Strength and grace combine to make the Empire State Building the most famous skyscraper in the world and the quintessential New York landmark. Topping out at 443m, it is one of the few buildings you can really go right to the top of. From the 86th-floor observatory (try to get there early to avoid long queues), there are superb panoramic views over Central Park, the skyscrapers of the south of Manhattan, beyond the lower buildings of Chelsea, the Village and the Lower East Side.