WHERE: Empire State Building, New York City.

WHY GO: It soars 1,454 feet above Manhattan, for a start. And you'll be dazzled by the views of Manhattan and its four neighboring states from the building observatory.

On the 86th floor, the observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass-enclosed pavilion and from the surrounding open-air promenade. Reach the observatory in high-speed elevators; at the top, high-powered binoculars are available on the outdoor deck to get an even closer look at specific sites around town.

You can climb higher to the 102nd-floor observatory. Reopened in 2005, admission tickets for the 102nd floor are sold only at the Empire State Building; add $15 to regular admission tickets.

The 86th-floor observatory and the 102nd-floor observatory are open 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The last elevators up leave at 1:35 a.m. Audio tours detailing the city's famous skyline are offered in eight languages.

To get to the top even faster, the building offers an Express Pass ($45) that allows visitors to move to the front of the security, ticket and elevator lines. This allows families more time to dine, shop and enjoy their stay in New York. Manhattan's longtime icon was recently named America's favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. www.esbnyc.com.