USA // This art deco sky-tickler in downtown New York City is the world's most famous building - if we judge by Hollywood close-ups. It has starred in around 100 films, from King Kong to Independence Day. Heading to the top is a quintessential American experience. First, you need to make a choice: ascend to the open-air deck on the 86th floor, where wind tickles skin, and sounds of the sleepless city float ever so faintly in the air, or keep climbing to the 102nd floor, where a smaller, enclosed deck awaits. Both provide sparkling views over the Big Apple. Photographers and romantics prefer the tactile lower experience; superlative seekers opt for the higher ground (though you have to splash more cash to upsize).