Over to the Empire State Building to see the worlds longest queues. I mean New York's best views.

Leaving the subway i found myself in Madison Square Garden, surprisingly Elton John wasn't playing there, it was being used for the American version of netball:

The building itself is quite magnificent, with some fantastic art deco details such as the mural in the entrance:

and these dentils:

The queues in the basement were massive, so i followed my Lonely Planet guide and bought a ticket for the dumb but fun "Skyride" which is supposed to put you ahead.

But that was a bum steer and i found myself further back in the 2nd floor queue than those who hadn't paid the extra $8. So i took Ümit's advice and skipped the 3rd queue for photographs on the 80th floor by playing the "i've a plane to catch" excuse. The views from the 86th floor observatory were worth all the hassle:

I guess the large numbers are down to the demise of the Twin Towers - the Empire State is once again NY's tallest tower. Sadly the 106th floor tower is closed due to the crowds: