One of my favorite things to do in a new city is to get the lay of the land by looking down from above. Nearly all cities have some way to do so – the Prudential Tower in Boston, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Eye in London. As much as I love it, though, I also feel it’s something I only need to do once. I’d much rather be exploring the streets than looking at them.

Which is why I’ve lived in New York City over a year and have been to Top of the Rock exactly once – as a tourist in 2008. I’ve never been up the Empire State Building, and I’m OK with that. And when I found out about One World Observatory in the World Trade Center, I mentally filed it under “that might be cool to do next time someone comes to visit.” At $32, I didn’t think I could justify the cost to visit myself on a whim.

But then I found out about the open house last week, for which they were distributing free tickets. Any twenty-something in New York will perk up at that magical word: Free. I nabbed two and my roommate and I headed into Manhattan to see what all the fuss was about.

As it turns out, we didn’t see much of anything at all.

Yep, it was a foggy day. It was hilarious, actually. We got up to the 102nd floor and watched a short, inspirational video, and as the screen lifted and the narrator boomed “SEE FOREVER,” unveiling what I assume is, on a nicer day, a spectacular view, we were pretty much looking at a white wall.

We explored anyway. The observatory is three levels – you start on 102 and work your way down to 100. There are some pretty cool features, including a restaurant on 101. It wasn’t open that day, but I imagine it’s a pretty great place to enjoy dinner or just a glass of wine.

There’s also the sky portal, which according to the website, is “a 14-foot wide circular disc that delivers an unforgettable view, using real-time, high-definition footage of the streets below.” Pretty cool without being terrifying.

All four cardinal directions are on the ground so you know which way you’re facing. It was actually really helpful even though I know the city, since I couldn’t see squat through the fog!

Above is another view of the sky portal, with the restaurant above.

Eventually the fog cleared up enough that we could see some things that were close by. Please excuse the poor, reflective quality of the photos below!

All in all, it was a great experience. Before going upstairs, you also walk through a small museum describing how the building was built, and hear from some of the engineers who worked on it. The elevators also feature a timelapse of the NYC skyline.

This little teaser of One World Observatory definitely promoted it in my mental filing cabinet to “Must return on a clear day!” I’ve been instructed by my parents to wait until they come to visit, hopefully this fall. I highly recommend it to any tourists visiting NYC! I’m not sure how far off you have to book, but I’d suggest waiting for a weather forecast if possible and choosing a sunny day. Otherwise, book for the afternoon! I got us morning tickets assuming the crowds would be lighter (you enter at a specific time but are not limited in how long you stay at the top), but obviously I’d have preferred a better view with more people.

Would you visit One World Observatory? Have you?

My friends had a picnic on Monday for Memorial Day, gathering around lunchtime with food, blankets and softballs. I came wandering over to the lawn about 5 hours late, dressed in full business attire, and had this conversation with a friend who ran over to greet me:

“Yeah, I had to work today, but it’s all right because I got comp time and I’m taking a staycation at the end of the week.”

“Didn’t you JUST take a staycation?!”

Photo by Samy Ruby

Why yes, yes I did. Back in April, I took a week off for my birthday and spend it frolicking around New York City and volunteering at She is Free. I’m taking one in August, too, when my sister flies out for her nineteenth birthday.

So why do I love a staycation so much?

The long and short of it is: I get a ridiculous amount of paid time off (SO GRATEFUL, by the way) and I just can’t afford to travel for ALL of it. Seriously, after working every holiday, I ended up with 22 days to take off this year, which is just nuts for an entry-level position. But with an entry-level job comes an entry-level salary, making it hard to escape as much as I’d like. By the time the year is over (at the end of September, per my company’s calendar) I’ll have been to Phoenix, Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles, plus these three staycations. Even though I keep my trips cheap-ish by taking the bus or staying with friends and family, it’s just not feasible to add even more to that schedule.

Money aside, I live in one of the top tourist destinations in the world. There’s just a ridiculous amount to do here, and it doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive (although NYC’s reputation as pricey is well-deserved). With a staycation, I can act like I’m on vacation by taking advantage of this wonderful place, but still sleep in my own bed at night.

Visiting Grand Army Plaza on my last staycation – walking distance from my house!

So with all of that said: I’m on staycation until Monday! I scored discount tickets to Mamma Mia! tonight, my roommate and I are going to the World Trade Center Observatory and an event at Anthropologie tomorrow, Friday is the Awaken event, Saturday is a college friend’s birthday, and Sunday will bring a full day of church. It’s amazing how easy it is to fill the days!

So tell me: Are you a fan of the staycation? What else should I do in NYC?