Before you board your elevator at Summit One Vanderbilt, when you’re still somewhere on the concourse level of Grand Central Terminal, you are asked to wear fabric booties over your shoes and, at least on opening day, there was a table of free sunglasses to borrow so you could navigate the sun glare upstairs. After a very quick ride on the light throbbing elevators, you are thrust without warning right into a double height room with mirrors on the floors, ceilings and walls. Suddenly up is down, down is up, the party never stops, time is dead and meaning has no meaning. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit about the “time is dead” part, but trying to navigate a packed room with massive sun glare, while wearing sunglasses that keep getting fogged up because of your facemask while trying to walk on a floor without end is a pretty disorientating way to start.

Titled “Air” and designed by Kenzo Digital, most of the interior of the observation deck experience is part of this immersive installation. This first room, called “Transcendence” is easily the best, with reflections fading off into infinity in all directions. It’s easy to try and compare this to one of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms, although the differences couldn’t be greater. Sure, both rooms use mirrors to put you inside a space that feels like it goes on forever, although Kusama uses small, carefully designed spaces that are magical and surprising once you’re inside, while the one at Summit One Vanderbilt is in a double height space that can be hard to define. And, of course there is that spectacular billion dollar view outside for anyone who can get past taking their picture in front of all of those mirrors.