Does purchasing tickets online really save you that much time? Not sure if I will be visiting on a weekend or weekday/night.

Thanks in advance

Allan,
It really only saves about 2 minutes. They have many sellers outside of the Empire State Building selling tickets, as well as at the booths inside. BUT, it's after you have your ticket that you have to line up. Getting the ticket isn't the problem or the time consumng part.
Good luck.

When you visit Empire State be sure to budget time for the trip down as well. It's a shorter wait than going up but there are still relatively long lines for the down elevators.

I agree with Owen. You will have to line up to come down as well. However, we walked down part way, and saved time. I'm not sure how many floors , but not too many, and had been advised by a employee to do this.
Good luck.

Thanks for the replies. kodi, do you mean sellers directly outside the ESB or elsewhere in Manhattan?

Thanks again

Hi Allan,
The sellers were right outside the doors of the ESB. At first I was hesitant because I was worried that they weren't legit. But they are... and they were very recognizable, wearing bright yellow jackets (or vests) can't remember which. And , of course, the price was the same as inside.

Just a tip. I've found that weeknights (closer to closing time) are less busy than weekends. At least that's been my experience.

I will most probably visit on a weekday hoping for things to be a bit quieter. Looking forward to a visit late in the afternoon to catch the sunset and city at night.

Thanks again