Empire State Building Observation Deck - New York, USA

From high on the Empire State Building in Midtown, this camera looks out over the rooftops of New York City toward the towers of Lower Manhattan, where One World Trade Center rises at the far end of the island.

The building went up remarkably fast. Work began in March 1930 and it opened on May 1, 1931, about 13 and a half months later, and at 1,250 feet (381 m) to the roof it remained the tallest building in the world until 1970.

Its observation decks now draw around four million visitors a year, and after dark the top of the tower is lit up in different colors for holidays and special events, shining out across the city.

Did You Know? The spire was first designed as a mooring mast for airships, but the plan was dropped because the strong winds at that height made docking impossible.

Explore the Landscapes collection, browse live webcams in the United States, see how the city ranks among the most surveilled cities on Earth, or explore our Live Webcam Map.