Empire State Building by night.....

Empire State Building by night.....

It was 11 pm in New York. I had dozed off after coming back from our meetings at the  New York University and the Columbia University. Even in India, sleep eludes me. After the long journey to New York with the difference in local time I was jet-lagged.
Maybe that's why I was groggy and slept off in the evening and found myself wide awake at 11 p.m. I knew that it would be difficult to sleep again and I felt pretty home-sick. I had been told that the Empire State building which was a stone's throw away from our hotel was open till 2 a.m for tourists. I decided to go there.
Just to ensure it was safe, I called the concierge in the hotel and they confirmed that it was totally safe for me to go all by myself even at this hour of the night to any place in New York and this was so near.
And so at 11.30 at night, I left all by myself to make a visit to the iconic Empire State building.
The streets were well-lit and bright and many people were walking on them even at that hour at night. Cars were buzzing around with their usual speed. The tall buildings bright with lights or neon signs glowing gave it a festive look. A mild breeze was blowing add joy to my gait. This was perhaps one of those few times when I felt good in solitude, doing something so adventurous by myself.
Yes it was adventurous because one can never think of getting out of home at night 11.30 pm in Mumbai even though it is said to be equally safe.
I was pretty gung-ho as I walked upto the Empire State building. It took me about 10 minutes. There were a few people like me wanting to see it by night. Even at night the staff were so alert, business-like and smart. As my ticket was swiped, one of them guided me up to the lift.
The Empire State building is an art deco skyscraper built in 1931. It was apparently competing to be the tallest building then and in fact was the tallest building in the world for nearly 40 years, till the World Trade Center was builtin 1970s. It was the first building in the world to have 102 floors.
It was only after I went there I realised it has 2 observation decks. One on the 86th floor and the other on the 102nd floor. Both are open every day, 8 a.m–2 a.m.
On the 80th floor is the Dare to Dream exhibition which captures the history of the building, it's engineering and construction. It has original documents including photographs, architectural sketches, construction notes, and daily bookkeeping documents and mementos from the more than 3,400 workers who helped create history. So even before reaching the 86th floor observation deck one is in awe of the place.
The lift took me to the 86th-floor observatory which has indoor and outdoor decks and gives us 360-degree views of the city.
As I went around the place I was overwhelmed by the sites. The beauty of the sky, the wind blowing wildly at times, the fireflies twinkling along with the stars. Each side gave a panoramic view of the city. I could see the Hudson river winding its way through the city as also the East River. The Brooklyn Bridge looked beautiful in the night. The statue of liberty at a distance like a small speck and the Times Square bright and live. It was sheer bliss.
It was only after I took a full round i realised that 16 floors above was the 102nd floor and is known as the top deck and provides a better view.
I needed to buy another ticket to enter there. A kiosk with credit card payment facility was available but I had left back my credit cards for fear of being alone at night. However tickets were available on payment of cash on the ground floor so i was guided back and returned beaming with the ticket.
The lift to the 102nd floor is manually operated. Apart from me, only two other persons were there on the 102nd floor. Having the space to myself without anyone jostling was itself a pleasure and then of course the most spectacular views of the city, the grids of the streets, the bright lights were enough to make one dizzy with child like joy. It was difficult to contain myself as I smiled, laughed and let myself go. The tower lights displaying a riot of colours was equally fascinating. At a distance one could see the One World Observatory,  also having 102 floors standing tall next to WTC memorial. 
I continued to stay till 2 a.m and was the last person to leave after purchasing knick- knacks with the help of the eager staff even at that time of the night.
Commitment to their jobs is one thing which I learnt from every single individual there, whether a student, teacher, worker, official, taxi-driver or security guard.
As i stepped out of the Empire State building, I felt full of life talking to my father and dear ones as it was afternoon in India,  telling them about this phenomenal experience.
It was 2.30 pm by the time I sauntered to my room. We had an meeting early next morning. Getting back to sleep in this dreamy-eyed state was even more difficult. As I forced myself to sleep, I could not help smiling to myself about the wonders of the night and my midnight sojourn. I wish it had lasted forever.....