Some Fun Facts About the Iconic Empire State Building

I've read that in 2011, Cornell researchers analyzed millions
of Flickr photos and concluded that the Empire State Building
is the most photographed building in the world.

15 Fun Facts about this Iconic Building.

1. The Empire State Building is a skyscraper in Manhattan,
New York City, USA.

2. The building has 103 floors and at roof height is 1250 ft
(381 m) tall. The height when including the antenna spire
is 1454 ft (443.2 m).

3. The Empire State Building was designed by William Lamb
of the architect firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates.
The contracting construction firm was Starrett Brothers
and Eken.

4. Around 3,400 workers were involved in the construction
of the Empire State Building, with official records showing
five workers died.

5. It took just 410 days for the Empire State Building to be

constructed, quicker than anticipated.

6. The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931
when President Herbert Hoover turned the lights on with
a push of a button from Washington, D.C.

7. For 41 years between 1931 and 1972 the Empire State
Building was the tallest building in the world.

8. There are 6,514 windows in the Empire State Building.

9. From street level to the 103rd floor there are 1,872 steps.
A race up the stairs to the 86th floor is held annually,
the athletes must climb a total of 1,576 steps.

10. There are 73 elevators in the building, including 6 freight
elevators.

11. Because so many businesses are housed in the building
the Empire State has its own zip code, 10118.

12. The building itself cost $24,718,000 to build, when the
cost of the land is included this figure climbs to $40,948,900.
This cost was less than half of the total anticipated cost
due to the Great Depression.

13. The Empire State Building has a lightning rod near the top
which is struck by lightning around 23 times every year.

14. There are observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors.
These tourist attractions are visited by around 4 million
people annually.

15. The Empire State Building became the tallest building in
New York City again after the collapse of the World Trade
Center in 2001. In April 2012 the new One World Trade
Center surpassed the Empire State Building in height.

Empire State of Mind

The lines of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys 2009 Grammy nominated hit song "Empire State of Mind" best capsulizes what New York City is truly all about.

"Concrete jungle where dreams are made of 

There's nothing you can't do 

Now you're in New York! 

These streets will make you feel brand new 

Big lights will inspire you

Let's hear it for New York, New York, New Yooork!

On the avenue, there ain't never a curfew, ladies work so hard 

Such a melting pot, on the corner selling rock, preachers pray to God 

Hail a gypsy cab, takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn Bridge 

Some will sleep tonight with a hunger for more than an empty fridge."

The tip of the Empire State Building

The first time I set foot in New York City was on December 2010 and it was a dream come true for me! I thought I would only see New York City in the movies. So when I landed at the airport, I was overwhelmed with so much joy and excitement! 

Flags Rockefeller Center 

"I love New York" was the visible signage that warmly welcomed me upon my arrival at JFK airport. Soon enough, in just a few days of exploring around the streets of New York, the more i fell in love with the city. It's just so vibrant and has a very unique character. And those could possibly be the very reason why it attracts approximately 55 million visitors per year. 

New York is the most populous city in the United States and a global power city. New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world.

On one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a county of New York State. The five boroughs includes the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—These boroughs have a combined population of 8.5 million distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles. New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

I will be featuring a series of blogs about the famous tourist spots in New York! You watch out for it:-)