SUMMIT One Vanderbilt: silver balloons with a view

An experience awaited me at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt that I won’t soon forget! The multi-sensory experience combines art, architecture, thrills and breathtaking views of New York City.

Admittedly, when I saw the first pictures from SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, I was more than skeptical. To me, at first glance, it looked more like just another Instagram spot with an additional view of the city. Then there was the price, which isn’t exactly low. But I let myself be “persuaded” and am really grateful for the wonderful experience I was able to have. It was simply worth every penny!

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt opened in October 2021. Over 1.4 million visitors came in the first year alone and today SUMMIT is one of the most popular attractions in New York.

Planning is everything!

If you would like to visit SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, you should book your ticket early. There are ticket machines on site, but it is almost impossible to get a ticket for the same day. Some times, such as sunset, are so popular that you need to book well in advance.

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is located at 45 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017 (right next to Grand Central Terminal) in the One Vanderbilt building. At 427 meters, this building is currently the fourth tallest building in New York (as of spring 2025).

If you arrive at Grand Central Terminal, you will find direct access to the building from the large entrance hall (on the side with the ticket machines). We first chose the entrance from the street directly into the building and then had to go down one floor.

You can’t miss the entrance to the building. There are long waiting areas and lots of staff checking tickets.

Waiting

First you have to wait… in long lines past security checkpoints, through a small movie and finally in front of a row of photo booths. Here you can have your admission wristband scanned and take a photo of yourself. We didn’t really understand the point of this at this point. There were few explanations and so we decided to do without – but with the thought that it was definitely about souvenir photos. We would find out more about the reason later.

What can you experience at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt?

Once you’ve taken the elevator to the top of the building, you enter an exhibition area that spans three floors. Very important!!! You can only go through the tour from bottom to top. It is not possible to return from the upper floors. So it’s better to plan some time so that you don’t get annoyed later because, for example, a photo is missing.

Between art and reality

First you enter the AIR art installation, which extends over several areas. A huge room full of mirrors and large window fronts is the centerpiece of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt.

As I enter this area, I immediately realize why this is one of the highlights of a visit to New York. I am immediately drawn to the windows: We’re on the 91st floor. What a view of the city! We were lucky enough to catch some fantastic weather, which allowed us to enjoy a truly unobstructed view of the city. Just one day later, when it was raining, not even the top of the skyscraper was visible from below. Unfortunately, visitors had to do without this view.

My tip: take your time. Some visitors rushed from window to window, took selfies and had their photos taken – but very few visitors enjoyed the view. I could have stood there for hours. So many different buildings, street canyons and then the two rivers. Fantastic, breathtaking and unforgettable.

This huge room full of mirrors doesn’t just entice with its view. The mirrors offer incredible effects. The reflections create an almost infinite space and it is a very interesting experience to capture these reflections, especially for visitors who like to take photographs.

It is also exciting that this space continues on the second floor. I hadn’t noticed at first that there were large open areas in the ceiling and that we were actually looking at the mirrors one floor up.

Silver balloons

A somewhat smaller and self-contained room is called Affinity. I had previously seen this room on many Instagram posts and was very excited to see what was in store for me.

The mirrored room is filled with what feels like hundreds of floating silver balloons. Some float on the ceiling, others lie on the floor. Fans provided constant air circulation to keep the balloons moving.

I really liked the room, it was just a bit too crowded to take photos. But it was still fun.

A room full of clouds

Before we enter another room, our wristband is scanned again. Now I realize what those machines at the entrance meant. No photo was taken there, but the face was scanned. This scan is needed here.

The elongated room is dominated by a huge screen. Clouds can be seen against a blue sky. If you look closely, the clouds occasionally turn into faces. These are the faces of visitors whose wristbands have just been scanned at the entrance. While they enthusiastically search for their faces in the clouds, we take advantage of this dreamlike backdrop to take some photos.

On the skybox?

Levitation is the name of the fun, for which you have to queue again. At a height of 335 meters, there are two small, fully glazed balconies. Completely means the floor is also made of glass!

Admittedly, I didn’t dare to enjoy the direct view of Madison Avenue. Those I was able to observe were also sketchy and especially the first step was very cautious. The staff working there took a few photos and then it was the next visitor’s turn.

Conclusion on the 93rd floor

The tour ends on the 93rd floor of the building. There is an open-air terrace here. Here, too, you have a great view of the city, but most visitors sat at the bar and enjoyed a drink.

The world’s largest glass outdoor elevator has been announced as a major highlight. It travels upwards from this floor on the outside of the building.

I have to admit that I was expecting something different. The elevator goes up about 36 meters and then back down again. You have to pay extra for this option (and I didn’t think it was cheap). The journey time is very short and I can’t imagine that the view is that different from the terrace.

Was the visit to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt worth it?

Definitely! As I wrote at the beginning – I was skeptical. But it was really worth it. The view and the experience in the rooms was and is unforgettable!

Visitor information

Address

45 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

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