Rockefeller Center Observation Deck to Reopen

The observation deck on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza will be reopened to the public for the first time since 1986. Although it’s not as high up as the Empire State Building, one of its draws will be advance ticket sales.

Empire State Building officials sounded unconcerned:

The Empire State Building observation deck, 200 feet higher and $1 cheaper, drew about 3.5 million visitors last year. Lydia A. Ruth, the director of public relations for the building, welcomed the prospect of a reopened observation roof at Rockefeller Center.

“It will be a great place to view the Empire State Building,” she said.

Despite its admission fee ($14), it should be fun to go up there:

Never as heavily trafficked as the Empire State observatory, the Rockefeller Center rooftop felt more like a sanctuary than a tourist attraction. Its lower elevation also gave visitors the appealing sense of being suspended among the pinnacles of the skyline, rather than above them.

The reopening appears to be slated for the fall.