Can anyone share experience living in a high rise high floor vs more traditional building?

HHH, do you mean modern vs pre war?? Like that? or high floor vs low floor?

For me, Manhattan is all about views - so I always try to own/rent high up in the sky. Thereby feeling like I own Manhattan and not the otherway around ;-)

its quieter and there are less critters.

Up high there is a definite detachment from the city. It seems like a journey just to get out and breath. Lower down you have a sense of being IN the city. You SEE people. You can judge the weather by what they are wearing, there is life. Up high it is sterile and quiet. Pre-war vs. post war... well there is really no comparison IMO. Pre-war apartments feel more like a house, with architectural interest, solid construction, grand formal spaces, etc. Everyone has their preference and thankfully there is plenty of product out there that caters to both tastes.

i meant high vs low floor, risk of elevator breaking etc...

Its really windy high up if you open a window. You get practically sucked off those little balconies, so don't plan on sitting out there much. But something king-like about views from high atop a perch in the city.

I had an 8th floor apt during the blackout of 2003. Not fun going up and down 8 flights of stairs in the dark (emergency lights did not work!) But other than that, the building had 3 elevators and never more than one out at a time. Pre-war.

kylewest in one of my previous apmt I had decent sized balconies on both ends of apartment
strange but on windy days one of it was always very quiet. Took me a while to find that out LOL
By then breakfast on the Northern one, dinner/drinks on the Southern exposure

I avoid floors 1 thru 3 but prefer to be no higher than the NYFD ladders :)

i had an 18th floor apt during that blackout. no fun whatsoever. but a high view is a lovely thing

I always seem to live on low floors in 20+ story towers and I can tell you that a hidden benefit of buying on a lower floor is that:

1) Elevators come faster for you. And you can always take the stairs in a pinch.
2) There are some people that prefer low floors due to religious beliefs so there is a "stealth" buyer market that prefers them
3) Sometimes the lower floors have lower common interest so you pay less maintenance.

The bad thing is that in a supply filled market, one would probably pick the higher floor if the prices were the same. I've always wondered if it was significantly quieter up higher... have heard mixed reports.

I was also in an 18th floor apartment when the 2003 blackout occured and it was a good thing that I was in a good shape going up and down the stairs carrying water and groceries. But these things don't last long.
I love being on a high floor for open views (if you aer lucky) and air. Noise is an issue everywhere I have found when you are facing the street, whether you are on a low floor or a high floor does not make much of a difference. On the 18th floor you can't hear street level conversations but you can sometimes hear garbage trucks at night. One thing to check is the windows. If they are recent and double pane you are probably better off.

How high do the NYFD ladders reach? I love the idea of a great high view & will happily go for dinner or drinks but I lived many years in earthquake country so I couldn't live up there. Brrrr - gives me the willies!