New York's Iconic Attraction SUMMIT One Vanderbilt

 A city of endless opportunities, great diversity and high energy; visiting New York – my home town always holds an important meaning in my life. Although the memories are very distant and few and I have come a long time since I was a young child, there is so much that New York offers on each visit.  

Comprising 5 boroughs, sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean New York is one of the most advanced cities in the world -in terms of financial, cultural and commercial centers. Having some of the most iconic skyscrapers such as The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, the Rockefeller Plaza, One Times Square, the Trump Tower, the Waldorf-Astoria and many others it also has the sprawling Central Park which is a massive green oasis that is located in the heart of New York. Central Park is one of the largest parks in the world!

 

With almost a quarter of New York residents being foreign-born immigrants from over 150 countries, New York has a very diverse population scattered across the five boroughs – Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island. 

During this trip to New York, I was lucky to be able to visit the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt – the fourth tallest skyscraper in New York along with my sister, her fiancé, and her son. 

Opened in September 2020, this skyscraper is a 1,401 feet tall (77 stories) commercial skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. It is also amongst the top 30 tallest buildings in the world. Offering three levels of multi-sensory immersive experiences, it was truly breathtaking to take in the panoramic views as well as marvel at the mirrored rooms and art installations.

Even the elevator ride up had its own light show – the external glass elevator being the largest of its kind in the world! The elevator goes up 91 floors in 43 seconds!

For safety reasons, we had to wear black plastic bags on top of our shoes. Once we walked inside the building and exited the gobsmacking ride up to the 91^st floor we were immersed in an incredible fun house where we had the entire New York skyline all around us. The building was completely and beautifully made of glass, so while we walked, we could see all the way down to the ground (which was not only scary but also both mesmerising and immersive! In fact, my visit was in June (17^th) but the visit to this building would give you a completely different experience – depending on the time of the year and season!  

One of the rooms known as ‘Transcendence’ took three years to design and has nothing but glass all around you – looking up would only give you reflections of other people, ceilings and floors creating the most fascinating optical illusion. 

In addition to this, there is of course the most beautiful skyline to simultaneously absorb! In addition to this, there is an overwhelming affinity of tourists who are constantly pouring in, posing atop every corner!

With different art installations located on all three floors, it is nothing but a sensory overload and experience which is very hard to forget! The floor – Transcendence is a completely unique experience to engage in the space around you! 

Located on the 92^nd floor, the room enters into an interactive installation that runs a 47.5 x 12-foot Samsung digital LED wall that displays a full screen real-time animated cloudscape which pushes the boundaries to magnificent volumes and heights!  People who visit SUMMIT One Vanderbilt are rendered amongst midground and background cloud elements as they enter the 

space!

(Affinity)

 The floor where Affinity is a fun experience where not only is there a million-dollar view where you can even see the Top of the Rock, but also be part of an orgasm where there are silver balloons everywhere in the room – where everyone interacts with one another!  

Every room is interconnected with one another and it feels as if you are walking a maze! It is one of the coolest places I have ever been to take pictures and videos! Even the bathroom has one of the best views you will ever come across! In Transcendence II, you really feel like folding time!

 

Once you are at the top of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt you can stare at people (beneath you) who enter into Transcendence 1. The glass creates reflections of everyone and everything happening in this building. You can see reflections of yourself on each floor going down and down and down! 

 

There is also a certain section which shows a clear glass view over Madison Avenue!

 

In addition to the beauty of this building, there is of course a café where you can have a drink or cocktail, etc. You can stare right at The Empire State Building from here as well! You can scan across Queens and Brooklyn as well! 

One of the highlights of visiting this building is being to ride the largest outdoor elevators (glass) in the world to 1201 feet above the city!  

A visit to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is truly one of the most unique things that you can do when in the city! (For both residents as well as tourists)  This sky-high observatory deck certainly brags its views compared to other observatory decks in the city!