City, I would like to try a different skyscraper (definitely not the ESB) for the next view from the top.

This was an amazing exhibition. I am start struck ( no pun intended). I attended the planetarium…read morefor public night it's open to the public free or charge. Really informative and the graphics are beyond amazing.

Still star struck by the wonderful display at Leitner's. Funny thing is, I have lived near this…read moreplace for years and didn't even know it existed. BEST KEPT SCERET IN NEW HAVEN! Leitner's is nestled away behind the Divinity School at Yale. When driving on Prospect Street, you have to go up a long driveway to even see it. Out of curiosity, I decided to see what was up the hill one day, and wha-lah, I stumbled onto a whole planetarium. Neat! The planetarium is open to the public on Tuesday nights and Sunday afternoons (check out the schedule here http://bit.ly/1tEK7PT) for FREE shows. The current shows focus on Black Holes. Our moderator, Angelo, walked us through all of the constellations visible from earth on a clear night, and even tied in some Greek mythology. Interesting presentation. The coolest part was the special effects that allow the audience to zoom into stars, it felt like I was whizzing through space. That was the first half of the presentation, about 30 minutes long. In the second part, they show a movie that delves into the mysteries of black holes. On clear nights, after the show, they offer free viewings of the night sky through their massive telescopes. It was a little hazy on the night I went, but I was still able to see Saturn. It was a great outing for the bargain price of... Free! This would be a great experience for families with children or for lovebirds to hold hands while gazing into the stars (gentleman, tell your lady no star is as radiant as she is and your guaranteed a smooch... You're welcome.). An out of this world experience! I'll be back.

Derived from the Greek root astron for star, and nomos for arrangement or law, astronomy represents…read morea world that is both mysterious and grandiose. It's a story about glimmering celestial objects and the immensity of the cosmos. It's tough to find dark skies so close to New York City. But with the right location and guidance, astronomy lovers have a great time stargazing in NJ. Located at the Buzz Aldrin Astronomical Center (named after the famous Montclair native and second person to ever set foot on the moon) in Voorhees State Park, NJAA Observatory is open every Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon from June 1 through October 31, where my partner and I went last night as first-timers. The facility features a 26-inch Cassegrain telescope, which is the largest in New Jersey, as well as two smaller ones and a binocular setup around the grounds. Upon entering, we were greeted by a number of knowledgeable volunteers @D.Ann S who explained the different buildings and their respective scopes and capabilities and all the benefits of joining NJAA, whose membership is roughly $40 for the year. They answered questions from the young children or the young at heart. We started out at their auditorium and split the group of 30 between viewing the moon with smaller telescopes outside or viewing the stars with the larger one upstairs. The images of the craters and seas of the moon were amazing. One of the staff pointed out the site of the first moon landing. Due to the clouds, it was not possible to view the larger one clearly. This is an amazing little environment for all ages that was well worth the stop, which we can recommend.

My first time here was OUT OF THIS WORLD, pun intended. It's a small-ish operation and the entire…read morestaff is warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and willing to answer any question you have. They have great patience and don't rush you when you're trying to star gaze. They explain everything you see and some of what you don't. I loved the gentleman who gave us their back story and all the tea on how they came to be THE place that houses THE largest telescope in the ENTIRE state of New Jersey. Star gazing is cool, dare I say, romantic, and so fun! I recommend it at least once. You'll be hooked!

First time going and although it was a full moon, I was able to see Jupiter and a few other…read moreplanets. Still takes tour breath away to see it in person and not on tv. The older gentlemen running the program were very informative and helpful, even with the history of the old army base where the tower now sits One negative thing; the younger gentleman in the field with equipment (dare I use improper terminology cause he may get in a tizzy) was VERY rude. I'm not an astronomer, clearly as he mad civilians aware of that, and was very ungrateful that we were even there trying learn. I was simply in awe of seeing such a spectacular sight that I stated it looked fake, and his response was far from comforting (I obviously know it's not up close and detailed, but seeing it for the first time was breathtaking and he literally ripped that experience from me with his negativity and rudeness) A few others, as well as my party, didn't know where to go first or at all or how to operate such intimidating equipment other than a basic telescope or binoculars. Not sure if he was a volunteer, but I would NOT come back if he wasn't!

The Westport Observatory was a great experience for me, being an astronomy enthusiast. I got to…read moreobserve celestial bodies with the most perfect clarity using their high-powered telescope. It was surreal to see Jupiter's cloud bands and its Galilean moons, while Saturn's rings had so much detail that it left me speechless. I especially liked to focus on deep-space objects. The diameter of the optical aperture allowed seeing the very thin light of Andromeda, the Galaxy's structure, or the structure of Orion Nebula. The tracking was very accurate; thus, tracking targets across the sky was effortless. Dark skies allowed me to observe some objects, such as star clusters and double stars, that would be hard or impossible for a small amateur telescope like mine to show. I was also pleased by the possibility of experimenting with the choice of magnification and tuning focus for sharp images. These nights, experiencing so advanced equipment, have been truly gratifying. For more personal cosmic encounters in the future, Westport Observatory will always remain my point of reference.

I highly recommend taking your friends here visiting the city or looking for a place to go to! It…read morewas an overall fun experience. Was there for about 2-3 hours to explore and relax. We were there in cinco de mayo so I ended up getting a chips and quac was 10$ it was delicious but for the price I wish I could get more Quac. Now, the drink was outrageously expensive and I question why I even got it. In my opinion it was NOT worth it. The taste was OK. Price was 21$!! Never again. I get it it's the city and tourist but let's be real. . Lastly I got a horchata and hands down one of the best I've had so to me it was worth the price me and my friend split it. Overall, the experience is a 10/10 5 stars but the food/drinks I give it a 3 stars. The view is very nice though. This is the second time I've been here next time I'll be coming at night to experience it.

This review isn't about Summit observation itself but about the lack of onsite service as well as…read morelackluster help from management regarding purchasing tickets as a NYC resident. While there is an option to purchase tickets with NYC discount online - ( you put your zipcode in)- this somehow isn't possible at the ticket kiosks on-site as well as at their "welcome desk". Seems ridiculous in this day and age, honestly. I happened to be there in person but with a phone on very low charge ( it died as I was talking with staff person). I was directed to the welcome desk to speak with a manager to see about purchasing my tickets, however soon discovered it wasn't possible because of the way their system is set up. Tourist priority, I guess. However I then asked about charging my phone ( there was a wall outlet less than 20 feet away ), so that I could just complete the purchase online, as they seem to be encouraging NYC residents to do. This manager said it wasn't possible and that she was following policy- which I get- however in this instance, I wasn't just a random person walking up to charge my phone and walk away. This was literally so I could go on their website to purchase a ticket. She basically turned away a customer ( or would be customer at this point ) because she couldn't discern that even policy withstanding this was an earnest customer ask that would have resulted in their favor regarding not only a ticket for that day but any future tickets where I'd bring family, friends to in the coming summer months. When she mentioned using outlets in Grand Central Station to charge my phone and come back- I told her she was misinformed as there are no public outlets as GC Terminal. Anyway, I'm sure the observatory is nice, but this level of customer service left me feeling like it might not be be worth the trouble as a NYer and leave it to the tourists to enjoy. Why not make it possible to put in your zipcode at the kiosk when purchasing tickets? Really.‍

A great experience. Look for any coupons. I did pay full price right at Hudson Yards. Located…read moreinside the mall. After a short interactive elevator experience, you enter the indoor space. Lots of photo ops here from different angles and in the outdoor section, there's some balcony seating. There's a glass floor window to the bottom, nerve wracking if you have a fear of heights. On a windy day, terrifying! I couldn't even sit on it. Overall, a great experience. There seem to be a few more of these high view point experiences besides the Empire State Building popping up in NYC. Definitely check it out while you are visiting.

I was very disappointed with Edge. Originally, I had wanted to do the City Climb experience, but…read morethey were doing renovations to it, and it wasn't available. In hindsight, it was for the best. As it was, I paid extra for priority access, which allows you to skip the lines. But there was no line to get in, and no line for the elevator up. There was a line for the elevator down that I got to skip, but it was only about 10 people, so I basically saved 5 minutes. The whole experience took me about 15-20 minutes. With Top of Rock, you've got the beam, the lift, and the short fun little movie at the beginning, with Empire, you have the historical aspect of it, and with Summit 1, you have the ballroom. There's nothing special or drawing to Edge. The views are ok, but the deck is on the smaller side of the ones I've been to. Security was a little rude and off-putting. The first security guard said I set the alarm off and sends me over to the side. That guy waves me through, then the original guy starts freaking out for me to stop. I go back to the 2nd, and I'm like you waived me through, and he just keeps saying it's ok. And pawing at my stuff, mind I had a clear bag so you see everything in case I set an alarm off. Anyway, It better be ok, I went to stop, and YOU waived me through. Overall, of the observation decks I've done, Edge has been the worst. 1. Top of the Rock 2. Summit 1 3. One Times Square 4. Empire State 5. Edge

In 19th century London, a crackpot Victorian engineer named Alexander Stanhope St. George dreamed…read moreup an undersea tunnel to serve as a speedy traffic conduit from London to New York. (He hated travel by boat) His traffic corridor was never realized, but his enterprising great grandson Paul St. George recently discovered the mysterious blueprints of his great-grandfather's incomplete dig. The younger St. George has installed fiberoptic cables running under the Atlantic, through the completed tunnel, from the Brooklyn Bridge to London's Tower Bridge, allowing New Yorkers and Londoners to greet each other in real time, across the pond! St. George's story is so intriguing and fanciful--and it really is quite a marvel to wave at our friends over in London and see them wave back. In fact, it's so much fun to tickle our brains with St. George's fantasy, don't you dare think for a second about skype, cellphones, the internet, streaming video or other inventions of our non-Victorian age, or your creeping doubts may just ruin this enchanting tale. Go see it for yourself, until June 15th.

I wish it would have been here permanently. They could easily make it a paid attraction. It was the…read morefirst time I did anything like this. Since then I have called people and waved from web cams. But this was just too cool and so much fun! I e-mailed people in London to meet me at a certain time in front of the Telectroscope and they did. Look at the picture I have. It is priceless. It is a family in London and see the bridge in the background!. I wish it would come back!

The Shepaug Eagle Observation Area is a wonderful place for visitors to observe Eagles, and view…read moreexhibits. The program is managed by volunteers from the Connecticut Audubon. Volunteers can assist viewers, provide information, and answer questions. Admission is free but reservations are required. This season runs from 12/21 through 3/15 on Wednesday, Saturdays, and Sunday. Christine's Critters was there on the day I went giving a very detailed presentation, and bringing the audience face-to-face with rescue birds of prey. This is a wonderful place that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Amazing time watching the eagles! Definitely need a better lens! We were able to see two eagles…read morein the trees as well as juveniles. They offer free binoculars, but it's best to bring your own. It's chilly, so make sure you are dressed properly during the winter months