You can reach the Observatory for $18.45

The $45.45 price is for the Observatory and the "Skyride" combo.
While I've never seen the skyride, it doesn't sound worth the extra money: "The NY SKYRIDE takes you on a simulated aerial NYC tour unlike any other."

This might be a rookie / tourist sort of thing to do, but the next time I'm in NYC, I'm going to grab one of the "City Passes":

They have a free ride up the Empire State Building
http://www.citypass.com/attraction/empire.html

However, I've never spent the time to visit the Museum's in NYC and 4 of them are included in the city pass. Plus the included Harbor cruise would likely satisfy my photo bug :)

Hope this helps even if it's not free.

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