When I was in New York years ago, the Empire State Building was the attraction of tourists. There are still many tourists who want to experience the Empire State Building, but SUMMIT is the best thing, in my opinion, for kids. The Empire State Building does have a lot of history, but I think the SUMMIT is much better. Plus, you can’t see the Empire State Building from the Empire State Building, but you can see the Empire State Building from SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. This experience is 3 floors of breathtaking views of the city, parks, and NYC’s boroughs. It is also an immersive experience for visitors.

With the great location of the Knickerbocker Hotel, we only walked about 5 minutes to the SUMMIT. Once there, we had to wait in a long line, but we were given shoe covers to prevent damaging the floors.

Shoe Covers

We then walked to the elevator and went up to the 91st floor of One Vanderbilt. It is the fourth tallest building in New York City and the tallest skyscraper in midtown Manhattan.

Walking to the elevators

It took no time to get to the 91st floor. One guy on the elevator actually timed the amount of seconds it took, and it was super fast.

When you step off the elevator, everything is so bright on a sunny day that they ask you to wear sunglasses. Don’t worry if you don’t have a pair. They have a pair for you to wear during your experience. I had my own. The views were amazing! You could see the Brooklyn Bridge, Harlem, Central Park, The Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Brooklyn, other boroughs, and Jersey.

If you visit the SUMMIT, you can see the Chrysler Building.

You can also see the Empire State Building.

It is so bright on a sunny day because all of the flooring is reflective. Please do not wear a skirt to the SUMMIT because people will be able to peek underneath your skirt. They actually offer pants if you aren’t wearing any.

We went up to the 92nd floor, which contained these cool silver balloons. Be careful or they might pop! My youngest does not like heights, but when she got to this floor and saw all the silver balls, she was in heaven.

In the next room, we saw Clouds, 2019 by Yayoi Kusama. This is stainless steel with patina and wax in 90 parts. It’s a large scale floor-based installation containing reflective cloud-like forms that create the feeling of floating. Kusama is a Japanese artist, and her books are available for purchase in the gift shop at SUMMIT.

On the 93rd floor, there is Apres, a spacious and bright restaurant for guests.

There is also a rooftop deck where you can purchase drinks.

Once you are done with your experience in the clouds, you can head down to the gift store. They have everything from sweatshirts to chess sets. They also have books by artist Yayoi Kusama, the artist who created Clouds on the 92nd floor of the building, and other souvenirs to remember your experience.

I purchased the white sweatshirt with New York City on the front and SUMMIT One Vanderbilt on the arm. It is so soft and comfy.

We spent over an hour at One Vanderbilt. I highly recommend this experience whether you have kids or not. Matt’s cousins went the following night at 9:00 p.m, so they were able to experience the night tour. I can only imagine how beautiful it is with all of the city lights. Check out SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. I promise you will have a great time!