# Climbing the Empire State Building **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168 "2016-12-19T18:43:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/1 "2016-12-19T18:43:52Z")
Is there enough money in the world to climb a metal ladder up the side of the ESB to the viewing deck? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/2 "2016-12-19T18:47:08Z")
> [@Doyle](#): > > Is there enough money in the world to climb a metal ladder up the side of the ESB to the viewing deck? To hell with climbing up. I want to ride a zip line back down to the street. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/3 "2016-12-19T19:14:06Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > To hell with climbing up. I want to ride a zip line back down to the street. Maybe Jerry Seinfeld will let you use his. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/M3ewKkCDulA/maxresdefault.jpg "Jerry Seinfeld - Acura NSX commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ewKkCDulA) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/4 "2016-12-19T20:07:18Z")
A couple of people have parachuted off the observation deck. I’m not sure that anyone has climbed up (except King Kong). ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/5 "2016-12-19T20:20:56Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > A couple of people have parachuted off the observation deck. I’m not sure that anyone has climbed up (except King Kong). Which reminds me, “[What did the city of New York do with King Kong?](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tbz3K0KAWJM/T0aoELVDgYI/AAAAAAAABYg/XoF6W1PPmhg/s1600/BKliban006.jpg)” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/6 "2016-12-19T20:29:31Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Which reminds me, “[What did the city of New York do with King Kong?](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tbz3K0KAWJM/T0aoELVDgYI/AAAAAAAABYg/XoF6W1PPmhg/s1600/BKliban006.jpg)” LOL! Best laugh I’ve had in ages! ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/7 "2016-12-19T20:38:40Z")
There is an annual [race up the stairs](http://www.esbnyc.com/fr/event/empire-state-building-run-up-info)in the Empire State building to the observation deck - 86 flights, 1576 stairs. Thousands of runners participate each year and do it for free. The men’s record is 9:33 minutes. I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be many takers for an exterior ladder climb, especially if they could make a buck or two. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climbing-the-empire-state-building/775168/8 "2016-12-19T22:30:34Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > A couple of people have parachuted off the observation deck. I’m not sure that anyone has climbed up (except King Kong). I found the Wikipedia page of urban climber [Alain Robert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Robert). On the list of notable climbs is the Empire State Building (in 1994) but I can’t find much else about it.