There’s a slight irony to viewing the New York skyline from the Empire State Building – the most iconic feature is missing, because you’re standing on it.

A pop-culture giant – from the arch-romance of Sleepless in Seattle to the vertiginous thrills of King Kong – the 1,454 ft skyscraper is to New York what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, and around 4 million people a year flock to its world-famous viewing platform.