The One World Trade observatory, situated some 1,250 feet above street level on floors 100 through 102, will finally open to the public on Friday, May 29th. Since November, the shiny skyline-hogger has only been accessible to building employees, including Conde Naste and its cadre of highly-polished Vogue interns.
For those who can't wait to experience "Unparalleled Panoramic Views" and "Three Floors Filled With Innovation and Inspiration" from the "tallest building in the Western Hemisphere," the eyebrow-raising $32 tickets go on sale tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m. at www.OneWorldObservatory.com or by calling 844-696-1776. Kids between six and twelve get away with a $26 entrance fee, while those who didn't experience the aughts get in for free.
That "Innovation and Inspiration" consists of a multilingual Global Welcome Center, an oral history of the tower's construction, and a display of facts and figures about its bedrock and foundations. Five special elevators, which the Observatory has dubbed, rather grandiosely, "Sky Pods," will zoom guests up to floor 102 in less than a minute.
There, in lieu of actual views, guests will be subject to a two minute video in the "See Forever™ Theater," which will mash time-lapse imagery, sweeping bird's eye shots, and arty "abstract textures and patterns."
The actual observatory, on the 100th floor, is not something we'd like to experience stoned. From the press release:
The Main Observatory space... will include an interactive skyline “concierge” - City Pulse - that allows guests to deeply connect with the landmarks and neighborhoods they observe from above... global ambassadors will be stationed under a ring of HD video monitors and outfitted in gesture recognition technology, summoning imagery to the screens and providing guests with close-up views and personalized recommendations.
When words fail, there's always this official teaser video, from last fall.
