NBC tour is pretty good and cheap. Takes you through the SNL set and a couple other shows. Good behind the scenes tour for cheap at rockefeller center. Must pre-register.
*****Things to Do in NYC***** OFFICIAL THREAD
- Thread starter cybear52
- Start date
Oops. Thanks for the correction. I went back and edited my other post. It was right in my mind but not in my fingers when I typed.
Friday games always throw me off. Although it we play like we did last time on Friday, I won't mind at all.
:yes:
It's funny, I started to make a list for you guys, - it's a slow day at work - but NYC is so damned big that it starts getting hard to figure out how to organize things and to decide what to leave out. I'm not gonna list a million pizza places because it's easy enough to Google "best pizza places in Manhattan," but mostly what I'm going to list are places that are either dirt cheap or at least really good values. Also, since most aren't necessarily places to go way out of your way for when you'll only be here for a short time, I'll try to organize them by areas you might visit. I linked to their Yelp pages so that you can see pictures, reviews, location and there's usually a link to their website so you can see menus/prices.
TIMES SQUARE:
The area is mostly - though not entirely - tourist crap on steroids. But since there's a reasonable likelihood that you'll either be staying in the area or at least want to see it, a couple of places worth checking out immediately come to mind.
Carmine's is a pretty highly-regarded old Italian family-style restaurant. They serve gigantic portions that are meant to be shared by a group of people, so it really isn't a place for a couple of people to go to, but if you're with a small or large group, the food is really good, the price is right and it's even popular with New Yorkers.
As far as bars go, Rudy's Bar and Grill has the look of your generic Times Square dive bar, but it' isn't just full of degenerate alcoholics and tourists who're lost. It's actually kind of popular with regular New Yorkers as well. The beers are cheap and they give out free hot dogs, so it's not a bad place to kill a few hours if you're in the neighborhood.
THE HIGH LINE:
Walking through this park is pretty neat and it leaves you in a cool neighborhood if you start at the park's Northern end and head to its Southern terminus. The Meatpacking District and the adjoining West Village have a lot of hyper-trendy and expensive spots, but some noteworthy and inexpensive places as well.
If you've ever seen the movie "Coyote Ugly," then you've seen the bar Hogs and Heifers. You have to be in the right frame of mind to deal with the extremely obnoxious bartenders since it's almost impossible to tell whether or not they're putting on an act, but the beer, or the Pabst Blue Ribbon anyway, is cheap, people are there to have fun and the place gets pretty rowdy. Everyone from out of town who I've ever brought here has had a great time.
The Corner Bistro is one of my favorite bars. Not a very extensive menu, but their Bistro Burger is one of the best hamburgers in the city and only costs $7 or so. The beers are reasonable and the mostly jazz jukebox kind of lends the place the feel of being in another time. They serve food until the bar closes at 4 am, and the wait for a table can get a little frustrating if there are a lot of people there, but it's always worth it when you finally get your food.
Fat Cat is kind of an unusual place in that it's a combination game room/ jazz&blues club with cheap beer. I don't know of many places where you can get drunk, play ping pong or Scrabble and listen to live jazz.
Other places in this neighborhood include the White Horse Tavern, Blind Tiger Ale House, Small's Jazz Club, John's Pizza and, - if your girlfriend watches Sex and the City, - the annoyingly famous Magnolia Bakery.
WALL STREET / 9/11 MEMORIAL AREA:
You're probably better off just going to the Memorial and then leaving this area since the reward for walking around the insane labyrinth of streets around here
isn't all that high considering how easy it is to get lost. But if you're gonna spend some time here and the South Street Seaport, you could do a lot worse than going to Jeremy's Ale House. It's in a very historic neighborhood and has cheap (mostly fried) seafood and gigantic styrofoam cups of beer. The crowd is an interesting mix of Wall Streeters unwinding after work, blue collars types and tourists as well. And it opens early in the morning.
LITTLE ITALY / CHINATOWN / SOHO :
I'm sure that some people don't want to hear it, but Little Italy is a tourist trap. It's just a couple of blocks of overpriced mediocrity that's REALLY not worth a damn except to maybe grab a cannoli or something while you're walking around. Fortunately, the general area of Soho/Little Italy and Chinatown makes for an interesting sightseeing walk, and there are countless good and cheap places to eat featuring a variety of cuisines.
Starting with Italian, Alidoro makes pretty big and fantastic sandwiches. It's a hole in the wall storefront, so you really have to find a park bench or something else to eat on or save it for later. If you've ever seen the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, then you have a pretty good idea of what the couple who run this place are like. They're jerks. Most people I know find it part of the amusement, but they refuse to alter the sandwiches that are on their menu, they chastise people who aren't in line single file and they get very angry if you don't know what you want when you reach the front of the line.
Pepe Rosso is also a storefront operation, but it's a little more spacious. Meaning, it has a few tables but isn't your standard fine dining establishment. Their sandwiches and entrees are really unbeatable for the money. It's basically a high quality Italian restaurant masquerading as a take out joint. If you want to eat well in NYC without bleeding money, I can't recommend this place highly enough.
Chinatown has countless Chinese (duh!) restaurants, but some of the best cheap hole-in-the-walls are Vanessa's Dumpling, Prosperity Dumpling and Joe's Shanghai. For Vietnamese sandwiches, Banh Mi Saigon and Saigon Vietnamese Deli are good and really cheap. La Esquina Corner Deli has pretty good Mexican street food and Cheeky Sandwiches makes good Cajun stuff like po boys. A good bar in the neighborhood is Spring Lounge.
LOWER EAST SIDE / a word about Katz's Deli:
The pastrami is really good at Katz's if you don't mind spending over 20 bucks for a sandwich and something to drink in what looks like a high school cafeteria, but make sure the pastrami is what you're there for because most of their food is pretty bad. I've eaten there a hundred times because it's basically surrounded by bars and live music venues that I frequent, but I honestly think it's a mistake to go out of your way and eat up a bunch of your limited time for the place unless you find a night of hitting the surrounding hipster places like Cake Shop, Welcome to the Johnson's, Pianos, Arlene's Grocery and Max Fish to be appealing.
EAST VILLAGE:
It's starting to make me feel a little dizzy breaking these things into neighborhoods considering how a lot of them are within easy walking distance, but the East Village is another area with a lot of good, cheap places to eat and drink since there are 50,000 or so NYU students around.
McSorley's Old Ale House is one of the oldest bars in New York and it looks it - in a good way. I sort of believe that everyone should come here at least once in their life. It can get very crowded at night and there are always some people there even during the day, but the beer is cheap and the decor is like a history lesson. It isn't a classic Irish pub - Molly's is probably the best for that - but more like a taste of New York a hundred years ago.
If you like good beer, Hop Devil Grill has one of the better happy hours that I know of. Between 3 and 8pm their extensive imported and microbrew list is all half price.
Beyond that, I wouldn't even know how to begin listing all of the bars around here. As far as cheap food, there's every kind you can imagine. For hot dogs, there's Crif Dogs. For fries - yes a shop that sells only them - there's Pommes Frites. 24 hour Polish and Ukranian food - Veselka. Mamoun's Falafel. Dos Torros for Mexican. Banh Mi Zon for Vietnamese sandwiches. Zabb Elee for Thai. Great Jones Cafe for Cajun. A whole block of cheap Indian restaurants on 6th street between 1st and 2nd avenue. The only thing is that this really isn't a destination neighborhood for anything besides drinking and eating.
FLATIRON / UNION SQUARE:
This neighborhood is a little more upscale than the others, but my out of town friends have always seemed to like it. I probably see more celebrities around here than anywhere else - if that's a prospect that appeals to you. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill is here. It doesn't get the acclaim that it used to, but this was my favorite restaurant in the whole city before he went Hollywood. Celebrity chef Mario Batali also has what's basically the real Little Italy in his Italian food theme park/ beer garden called Eataly here. Up the block is Shake Shack, a hugely popular burger stand in Madison Park. The best cheap bar in the neighborhood is probably No Idea, though Reservoir has pretty good bar food.
And there you have it as I think my fingers are bleeding. This is nothing like a "best of" list. Really just places that immediately came to mind that are pretty cheap and generally well-regarded. If blowing through money isn't a huge concern, of course, the recommendations would be entirely different.
TIMES SQUARE:
The area is mostly - though not entirely - tourist crap on steroids. But since there's a reasonable likelihood that you'll either be staying in the area or at least want to see it, a couple of places worth checking out immediately come to mind.
Carmine's is a pretty highly-regarded old Italian family-style restaurant. They serve gigantic portions that are meant to be shared by a group of people, so it really isn't a place for a couple of people to go to, but if you're with a small or large group, the food is really good, the price is right and it's even popular with New Yorkers.
As far as bars go, Rudy's Bar and Grill has the look of your generic Times Square dive bar, but it' isn't just full of degenerate alcoholics and tourists who're lost. It's actually kind of popular with regular New Yorkers as well. The beers are cheap and they give out free hot dogs, so it's not a bad place to kill a few hours if you're in the neighborhood.
THE HIGH LINE:
Walking through this park is pretty neat and it leaves you in a cool neighborhood if you start at the park's Northern end and head to its Southern terminus. The Meatpacking District and the adjoining West Village have a lot of hyper-trendy and expensive spots, but some noteworthy and inexpensive places as well.
If you've ever seen the movie "Coyote Ugly," then you've seen the bar Hogs and Heifers. You have to be in the right frame of mind to deal with the extremely obnoxious bartenders since it's almost impossible to tell whether or not they're putting on an act, but the beer, or the Pabst Blue Ribbon anyway, is cheap, people are there to have fun and the place gets pretty rowdy. Everyone from out of town who I've ever brought here has had a great time.
The Corner Bistro is one of my favorite bars. Not a very extensive menu, but their Bistro Burger is one of the best hamburgers in the city and only costs $7 or so. The beers are reasonable and the mostly jazz jukebox kind of lends the place the feel of being in another time. They serve food until the bar closes at 4 am, and the wait for a table can get a little frustrating if there are a lot of people there, but it's always worth it when you finally get your food.
Fat Cat is kind of an unusual place in that it's a combination game room/ jazz&blues club with cheap beer. I don't know of many places where you can get drunk, play ping pong or Scrabble and listen to live jazz.
Other places in this neighborhood include the White Horse Tavern, Blind Tiger Ale House, Small's Jazz Club, John's Pizza and, - if your girlfriend watches Sex and the City, - the annoyingly famous Magnolia Bakery.
WALL STREET / 9/11 MEMORIAL AREA:
You're probably better off just going to the Memorial and then leaving this area since the reward for walking around the insane labyrinth of streets around here
isn't all that high considering how easy it is to get lost. But if you're gonna spend some time here and the South Street Seaport, you could do a lot worse than going to Jeremy's Ale House. It's in a very historic neighborhood and has cheap (mostly fried) seafood and gigantic styrofoam cups of beer. The crowd is an interesting mix of Wall Streeters unwinding after work, blue collars types and tourists as well. And it opens early in the morning.
LITTLE ITALY / CHINATOWN / SOHO :
I'm sure that some people don't want to hear it, but Little Italy is a tourist trap. It's just a couple of blocks of overpriced mediocrity that's REALLY not worth a damn except to maybe grab a cannoli or something while you're walking around. Fortunately, the general area of Soho/Little Italy and Chinatown makes for an interesting sightseeing walk, and there are countless good and cheap places to eat featuring a variety of cuisines.
Starting with Italian, Alidoro makes pretty big and fantastic sandwiches. It's a hole in the wall storefront, so you really have to find a park bench or something else to eat on or save it for later. If you've ever seen the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, then you have a pretty good idea of what the couple who run this place are like. They're jerks. Most people I know find it part of the amusement, but they refuse to alter the sandwiches that are on their menu, they chastise people who aren't in line single file and they get very angry if you don't know what you want when you reach the front of the line.
Pepe Rosso is also a storefront operation, but it's a little more spacious. Meaning, it has a few tables but isn't your standard fine dining establishment. Their sandwiches and entrees are really unbeatable for the money. It's basically a high quality Italian restaurant masquerading as a take out joint. If you want to eat well in NYC without bleeding money, I can't recommend this place highly enough.
Chinatown has countless Chinese (duh!) restaurants, but some of the best cheap hole-in-the-walls are Vanessa's Dumpling, Prosperity Dumpling and Joe's Shanghai. For Vietnamese sandwiches, Banh Mi Saigon and Saigon Vietnamese Deli are good and really cheap. La Esquina Corner Deli has pretty good Mexican street food and Cheeky Sandwiches makes good Cajun stuff like po boys. A good bar in the neighborhood is Spring Lounge.
LOWER EAST SIDE / a word about Katz's Deli:
The pastrami is really good at Katz's if you don't mind spending over 20 bucks for a sandwich and something to drink in what looks like a high school cafeteria, but make sure the pastrami is what you're there for because most of their food is pretty bad. I've eaten there a hundred times because it's basically surrounded by bars and live music venues that I frequent, but I honestly think it's a mistake to go out of your way and eat up a bunch of your limited time for the place unless you find a night of hitting the surrounding hipster places like Cake Shop, Welcome to the Johnson's, Pianos, Arlene's Grocery and Max Fish to be appealing.
EAST VILLAGE:
It's starting to make me feel a little dizzy breaking these things into neighborhoods considering how a lot of them are within easy walking distance, but the East Village is another area with a lot of good, cheap places to eat and drink since there are 50,000 or so NYU students around.
McSorley's Old Ale House is one of the oldest bars in New York and it looks it - in a good way. I sort of believe that everyone should come here at least once in their life. It can get very crowded at night and there are always some people there even during the day, but the beer is cheap and the decor is like a history lesson. It isn't a classic Irish pub - Molly's is probably the best for that - but more like a taste of New York a hundred years ago.
If you like good beer, Hop Devil Grill has one of the better happy hours that I know of. Between 3 and 8pm their extensive imported and microbrew list is all half price.
Beyond that, I wouldn't even know how to begin listing all of the bars around here. As far as cheap food, there's every kind you can imagine. For hot dogs, there's Crif Dogs. For fries - yes a shop that sells only them - there's Pommes Frites. 24 hour Polish and Ukranian food - Veselka. Mamoun's Falafel. Dos Torros for Mexican. Banh Mi Zon for Vietnamese sandwiches. Zabb Elee for Thai. Great Jones Cafe for Cajun. A whole block of cheap Indian restaurants on 6th street between 1st and 2nd avenue. The only thing is that this really isn't a destination neighborhood for anything besides drinking and eating.
FLATIRON / UNION SQUARE:
This neighborhood is a little more upscale than the others, but my out of town friends have always seemed to like it. I probably see more celebrities around here than anywhere else - if that's a prospect that appeals to you. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill is here. It doesn't get the acclaim that it used to, but this was my favorite restaurant in the whole city before he went Hollywood. Celebrity chef Mario Batali also has what's basically the real Little Italy in his Italian food theme park/ beer garden called Eataly here. Up the block is Shake Shack, a hugely popular burger stand in Madison Park. The best cheap bar in the neighborhood is probably No Idea, though Reservoir has pretty good bar food.
And there you have it as I think my fingers are bleeding. This is nothing like a "best of" list. Really just places that immediately came to mind that are pretty cheap and generally well-regarded. If blowing through money isn't a huge concern, of course, the recommendations would be entirely different.
This is a huge WOW! Thank you so much for all the advice.
I hope you didn't get in trouble today at work for taking the time to do this for all us Cyclone fans.
This is a huge WOW! Thank you so much for all the advice.
Indeed. Thanks for all the help.
What do you guys think about us getting 7-day bus/train passes (the shortest passes) for getting around in Manhattan if we are going to spend 2-3 days there? As I think about our activities, we will easily spend more taking $2.25 train/bus rides for a few days.
My hunch is that over a couple of days you're more likely to fall a bit short of getting your money's worth than you are to be saving significant money.
Having said that, you'll be glad to have the Mass Transit thing squared away from the outset so you don't have to go through the annoyance of buying Metrocards/finding loose bills every time you want to go somewhere.
When I lived in New York my favorite place to hang out was in the East Village. There are great bars there. I haven't been in a few years so I don't know if they are still there but Doc Hollidays and the Library were my favorite bars in the East Village because they are dive type bars and the drinks aren't outrageous.
I also used to go out on the lower east side alot to some of the places mentioned above like Welcome to the Johnsons, Max Fish and also the Motor City Bar.
Central Park is great but it is Winter so not as fun to walk through it at this time of year.
Top of Empire state building is amazing at night but like someone said the lines can be ridiculous.
If you like Cuban food, Cafe habana in the Soho area is great. I used to go there alot.
There was a great cheap falafel place near Washington square park by NYU i used to go to. Good food and cheap. I think it was on Macdougal street. You don't have to spend a lot of money in New York on food if you don't want to.
I also used to go out on the lower east side alot to some of the places mentioned above like Welcome to the Johnsons, Max Fish and also the Motor City Bar.
Central Park is great but it is Winter so not as fun to walk through it at this time of year.
Top of Empire state building is amazing at night but like someone said the lines can be ridiculous.
If you like Cuban food, Cafe habana in the Soho area is great. I used to go there alot.
There was a great cheap falafel place near Washington square park by NYU i used to go to. Good food and cheap. I think it was on Macdougal street. You don't have to spend a lot of money in New York on food if you don't want to.
I actually just returned from NYC yesterday after spending 4 nights there. I know, I went too early but the meeting couldn't be rescheduled to fit the Bowl time.
We went to Empire State Building around 9 PM on Monday and there was no line. Went to "Top of The Rock' on Rockefeller building on Saturday evening around 9 too, and there was no long line (probably 5-10 mins wait).
We went to Empire State Building around 9 PM on Monday and there was no line. Went to "Top of The Rock' on Rockefeller building on Saturday evening around 9 too, and there was no long line (probably 5-10 mins wait).
Our group is thinking about doing one of these since we have no idea where we are going. and it is only 82 dollars a person.
Super New York Tour: 2 days + 1 Day FREE
Adult: $87 Child: $66 Web special: Adult: $82 Child: $61
Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 72 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket.
The CitySights NY Super New York Tour includes 72 hrs of double decker bus sightseeing and attractions! They include the Downtown Tour, Uptown & Harlem Tour, Night Tour and Brooklyn Tour. Attractions include free admission to the Museum of the City of New York, 90 Minute CitySightseeing Harbor Cruise, ride the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Island to view the Statue of Liberty monument and the Immigration musuem, and finally choose from the Empire State building or Top of the Rock observation decks to view the NYC skyline from high above*
* You can make your choices at the CitySights NY Visitor center when exchanging vouchers for tickets.
Tour Length
72 hrs
Departure Location
Please read each tour below for locations.
Departure Time
Please read each tour below for departure times.
TOUR INFORMATIONTOUR MAPSTOUR VIDEOS
Downtown Tour
The three most visited sites in New York City are all located in the area referred to in local terms as “downtown”.
That world famous trio includes the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the site of the World Trade Center – “Ground Zero” where the city and the nation’s heart was broken on September 11, 2001. Your City Sights hop-on/hop-off double decker tour bus has stops offering convenient access to these must see locations and attractions
Narrated by licensed New York City tour guides passengers will hear about the neighborhoods, sites and attractions made famous in song, story, film and television. Hop off and explore the legendary artists and writers’ quarter, Greenwich Village or have authentic Italian or Chinese cuisine in Little Italy or Chinatown or see the neighborhood that was the first home to wave after wave of immigrants making this diverse city truly the World’s Capitol.
View the most famous neighborhoods, attractions and places of interest: Times Square, Madison Square Garden, Macy's, Empire State Building, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Site of the World Trade Center, Wall Street, Financial District, Battery Park South Street Seaport, Lower East Side, United Nations, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Broadway Theatre District and much more.
Tour Length
2.5 hrs.
Departure Location
Citysights NY Visitor center in Madame Tussauds, 234 w.42nd st. Times Sq. and 8th Avenue btw. 49th and 50th Streets.
Departure Time
Departs:7:45am - 6:00pm (Frequent Departures).
Last bus from Empire State Building: 6:20pm
Last bus from Battery park/ Statue of Liberty: 7:00pm
Uptown Treasures & Harlem Tour
Where can you find a green oasis that occupies 20% of the island of Manhattan or the headquarters of the largest media conglomerate or places with the alluring names of “Millionaires Row and Museum Mile? All of these places and more can be found, discovered and enjoyed on City Sights’ Uptown Treasures + Harlem tour.
This hop-on/hop-off tour will take you by Lincoln Center, home to the Metropolitan Opera House – the largest in the world, home of the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA and 10 other major performing arts companies. Enjoy narrations by licensed New York City tour guides pointing out architectural masterpieces, homes of the rich and famous, cultural institutions, remarkable houses of worship, landmarks of entertainment, sports and that wonderful “green oasis” known as Central Park as well as one of the world’s most famous neighborhoods, Harlem. You can choose your own adventure using the convenience of hop-on/ hop-off service
Views of Fifth Avenue, Museum Mile, The Dakota, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, Frick Collection, Apollo Theater, Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art, and Harlem Market.
Tour Length
2.5 hrs.
Departure Location
Departs from 8th Avenue btw. 42th and 43rd Streets
Departure Time
Departs: 9:00am - 5:00pm (frequent departures)
Night Tour/Lights of the Holiday Tour
Please Note:
1. Night Tour switches to Lights of the Holiday tour on Nov 28th.
2. Escorted bus Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
New York's only double-decker night tour where you stop at the historic Brooklyn Fulton Ferry Landing for a photo opportunity and breathtaking views of the glittering necklace of the Manhattan Skyline. Enjoy nighttime views and ambiance of Times Square, Chinatown, Empire State Building , Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Lower East Side.
Night Tour/Lights of the Holiday Tour: (Starts Nov 28th)
As the Night Tour converts to Lights of the Holiday, CitySights NY invites you to revel in the festivities that make New York the fun capital of the world at this time of the year. Times Square, Laser Light show at Grand Central Terminal, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, 5th Avenue, Central Park, Bryant Park, world famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree, Radio City Music Hall, Time Warner Center, Trump Tower and St Patrick's Cathedral are some of the sites along the tour route.
Tour Length
Approx 2.5 hrs.
Escorted Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
Departure Location
42nd Street and 7th avenue
Departure Time
Frequent Departures Between 6:00pm thru 7:30pm
Brooklyn Tour
Escorted bus Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
Brooklyn has played an important part in the history of not only New York City but of the entire nation. It is the home of many firsts, the birthplace of notables in the arts, sports, science and business. Our tour takes you to places connected to those major events in history complete with the sights and sounds of our most populous borough. As we enter the place that one and every seven Americans can claim a connection to you will see the Great Bridge – the Brooklyn Bridge, the stately span that has connected Manhattan and Brooklyn since 1883. The expertise of our licensed guides will show you the very first vehicular parkway built in the US, the grandest of triumphal arches, the home of one of the world’s greatest Egyptology collections, the site of a revolution in sports and sites connected to major events in the American Revolution and the birth of our nation.
In addition to that lovely oasis Prospect Park you will see elegant mansions, soaring houses of worship and notable cultural institutions that are part of the fascinating borough of Brooklyn
Tour Length
1.5 hrs
Escorted Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
Departure Location
Battery Place & State Street, stop #15 on the Downtown Tour
Departure Time
Daily, every 30min from 10:30am to 3:00pm
Museum of the City of New York
Free Admission!
The Museum of the City of New York embraces the past, present, and future of New York City and celebrates the city's cultural diversity.
Exhibitions in recent seasons have focused on wide-ranging subjects, illuminating the events and issues that define New York: how to make this city more sustainable by the year 2030; New York’s emergence from the shadow of its trans-Atlantic sister city, Paris, to take center stage in the fields of design, fashion, and the arts; Catholic New Yorkers, a once-persecuted minority group that transformed the cultural, institutional, and political life of the broader community; hip hop and its impact on fashion; Robert Moses and the transformation of the metropolis in the mid-twentieth century; how immigrants created their own affordable housing in the early twentieth century; the story of a young Russian woman who reinvented American fashion; and other illuminating and fascinating aspects of New York’s rich and diverse past and present.
Location
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St.
New York, NY 10029
Hours of Operation
Open daily: 10am to 6pm.
Average Visit Time
2 hrs
Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island
This is a ticket for the FERRY ONLY, this does not include admission inside the Statue of Liberty.
Security: Additional time should be allowed for security clearance at Battery Park.
* Last ferry to Liberty Island sails at 3:30pm (last ferry does not sail to Ellis Island)
* Last ferry from Liberty Island is 5:00pm
* Last from Ellis Island is 5:15pm, Both ferries arrive at Battery Park at 5:30
* Last Downtown tour bus from Battery Park/Statue of liberty departs at 6:00pm
Ferry ticket to the Statue of Liberty National Monument on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum on Ellis Island.
Tour Length
40 min
Departure Location
Daily from Battery Park (Whitehall Street between Bridge & Pearl sts. Stop #14 on downtown Tour bus) to both Liberty Island & Ellis Island
Departure Time
Daily from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
Top of the Rock Observatory Tickets
Discover Top of the Rock™ Observation Deck and experience breathtaking views of New York City. Step on one of their glass ceiling sky shuttles for a thrilling ride to the Top, where you will find three stories of spectacular views, including a stunning, open air, 360-degree view from the 70th Floor outdoor deck. Get your tickets now to view New York City from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center. Guaranteed to be an experience you will never forget!
Location
49th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues.
Hours of Operation
8:00am - Midnight
(last elevator at 11:15pm)
Average Visit Time
1 hr
Empire State Building Observatory Tickets
The observation deck will be closing early at 1:00am beginning Monday, December 5, 2011, resuming normal operations on Friday December 16th at 8:00am.
New York's famous Empire State Building, a New York City Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, soars more than a quarter of a mile into the atmosphere above the heart of Manhattan. The Observatory located on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet (320 meters) above the city's bustling streets, offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion and from the surrounding open-air promenade. Since the Observatory opened to the public in 1931, almost 110 million visitors have thrilled to the awe-inspiring vision of the city beneath them. Due to its ionic status, long lines are very common, pre-purchasing your tickets is highly recommended to avoid those long lines. Get your tickets today.
Location
5th avenue & west 34th street
Hours of Operation
8:00am- 2:00am
last elevator @ 1:15am
Average Visit Time
1 hr
Midtown Cruise (90-min)
Cruise along the harbor on this 90-minute tour, as you enjoy waterfront sights of the New York skyline from our ferry. Your guide will provide a detailed narrative on all the sights as you take in the panoramic views of NYC.
What you'll see :
Empire State Building
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Governors Island
Brooklyn Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge
United Nations
New York Skyline
South Street Seaport
Ground Zero (World Trade Center site)
Hoboken Pier
Jacob K. Javis Center
Battery Park
Wall Street
Chrysler Building... and more!
Super New York Tour: 2 days + 1 Day FREE
Adult: $87 Child: $66 Web special: Adult: $82 Child: $61
Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 72 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket.
The CitySights NY Super New York Tour includes 72 hrs of double decker bus sightseeing and attractions! They include the Downtown Tour, Uptown & Harlem Tour, Night Tour and Brooklyn Tour. Attractions include free admission to the Museum of the City of New York, 90 Minute CitySightseeing Harbor Cruise, ride the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Island to view the Statue of Liberty monument and the Immigration musuem, and finally choose from the Empire State building or Top of the Rock observation decks to view the NYC skyline from high above*
* You can make your choices at the CitySights NY Visitor center when exchanging vouchers for tickets.
Tour Length
72 hrs
Departure Location
Please read each tour below for locations.
Departure Time
Please read each tour below for departure times.
TOUR INFORMATIONTOUR MAPSTOUR VIDEOS
Downtown Tour
The three most visited sites in New York City are all located in the area referred to in local terms as “downtown”.
That world famous trio includes the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the site of the World Trade Center – “Ground Zero” where the city and the nation’s heart was broken on September 11, 2001. Your City Sights hop-on/hop-off double decker tour bus has stops offering convenient access to these must see locations and attractions
Narrated by licensed New York City tour guides passengers will hear about the neighborhoods, sites and attractions made famous in song, story, film and television. Hop off and explore the legendary artists and writers’ quarter, Greenwich Village or have authentic Italian or Chinese cuisine in Little Italy or Chinatown or see the neighborhood that was the first home to wave after wave of immigrants making this diverse city truly the World’s Capitol.
View the most famous neighborhoods, attractions and places of interest: Times Square, Madison Square Garden, Macy's, Empire State Building, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Site of the World Trade Center, Wall Street, Financial District, Battery Park South Street Seaport, Lower East Side, United Nations, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Broadway Theatre District and much more.
Tour Length
2.5 hrs.
Departure Location
Citysights NY Visitor center in Madame Tussauds, 234 w.42nd st. Times Sq. and 8th Avenue btw. 49th and 50th Streets.
Departure Time
Departs:7:45am - 6:00pm (Frequent Departures).
Last bus from Empire State Building: 6:20pm
Last bus from Battery park/ Statue of Liberty: 7:00pm
Uptown Treasures & Harlem Tour
Where can you find a green oasis that occupies 20% of the island of Manhattan or the headquarters of the largest media conglomerate or places with the alluring names of “Millionaires Row and Museum Mile? All of these places and more can be found, discovered and enjoyed on City Sights’ Uptown Treasures + Harlem tour.
This hop-on/hop-off tour will take you by Lincoln Center, home to the Metropolitan Opera House – the largest in the world, home of the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA and 10 other major performing arts companies. Enjoy narrations by licensed New York City tour guides pointing out architectural masterpieces, homes of the rich and famous, cultural institutions, remarkable houses of worship, landmarks of entertainment, sports and that wonderful “green oasis” known as Central Park as well as one of the world’s most famous neighborhoods, Harlem. You can choose your own adventure using the convenience of hop-on/ hop-off service
Views of Fifth Avenue, Museum Mile, The Dakota, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, Frick Collection, Apollo Theater, Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art, and Harlem Market.
Tour Length
2.5 hrs.
Departure Location
Departs from 8th Avenue btw. 42th and 43rd Streets
Departure Time
Departs: 9:00am - 5:00pm (frequent departures)
Night Tour/Lights of the Holiday Tour
Please Note:
1. Night Tour switches to Lights of the Holiday tour on Nov 28th.
2. Escorted bus Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
New York's only double-decker night tour where you stop at the historic Brooklyn Fulton Ferry Landing for a photo opportunity and breathtaking views of the glittering necklace of the Manhattan Skyline. Enjoy nighttime views and ambiance of Times Square, Chinatown, Empire State Building , Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Lower East Side.
Night Tour/Lights of the Holiday Tour: (Starts Nov 28th)
As the Night Tour converts to Lights of the Holiday, CitySights NY invites you to revel in the festivities that make New York the fun capital of the world at this time of the year. Times Square, Laser Light show at Grand Central Terminal, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, 5th Avenue, Central Park, Bryant Park, world famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree, Radio City Music Hall, Time Warner Center, Trump Tower and St Patrick's Cathedral are some of the sites along the tour route.
Tour Length
Approx 2.5 hrs.
Escorted Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
Departure Location
42nd Street and 7th avenue
Departure Time
Frequent Departures Between 6:00pm thru 7:30pm
Brooklyn Tour
Escorted bus Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
Brooklyn has played an important part in the history of not only New York City but of the entire nation. It is the home of many firsts, the birthplace of notables in the arts, sports, science and business. Our tour takes you to places connected to those major events in history complete with the sights and sounds of our most populous borough. As we enter the place that one and every seven Americans can claim a connection to you will see the Great Bridge – the Brooklyn Bridge, the stately span that has connected Manhattan and Brooklyn since 1883. The expertise of our licensed guides will show you the very first vehicular parkway built in the US, the grandest of triumphal arches, the home of one of the world’s greatest Egyptology collections, the site of a revolution in sports and sites connected to major events in the American Revolution and the birth of our nation.
In addition to that lovely oasis Prospect Park you will see elegant mansions, soaring houses of worship and notable cultural institutions that are part of the fascinating borough of Brooklyn
Tour Length
1.5 hrs
Escorted Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off).
Departure Location
Battery Place & State Street, stop #15 on the Downtown Tour
Departure Time
Daily, every 30min from 10:30am to 3:00pm
Museum of the City of New York
Free Admission!
The Museum of the City of New York embraces the past, present, and future of New York City and celebrates the city's cultural diversity.
Exhibitions in recent seasons have focused on wide-ranging subjects, illuminating the events and issues that define New York: how to make this city more sustainable by the year 2030; New York’s emergence from the shadow of its trans-Atlantic sister city, Paris, to take center stage in the fields of design, fashion, and the arts; Catholic New Yorkers, a once-persecuted minority group that transformed the cultural, institutional, and political life of the broader community; hip hop and its impact on fashion; Robert Moses and the transformation of the metropolis in the mid-twentieth century; how immigrants created their own affordable housing in the early twentieth century; the story of a young Russian woman who reinvented American fashion; and other illuminating and fascinating aspects of New York’s rich and diverse past and present.
Location
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St.
New York, NY 10029
Hours of Operation
Open daily: 10am to 6pm.
Average Visit Time
2 hrs
Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island
This is a ticket for the FERRY ONLY, this does not include admission inside the Statue of Liberty.
Security: Additional time should be allowed for security clearance at Battery Park.
* Last ferry to Liberty Island sails at 3:30pm (last ferry does not sail to Ellis Island)
* Last ferry from Liberty Island is 5:00pm
* Last from Ellis Island is 5:15pm, Both ferries arrive at Battery Park at 5:30
* Last Downtown tour bus from Battery Park/Statue of liberty departs at 6:00pm
Ferry ticket to the Statue of Liberty National Monument on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum on Ellis Island.
Tour Length
40 min
Departure Location
Daily from Battery Park (Whitehall Street between Bridge & Pearl sts. Stop #14 on downtown Tour bus) to both Liberty Island & Ellis Island
Departure Time
Daily from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
Top of the Rock Observatory Tickets
Discover Top of the Rock™ Observation Deck and experience breathtaking views of New York City. Step on one of their glass ceiling sky shuttles for a thrilling ride to the Top, where you will find three stories of spectacular views, including a stunning, open air, 360-degree view from the 70th Floor outdoor deck. Get your tickets now to view New York City from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center. Guaranteed to be an experience you will never forget!
Location
49th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues.
Hours of Operation
8:00am - Midnight
(last elevator at 11:15pm)
Average Visit Time
1 hr
Empire State Building Observatory Tickets
The observation deck will be closing early at 1:00am beginning Monday, December 5, 2011, resuming normal operations on Friday December 16th at 8:00am.
New York's famous Empire State Building, a New York City Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, soars more than a quarter of a mile into the atmosphere above the heart of Manhattan. The Observatory located on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet (320 meters) above the city's bustling streets, offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion and from the surrounding open-air promenade. Since the Observatory opened to the public in 1931, almost 110 million visitors have thrilled to the awe-inspiring vision of the city beneath them. Due to its ionic status, long lines are very common, pre-purchasing your tickets is highly recommended to avoid those long lines. Get your tickets today.
Location
5th avenue & west 34th street
Hours of Operation
8:00am- 2:00am
last elevator @ 1:15am
Average Visit Time
1 hr
Midtown Cruise (90-min)
Cruise along the harbor on this 90-minute tour, as you enjoy waterfront sights of the New York skyline from our ferry. Your guide will provide a detailed narrative on all the sights as you take in the panoramic views of NYC.
What you'll see :
Empire State Building
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Governors Island
Brooklyn Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge
United Nations
New York Skyline
South Street Seaport
Ground Zero (World Trade Center site)
Hoboken Pier
Jacob K. Javis Center
Battery Park
Wall Street
Chrysler Building... and more!
Cymate - if you just want to see things or briefly visit (e.g. central park, etc) you'll have time, but if you want to visit each place and spend sometime there, probably it will be tricky. For example, The Met or AMNH, that could take 3-4 hours (we spent probably 3-4 hours at the Met and AMNH, respectively since we enjoyed them so much and we weren't even done with everything.
We used GrayLine Hop On Hop Off for 2 days - it was OK. Didn't have a chance to go to Brooklyn Tour. Night tour was replaced by Holiday Lights tour around midtown.
We used GrayLine Hop On Hop Off for 2 days - it was OK. Didn't have a chance to go to Brooklyn Tour. Night tour was replaced by Holiday Lights tour around midtown.
I've heard quite a few people say that if you are going to the top of the rock to skip the Empire State Building. Curious if you thought going to both was worth it. We were actually thinking of doing one of the 2 visit (morning and night) tickets to the top of the rock.
Probably not. My wife thought the view were almost the same (of course you can see Empire State from Rockefeller and vice versa). The reason we went to both was we bought NY CityPass where you can have 6 out of 8 attractions included in the price. Empire is one of the attractions and you can choose either Guggenheim Museum or Top of The Rock. Since Guggenheim is a little bit further from the hotel where we stayed, we picked Top of the Rock.
The views were almost the same although I read that people prefer Top of The Rock.
Recently, while I was in New York, I went to Terra Blues, a fantastic blues club in Greenwich Village where the blues guitarist played until about 3:30am. The place was crawling with NYU students even on a weekday night.
And there was awesome food being sold out of a big RV/State Fair vending vehicle right on the street.
yes. I believe the night tour was replaced by the holiday light show. how was your experience doing one of these tours.?
Completely personal opinion, but I would rather save the few bucks, have great views (that include the ESP), as opposed to spending a few more dollars and having equally great views (albeit Rockefeller Center being much less recognizable).
Which side(s) of the Empire State Building will you see from the Rockefeller Center? In other words, will we see only it lit up in red or will be see both red and gold/yellow?
:unsure:
I'm afraid the it will only be red because I am assuming that the red sides will be facing New Jersey.
