Tales from The Social Club: A Bird’s Eye View
Meeting Date and Time: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 from 5 PM to 7 PM
Meeting Location: Top of the Rock, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
Website Link: Top of the Rock
For this week’s adventure, The Social Club (TSC) went to the top of an 850 foot tall building, named 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in NYC. I was running late for this meeting so I joined it about half way through. Getting to the observation deck on the 67th Floor was an adventure within itself. This building is accessible directly from the 47th-50th Sts.-Rockefeller Center Subway station. I walked through a maze of hallways to get to the elevators that I rode up to the security line. Going through security at this building is like going through security at an airport. They put my bag through a security scanner and I walked through a metal detector.
I then proceeded to take the elevator straight up to the 67th Floor where I met the group. When I arrived on the 67th Floor, I was treated to this spectacular view of Central Park and the NYC skyline. This view was from inside the building.

On the 67th Floor is a café where you can grab a bite to eat. That being said if you do, I highly recommend you bring earplugs and/or noise-canceling headphones as this area is quite loud.
In addition to the indoor observation deck, this building also has 3 outdoor observation decks, one on the 67th Floor, one on the 69th Floor, and one on the 70th Floor, in which I visited all three of them.
After taking in this view, I proceeded to go to the outdoor observation deck on the same floor with our group leader, Juliette.

After taking in this breathtaking view, Juliette and I walked up some stairs outside the building and proceeded to the 69th Floor outdoor observation deck where we observed this gorgeous view of the Hudson River.

If you take notice of the clouds off in the distance over New Jersey, these clouds were part of an oncoming storm system that had yet to reach NYC. I have a passion for meteorology so it was cool to see the clouds from this perspective.
We then proceeded to walk up more stairs to the 70th Floor (which really is the roof of the building). We were greeted by this amazing view of Central Park and the Manhattan Skyline.

There is something about seeing the world from this perspective that is so peaceful and awe-inspiring.
If you go, I recommend checking the weather forecast because you will not get these amazing views on foggy days. Also, I suggest you bring a jacket or a couple of layers in the Winter, Spring, and Fall as it can be significantly colder and windier on the observation decks than at ground level.