SUMMIT One Vanderbilt: Ascent Ticket

About SUMMIT One Vanderbilt: Ascent Ticket

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is an observation and multi-floor art experience occupying the upper levels of One Vanderbilt, a supertall skyscraper completed in 2020 in Midtown Manhattan. The Ascent ticket is the premium tier of entry, combining full access to the three-floor SUMMIT experience with a ride in an all-glass exterior elevator that climbs 12 stories up the outside of the tower, reaching a height of over 100 stories above street level, the highest publicly accessible vantage point in Midtown.

The building rises 1,401 feet and sits directly above Grand Central Terminal, placing it at the geographic and transit heart of New York. One Vanderbilt was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and opened in September 2020, with SUMMIT launching on its upper floors shortly after.

What to expect

The experience spans three floors and moves through a sequence of distinct installations. At 91 stories, Air by Kenzo Digital uses mirrored surfaces and transparency to alter spatial perception. A 3D capture station records your likeness and renders your face as a cloud drifting across a large-format digital screen. Reflect, a permanent installation by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, occupies its own dedicated space and draws on her signature use of repetition and optical depth. Levitation places visitors on a glass-floored ledge suspended 1,063 feet above Madison Avenue, with unobstructed sightlines across the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

The Ascent elevator ride is the centrepiece of this ticket tier. The all-glass cab travels up the exterior face of the tower, offering open views over Midtown as it climbs. Tickets cover entry to all three floors, the Ascent elevator, and all named installations within the experience.

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt and getting there

The venue sits at 45 East 42nd Street, directly connected to Grand Central Terminal, which serves Metro-North commuter rail and multiple subway lines including the 4, 5, 6, 7, and S trains. The 42nd Street-Bryant Park station on the B, D, F, and M lines is one block west. For a full picture of what is on at the venue, including available time slots, see the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt schedule.