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The Skyline Rooftop Tour at the Grand Hyatt New York

When you get a chance to go up on a rooftop in New York City, you take it!  While not as high as other observatories in the city, the Skyline Rooftop Tour at the Grand Hyatt New York offers a little bit of history of the famous skyscrapers within sight here and great view of the surrounding area

Be sure to check it out when staying at the Grand Hyatt New York.  Also, check it out since it's a great experience and you're paying for it with the Destination Fee!


The Skyline Rooftop Tour
If you're not familiar with the Grand Hyatt New York, check out my review here.

The hotel boasts a premier location in midtown Manhattan next to Grand Central Station and offers convenient access to everything you want to see in New York including Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, Central Park and more.

A new tour they are offering of their rooftop is a great perk, albeit it is included as part of their fairly new destination fee ($25), which you can learn more about at the link below:
Destination Fee Inclusions & Redemption Details

The Skyline Rooftop Tour is currently being offered on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM.


So what can you expect?
The tour begins downstairs in the lobby, where you'll learn all about the hotel and its history, before heading up to the rooftop to take in some great views.

While enjoying the views, you'll learn more about the history of the surrounding area and buildings and see a glimpse into the future of what's to come on the New York Skyline.

Here are some of the highlights of what you'll see on the tour:

The Chrysler Building is an art-deco skyscraper and the tallest brick building (with steel framework) in the world.  As of 2018, it is tied for being the sixth highest building in New York City.


The Downtown View looks towards the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, with all of the tall building in view in the distance.


The Metlife Building stands above Grand Central Station and was originally built in the 1960's as the Pan Am Building, which was the then-headquarters of Pan American World Airways.


The United Nations Headquarters is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan  overlooking the East River.


The Uptown View is composed of Manhattan's Northernmost territory made up of mostly residential areas, world famous museums and Central Park.


The Chanin Building is an art deco brick and terracotta skyscraper located on the corner of 42nd and Lexington Avenue.


The view looking down 42nd street toward the East River:



The construction next door is on the One Vanderbilt Building, which is a skyscraper under construction on the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue.  Once completed in 2020, it will be one of the tallest buildings in New York City.


Overall, I spent approximately 45 minutes on the tour since I enjoyed learning about the surrounding buildings, area and its history.  After the talk concluded, I strolled around and took some great pictures of the surrounding area.  If you're staying at the Grand Hyatt New York, be sure to check out the Skyline Rooftop Tour, you won't be disappointed!