WHERE IS TRUMP TOWER

Trump Tower is located at 721 5th Avenue between 56th and 57th Street (map).  It is open to the public from 8 am until 10 pm.

To enter the building, you will have to pass through a serious security check, including X-ray scanners for bags.

However, the process to get in will take under 10 minutes, if not less.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO INSIDE 

Trump Tower is a 58-story skyscraper with a mix of apartments, offices, and retail stores.  .

The first 5 floors are an open atrium with a few shops and eateries.

The remaining floors are divided between 26 floors of office space and 39 floors for condominiums.

The atrium and a small roof garden of the 5th level are the only parts open to the public so you won’t need more than an hour to check it all out.

Even with the security checks, you won’t need too much time, unless you plan on a full meal at the Trump Grille.

In that case, give yourself time to as you would dining out at any other restaurant.

First things first, pass through the security checkpoints which don’t take as long as one might expect.

Remember, the Secret Service is not there to smile for the camera – they have a job to do! But you can probably get a picture near one of them.

Once inside the atrium, gaze at the 7-story indoor waterfall and pose for photos.

Trump gave many campaign interviews in front of this waterfall so you can say you were showered with history during your visit.

Be sure to ride the escalator – the same one Trump used when he announced his candidacy.

If you ride up to the 5th Floor you will find a roof garden with a few tables and chairs. It is open after 11 am.

Grab a coffee at the Starbucks on the 2nd level and enjoy some fresh Midtown Manhattan air.

Do some window-shopping at the Trump Store where you can pick up a tie or cufflinks from the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection.

Check out Ivanka’s line of purses and sunglasses or pick up the reissued edition of “The Art of The Deal”.

Get a “Make America Great Again” hat or coffee mug! The store is open daily 9 am-6 pm.

FOOD AT TRUMP TOWER

One way to experience Trump Tower is to have a meal or drink there.

Many people seem to enjoy getting a drink at the bar and the ice cream parlor also gets rave reviews.

Trump Café offers food to go. You can enjoy it sitting by the waterfall. There are many choices on the menu. The cafe is open daily 8 am-5 pm.

Trump Grill is a full-dining restaurant located in the Atrium. Open Daily 11:30am-4pm.

Trump Bar is located off the lobby and is open Monday-Friday from 12 pm-10 pm.  The drinks are priced a little bit higher than the standard for New York City.

Ranging from $12-18 for cocktails or a glass of wine.

From February to October, they have a ‘Happy Hour’ from 4 pm-7 pm, offering cocktails, beer, and wine for $7 and under.

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of Happy Hour,

Trump Ice Cream Parlor has many excellent flavors of ice cream and also serves sorbet and fresh juices.

Prices are standard for Midtown Manhattan starting at $4 a scoop. It is located in the Atrium and is open daily from 10 am-5 pm.

If you want a non-Trump snack or drink there is a Starbucks is on the second level and you will find that is pretty much the same as every other Starbucks in the world, just in a much more opulent setting.

TIP:  Be sure to take advantage of the luxurious public restrooms on the lower level!!

SECURITY AND PROTESTS

During the election, security was light, which made it possible for 20-year-old Stephen Rogata, a Virginia resident to scale the Tower’s glass walls using large suction cups.

Why was he climbing the Tower?

He just wanted to ask for a meeting with Trump.

He went undetected for almost three hours making it to the 21st floor before the NY Police Department apprehended him and he never did get that meeting.

He did get his 10 minutes of fame though.

Following the election, Trump Tower became the location of protests against his political agenda. In fact night following the election, a massive crowd gathered.

Since then there have been multiple protests with crowds of thousands.

Immediately after the election in November 2016, the New York City Police Department provided heightened security was installed at the Trump Tower.

From Election Day, November 2016 to the inauguration January 20, 2017, New York City paid the bill of $37 million dollars – amounting to half-a-million dollars a day!

APARTMENTS AND FAMOUS RESIDENTS

It shouldn’t surprise you that living in Trump Tower is pretty expensive – but just HOW expensive is expensive?

Here are some prices and what you get for your money.

This 1 bedroom apartment with spectacular views is 1092 sq. ft. with a corner living room and a corner bedroom and two full bathrooms. But the kitchen is awfully small!

It seems that many residents of Trump Tower don’t do a lot of cooking at home. With some of the top restaurants in the world within a short cab ride away, why eat in?

If you are only in town for a month or so, the apartment comes furnished.   The price tag: $6,500 a month.

This is actually not a bad price in Manhattan believe it or not!

If you are thinking of staying for good in New York, here are a few apartments in Trump Tower you may want to look into.

It’s not hard to get an apartment there, provided you have the money.

In December 2016, there were 11 apartments for sale in Trump Tower.  If you have $2.1 million on hand you’ll get a one-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom 1,052 sq. ft. on the 31st floor.

Need more room and an even better view, fork over $11 million and you’ll get a two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom 2,200 sq. ft. on the 58th floor.

Here’s what you get when living in Trump Tower:

Believe it or not, until March of 2017, an apartment in the Tower was listed on Airbnb, the home-stay rental website. It was available to stay at for about $300 to $450!

Compared to hotel listings in the area, it actually isn’t bad.

Because it is illegal in NYC to rent most apartments for less than 30 days when the apartment resident isn’t there, the apartment resident took down the listing when the New York Times caught on to it and started asking questions.

But not before some people had the opportunity to stay in the Tower. Reviews left on the Airbnb site described the experience as “surreal”.

Another guest wrote “The view is amazing! …

The only inconvenience  is that when you arrive, you have to go through a check by the Secret Service, kinda like in the airport.”