The Best View in NYC- Top of the Rock

For someone slightly afraid of heights I do love to see a city from above and New York is one city that you’ve not really seen till you’ve got up high.

On my first trip to NYC I went up the Empire State Building (which was amazing) but on a recent trip, I’d heard a lot about Top of the Rock and I wasn’t leaving till I had gone up there to see what all the hype was about.

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Opened in 2005 the Top of the Rock is an observation area literally on top of the Rockefeller Centre. The observation area is across 3 floor 67th, 69th and 70th (no idea what’s on the 68th!). You can visit every day of the year and the usual opening times are 8 am to Midnight with the last elevator going up at 11 pm but do check the website just to make sure. I visited at lunchtime but I’ve heard and seen amazing photos during the golden hour, sunset and in the evening with the city lights shining brightly. New York is one of those cities that you know is pretty darn special but once you get up top and look out across it you have a whole new appreciation for it. I could have had hours up there taking in the views and filling my memory card with pictures.

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On the 67th and 69th floor there are big panes of glass for protection and to stop the wind but if you take the stairs to the 70th floor you get a sweeping unobstructed 360 view of the city. You can see Central Park, the streets of midtown, Chrysler building,  Statue of liberty in the distance and the best is that you get a view of new york with the Empire State Building standing tall and strong in the foreground. Even on a cloudy grey day, it was the most beautiful view. You should note that is you are visiting during the Christmas holidays sadly you can’t see the ice skating and Christmas tree from up top but you can spend some time taking in the festive spirit once you’ve come back down to street level.

It’s a popular attraction for millions of visitors every year. It’s also a popular place for engagements and wedding photos. We were lucky enough to see a couple up there having some pretty spectacular wedding photos. Who wouldn’t want the NYC skyline in their wedding album! The tickets run on a timed system so you need to book for a certain time however once you are up there you can stay as long or as little as you want. I’d recommend at least an hour.  We booked online and you can do that or at the box office with several different options for tickets availabl. Do check out their website but a standard adult ticket is $36 which is brilliant value for an almost priceless view.

The main entrance is on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. You can’t miss it there is a big red carpet out the front and likely a queue of people. The queue does move fairly quickly and be ready for security checks when you get inside.

We visited late December and even with the foggy and grey skies, it’s still so beautiful…

Central Park is there under the clouds I promise

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I’d seen this shot on Instagram so obvs had to copy

Looking for other things to do in NYC then check out our post on The High Line and The Brooklyn Bridge.

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The best view of NYC from Top of the Rock on The Wandering Darlings

Wine on Waiheke 


On Waiheke Island you MUST drink 🍷 at one of the many vineyards.  Surpringly for such a smal island there is a lot of wineries. We caught the ferry over from Auckland so had a lovely day exploring and found ourselves settling in at Goldie Estate for a wine with a view. 
Goldies is one of the first vineyards on Waiheke and we learnt that when the original owners retired and their children didn’t want to take over they gave the vineyard to the University of Auckland for Wine Science. 

They had a lovely setting and cellar door set up with wines and cheeses. Such a relaxed atmosphere and we were able to try a few different wines before settling on our favourite. You can sit out on benches, cushions right next to the vines or take your wine and sit up on the hill over looking the picturesque Putiki Bay. 

Beautiful setting, amazing wine (especially the Rose) and the views. Just divine 👌

The Monument 

Having recently spent the Easter break in London we went full throttle on the tourist trail. Selfies with Big Ben, sunset ride on the London Eye, popped by Buckingham Palace for a cuppa with Liz and hanging with the Lions in Trafalgar Square. It was like I had just visited London for the first time!

One thing we hadn’t planned on doing was going to see ‘The Monument’. To be honest I didn’t even know about it or the history behind it. My partner did but he’s British and probably learnt about it at School. I knew there had been a ‘Great Fire of London’ but that was about it.

So to fill you in, just in case you were equally as uneducated on this structure as I was. It is to commemorate the Great Fire of London which happened in 1666. It is also very close to the spot where it started (Pudding Lane) and is built on the site of where the first church that was burnt down by the Great Fire. There is also another monument where the fire stopped.

We were walking looking for a tube station to get back to our hotel after a nice little romantic moonlit walk along the Thames. I had seen on the map that Monument Station was up ahead. With that we looked down a side street and there it was in all its glory. This is when I had my history lesson. We also saw a sign saying you could climb up it for ONLY £4!! ( note- its only cash payments)

So the next day we headed straight there. There were only 5 people in the queue and it was a 1 in 1 out system. Paid our £4 and then climbed the very narrow 311 steps all the way to the top.

Whilst catching my breathe (yes it was a long way to the top) I then looked out and was shocked at the amazing views. You could see St Pauls, the London Eye, The Shard, London Bridge, Oxo Tower and just the beautiful London Skyline of and a few Cranes (or 100 so my other half counted). Looking at it at street level you could just see all the skyscrapers surrounding so I initially didn’t have high hopes of what we would see. I have since learned that the Monument website have a live camera giving panoramic views of London 24 hours a day.

I’ve been to the top of the London Eye and to the top of St Pauls and I can honestly say the views matched both of these and this it was ONLY £4 and no long queue. You even get a certificate on your way out to say you have climbed the monument, historic information and a nice historic sketch of the structure (without all the skyscrapers around it now).

If you find yourself in London I can’t recommend enough that you include going to see and climbing this beautiful Monument.

Here is a couple (ok more than couple) of photo from both the street level and also from the top. I’ve even put in a selfie – I couldn’t let Big Ben have all the fun.

More info- http://www.themonument.info/

xx