The observatory atop the 1,776-foot World Trade Center finally opens next week. But the view from the tallest building in the US (for now) is not the only stunning vista that will greet visitors.
Although there are plenty of observatories in supertalls, 1 World Trade features some cool technological advances that help orient visitors once they reach the 101st floor. For example, the view is so is so sweeping that visitors can pick up tablets instead of binoculars which help to point out notable landmarks below.
The other two tricks for taking in the view are actually optical illusions. We’d previously seen a peek at the elevators in the tower, which play a 515-year timelapse of the city growing up and out before your very eyes.
And today’s photos reveal that there’s yet another way to see the city below. In the observatory, visitors can step out over what appears to be a stomach-rolling platform that juts out over the West Side Highway.
But it’s not a thick glass floor a la the Willis Tower in Chicago. That’s simply a video screen you’re walking on, with a live feed of the ground below.
The WTC observatory opens to the public on May 29. A trip to the top is only $US32 and there’s also a steakhouse you can dine at up there — if you pay the admission fee on top of your meal. Perhaps you can prepare for it by walking through the world’s most expensive hallway to get there.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan