New York City Travel Answers

Hi - looks like sunset ranges from about 8:15 to 8:30 in July (sunrisesunset.com/calendar.a.... You may want to go a little earlier than 8 p.m. since there are usually lines for security and getting to the top. "Dark" does come some time after sunset so you may be up there for a while. :-) Not sure about booking in advance (we've never had to do that). Have a great time in NYC!

I am not sure if booking in advance locks you down to a specific day/time.....if it does, don't. If it rains, you will be out of luck....

We didn't book in advance and had no problems. Like you we wanted to see both day and night views, and found it's best value to do both on the same day. There's a ticket option whereby for a few extras you can go up twice in a 24 hour period - they call it the Sunrise and Sunset ticket. We went first thing in the morning, just as it opened (8.00 AM), and there was just one couple ahead of us in the queue. We got these tickets, went up and spent a while there taking loads of photos. After about 30-45 minutes it started to get busier so we left and had a late breakfast nearby. In the evening of the same day we went back, timing our arrival for a bit before sunset. Don't cut it too fine or you won't get one of the places along the edge and will be forced to watch over other people's heads! Having already got our ticket from our morning visit, we didn't have to queue to buy any, and only waited a short while for the lift. All the planning meant we got up there in good time and staked a claim to a good spot :-) It's also worth staying on for a bit after the sun has set. We found most people left pretty quickly but the light stayed lovely for ages and we could get much better photos without the crowds jostling our shoulders. And when it gets properly dark, the lights of the city look amazing. If you'd like to see the photos I took, there are some in my day-time visit tip: "Top of the Rock" - Rockefeller Center Tip by toonsarah And some night ones here: Top of the Rock at night: "Unbeatable views" - New York City Nightlife Tip by toonsarah

Please know that the viewing area at TOTR is much more expansive than the viewing area at the Empire State Building. Don't be afraid to continue right to the top of the building for a different perspective.

Don't know if you plan to visit the Empire State Building as well. I know that it is more of a pain to get to the top and the lines sometimes can be outrageous but I would urge you to see the view from there as well as TOTR and make your own mind up which you prefer. If you go early morning (8am) there is normally hardly any line and you can have the place almost to yourself before it gets busy. As you have probably guessed, I like the view from TOTR but I love it from the ESB!

I'm a huge fan of the ESB as well. My tips would be to go at night - unbeatable views and spend the extra and go to the 102nd floor observatory, which is enclosed. (Ticket includes both the 86th and 102nd floors.)