Almi

Me and my sister will be spending 4 nights in NYC for OUR FIRST TIME. Is the New York Pass with the Hop on Hop Off Buss WORTH IT or will we be wasting our money? They are charging $209 per person for 3 Days package.

IMDonehere

That is an absurd of money when you consider how many buses, trains, and cabs you can take. It also does not go everywhere. They answer unequivocally is no

NeoPatrick

Lots of disagreement on Hop On Hop Off on this forum, but I will say this. I'd never consider a three day package! In really nice weather, and a first time visit to the city, I actually support the idea of doing the route once -- as it's a great way to get an overview of the most famous attractions and get a feel for the city, from the upper deck. But in bad or cold weather, if you can't sit upstairs in the open, I'd forget it. And it should never (in my book) be considered a good method of transportation around the city, but rather a nice little sightseeing excursion.

happytrailstoyou

I totally agree with IMDonehere. Using the subway is part of the fun of being in NYC.

Also, busses on Fifth Avenue, Madison, Lexington Avenue, 3rd Avenue, 96th Street, 86th Street, 79th Street, 69th Street, Columbus Avenue, and Amsterdam Avenue are good for getting to many places of interest in Manhattan: https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

However, if you would rather not travel with New Yorkers from place to place, drop $209 to join your fellow tourists on one of the hop-on busses.

HTtY

nytraveler

No - it is a complete waste of money. As is the HoHo bus. If you ride that you will sit in traffic (walking i soften just as fast) watching local people go about their daily errands and seeing the outside of some buildings. And you need to sit outdoors on the top if you want to see anything at all. If you try to use it as transit from one sight to another it is a huge waste of time since it runs only every half hour. And when it arrives it may already be full and you need to wait another 30 minutes. Versus the regular city bus or subway that runs every 5 minutes (for longer distances) - or feet - which is the best way to see the city.

(If one of you has mobility problems and you MUST have a tour then look into the small van tours that take you to a limited number of places - not a giant bus that just keeps circling the city and can't go to a lot of places since they are too large.)

It is practically impossible to get to enough places to pay for the pass.

What you should do is pick the things that are most important to you - and just go and see them.

The only things with lines are the Statue of Liberty (you must get ticket very far in advance from the National Park Service) or the ESB (advance tickets also available). But I much prefer Top of the Rock to ESB and you can get advance tickets for that at any time.

doug_stallings

The most difficult thing with the HOHO buses this time of year is traffic, which is atrocious. You end up spending most of your time stuck on the street. Plus, the city is extremely crowded. You can buy a 7-day unlimited Metrocard for $32 ($31 for the fare, and $1 for the card) and ride the buses and subways as much as you want. Even for a short trip, if you plan to take 3 or 4 rides a day, it's a better deal than the HOHO bus and cheaper than a one-day pass. That's what I'd recommend if you want to maximize the amount you see. Do that and walk as much as you can.

It's unlikely that you'll be able to see enough attractions in 3 days to make the New York Pass pay off unless you are the kind of traveler who tries to get to 3 or 4 things a day. But this time of the year, the heavy crowds usually make that impossible. I recommend the New York Pass only if it's deeply discounted. Then if you are here for a week, the additional days don't cost much, and the pass pays off.

Almi

Dear All
Thank you very much for taking time to advise!! Much appreciated. We decided to do the local NYC thing: metro, bus and walking.
x x

nytraveler

Subway - not Metro. If you ask for the Metro in NYC you may get some odd looks and need to explain what you mean.

POMAH

But, you need a METRO card to get in the Subway!
Get a $20 card, and you get transfers in 2hours.

As for HOHO for that price, tell 'em to shuffle off to Buffalo.

happytrailstoyou

If you ask for the Metro in NYC you may get some odd looks and need to explain what you mean.

Please don't underestimate us. Most reasonably educated people know that "metro" refers to an underground railway system.

HTtY

IMDonehere

The people that run the trains and buses, among other things, decided to call the pass, the Metrocard. This confuses the issue as NY'ers either call it the train or the subway. This was done because for the first time in the City history, you could transfer from a train to a bus (or vice versa) without an extra charge. No NY'er calls the subway the Metro, but as someone noted people can figure it out.

Another quirk is that NY'ers do not use colors to identify the subway lines even though subway lines appear on the maps in colors. That is because there are multiple lines using the same color codes. Either ask for the letter or the number. Of course, there are exceptions to that as well, as NY'ers refer to the number 6 as the Lex Local and the 4 and 5 as Lex Express. There are exceptions but I do not want to confuse matters more than they are.


BUT do not call Greenwich Village, Greenwich as there is a tony town in CT with that name.