Top of the Rock Observation Deck New York: Your Guide

Rockefeller Center is one of the most important tourist destinations in New York, a complex of 19 buildings begun in 1929 by oil magnate John D. Rockefeller.

Its centerpieces are the 30 Rock skyscraper (officially the Comcast Building, formerly the GE Building and before that the RCA Building), its Top of the Rock observation deck and Radio City Music Hall.

You'll also recognize it because its central plaza is where the famous Christmas tree we've seen in hundreds of movies gets lit, with the city's most visited ice skating rink right below it.

What to do at Rockefeller Center

There's plenty to do at Rockefeller Center, since it packs in several of the classic Manhattan attractions I'll walk you through below.

1. Top of the Rock Observatory

The Rockefeller Center observation deck is a classic New York viewpoint with unbeatable views of the Midtown Manhattan skyline.

In my opinion it's one of the New York observation decks you have to see, because it's open-air and gives you total immersion in the heart of New York.

It sits at the top of the Comcast Building, better known as 30 Rock. From its terraces you'll look straight at the Empire State and at One Vanderbilt, the skyscraper next to Grand Central Terminal that holds New York's newest observatory. I recommend visiting both!

Admission to the Top of the Rock observatory is included in every tourist pass, for example the City Pass, ideal if you want to see 5 major attractions, or the New York Pass, an «all-inclusive» pass.

Tickets to the observation decks are expensive, so you'll probably have to pick one (I hope you can go up to all of them, because each has its own charm!). If you do have to choose, this comparison of the best observatories in New York will help.

Top of the Rock entrance: access is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and you'll spot it easily because it's also the entrance to the NBC studios and the Rainbow Room.

2. Radio City Music Hall

Visiting Radio City Music Hall (1260 6th Avenue) is like being transported to an art deco New York: lavish, full of sparkle, smelling of tobacco and prosperity.

I recommend taking the guided tour of the theater (this tour is also included in the New York Pass discount card).

During Christmas at Radio City, the theater stages the Christmas Spectacular, a holiday musical starring the Rockettes, the famous precision dance company that dates back to the 1930s.

3. NBC Studios

NBC Studios will probably ring a bell, because that's where Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin work on the show 30 Rock.

In fact, the show's name is the address of the skyscraper that houses the NBC studios (the Comcast Building, at 30 Rockefeller Plaza).

These studios are where Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show are taped.

If you plan ahead, you can sign up for free to attend a taping or a rehearsal of one of these shows (I did it and I'll do it again every time I visit NYC!).

If you're a TV fan, you have to visit the NBC store in the basement of 30 Rock, a merchandising paradise covering all of the network's shows and series (Seinfeld included).

4. Rockefeller Plaza

Rockefeller Plaza is the heart of the complex. It's where the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree goes up, and from late October to early April it's home to the ice skating rink that has appeared in so many movies.

When summer arrives in New York, the ice rink traditionally turned into the Summer Garden & Bar. But starting in April 2022, instead of that restaurant there will be a roller skating rink for the first time.

This rink is part of the renovation Rockefeller Center is going through to draw New Yorkers and visitors with new attractions. The Disco Nights promised by the organizers of this roller rink should certainly do the trick.

Tickets for roller skating at Rockefeller Center are already on sale and cost $20. The rink will be half the size of the ice skating rink, so the other half will be set up with little tables and chairs so you can enjoy the action 🙂

5. Channel Gardens

The Channel Gardens are the walkway that connects Fifth Avenue with Rockefeller Plaza.

It's a landscaped setting that's always decorated according to the season, so you might run into pumpkins, Easter bunnies or angels depending on when you travel (still not sure which month to visit?).

It's always packed with tourists, since it's one of the best spots for photos of the imposing Comcast Building.

Around its edges you'll find famous stores, above all the Lego Store, a must if you're traveling with kids.

6. The Concourse

The Concourse is an underground network of passageways connecting each of the Rockefeller Center buildings. It's how workers get to their offices, and it also connects directly to the various subway lines that serve the complex.

It also has plenty of shops, restaurants and food counters. As I mentioned, these basements are home to the NBC Store, which is the access point for guided tours of the studios and for live show tapings.

When you visit Top of the Rock, you'll exit through the Concourse hallways. It's worth walking around to take in the energy of this underground space; you'll catch unforgettable scenes like executives getting their shoes shined (and it's a great place to duck into on cold winter days!).

One very important tip for tourists: there are clean public restrooms down there 😉

Art at Rockefeller Center

This complex has art deco details in every corner, plus valuable pieces like the Atlas Statue (1937) at the entrance of the International Building (630 Fifth Avenue) by sculptor Lee Lawrie.

Lawrie also created Wisdom (1933), the Art Deco icon above the entrance to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, visible from Fifth Avenue.

Another standout work is News (1940) by Isamu Noguchi, the steel relief above the entrance to 50 Rockefeller Plaza.

This piece was commissioned from the Japanese American artist to symbolize the activity inside the building, which back then was the headquarters of the Associated Press.

Diego Rivera at Rockefeller Center

The decoration of the 30 Rock lobby, the icon of Rockefeller Center, was commissioned from Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, who traveled to New York with his wife Frida Kahlo for the job (a story you can watch in the 2002 movie Frida).

The commission turned out to be hugely controversial, since Rivera, well known for his ties to communism, would be working for one of the biggest capitalists around.

Maybe all that criticism is what led him to include Lenin's face as the finishing touch on his mural «Man at the Crossroads«.

This outraged Rockefeller, who immediately replaced Rivera with the Catalan artist Jose María Sert for a new decoration, destroying Rivera's mural in the process.

Sert would paint a mural far more to Rockefeller's liking, called American Progress (1937), the work you can see today.

Lucky for us, Diego Rivera was stubborn, and as soon as he got back to Mexico he painted the same mural on the third floor of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.

So it is still possible to see the work that made billionaire Rockefeller furious.

You can visit Sert's mural with no hassle, entering through 30 Rock, and once you are there take the stairs down to walk through the Concourse.

Here I am only sharing a handful of the most representative works. On the complex's website you will find the complete collection of Rockefeller Center art so you can plan your route.

Beyond Rockefeller Center

If the story of the Rockefeller dynasty and its deep connection to New York interests you, visit Kykuit, the family mansion 50 minutes from NYC in the little town of Sleepy Hollow.

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Address

Rockefeller Center sits between 48th and 51st streets, and Fifth and Sixth avenues

How to get there

Subway B, D, F, M. 47-50 St-Rockefeller Ctr station

Map

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