New York: SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Skip-the-Line Tour & Photo

4.87

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Hands pressed to the glass, someone next to me just whispered “wow” — honestly, I didn’t blame them. The first thing you notice at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt isn’t even the view (though, yeah, it’s wild), but that light bouncing everywhere. Our guide, Marcus, grinned when he saw us all looking up like kids. He pointed out how the mirrors under our feet were designed to play tricks on your sense of space. I kept catching my own reflection in a hundred places — kind of surreal, and it made me laugh at myself more than once.

We skipped every single line (which felt almost sneaky), straight past crowds waiting for elevators and security. Marcus told us little stories about the building’s design — apparently some of the art installations were inspired by New Yorkers’ daily rush. There was this moment when we stepped into Levitation and my stomach did a tiny flip; standing over glass that high up is something else. You could see the Chrysler Building so close it looked touchable, but also tiny yellow cabs crawling way down below. Someone behind me muttered about vertigo and we all laughed — nerves or excitement, hard to tell.

I caught a whiff of coffee from someone’s cup as we walked between floors (no outside drinks allowed though — learned that fast). The whole place buzzed with different languages and camera clicks, but it never felt crowded since our group moved together with Marcus leading the way. He answered every question without rushing us — even paused so we could try to pronounce “Vanderbilt” in three accents (Li laughed when I tried it in Mandarin — probably butchered it). The complimentary digital photos came out better than I expected; there’s one with my hair flying everywhere from the wind up top that still makes me smile now.

It’s strange how quiet it can feel up there above Midtown Manhattan, even with all those people around you. I didn’t expect to feel so small and so lucky at the same time. If you’re thinking about this SUMMIT One Vanderbilt skip-the-line tour, just wear comfy shoes and don’t look down unless you want your heart to race a bit. I still think about that view sometimes when I’m stuck on the subway.