When it was built in 1931, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. It wasn’t the tallest when I visited in 2011, but it’s captivating height and beautiful Art Deco design piqued my interest. It is the tallest building that I have visited since.

The building’s original purpose was to be the tallest building in the world, to captivate and inspire, and that it did. Almost the whole time of my stay in New York City, the building was in view or close to it. When we decided to visit the building and I walked up to the base and looked up, I was completely in shock. To me, it just kept going and going. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

The elevator ride up to the 86th was the longest one I’d ever taken; it felt like forever. However, the view at the top was well worth the wait! I could see the whole city and more in 360 degrees. It filled me with a sense of wonder and amazement being so high up above everything else; it made me feel free. Ever since then, I’ve had a fascination with tall buildings.