Has anyone had experience with the 'hop on/off' bus tours ? We will be a party of 4, with 2 in their seventies and 2 in the 40s and considering buying a two day pass to see many of the sights.

Also would love reccomendation for restuarant in Little Italy ?

I recommend the two day hop on hop off tour! I travelled to NYC for the first time and din't have a clue how to get around. Spent the first day just enjoying the tour guides talk and got an idea of where we wanted to go on the second day. I thought this was well worth the price, especially if you don't want to walk miles in the heat.

Ordinarily I say these tours are a waste of time. The only way to really learn about the city is to get out into the streets and DO things.

However, if the 70's are going to find this difficult (can;t walk long distances) it may be easier for them

But - it's so expensive for 4 people - I think that using cabs and a little walking wouldn't cost any more - and would give you a much better flavor for the city - visiting it rather than just looking at it.

The buses are much more effective if you just stay on. Hopping off and back on is chancy, since there are often long lines waiting to board, and you don't know how many buses will go by before there's room for you. Definitely NOT a good fallback for travelers with limited stamina. I second the suggestion of investing in taxis instead or in combination.

Actually, I think it's a good idea, you get a real tour of the city with the ongoing tour guide comments, and you can get on and off anywhere you like. You will be stuck in traffic anywhere you go, especially during the summer, and if you are on the top deck, bring sun screen.

There are lots of spots in Little Italy, and all right now have outdoor cafes, so walk down Mulberry St and pick what looks good. My favorite is Luna, not much ambiance but great food.

We did this while in NY about 3 weeks ago. The longest wait for a bus was about 20 minutes and that was to board after picking up out tickets. The other long wait was outside Met. Museum of Art --about 15 minutes. We did notice that there were times that there were longer lines at the South Street Seaport--no line when we boarded here.
Not sure if the 2 individuals in their 70's will be able to make it to the upper deck on all busses; steps can be a bit narrow and winding.
This was not the fastest method for seeing the city--but we did enjoy the comments made by most of the guides.
We did find that there were times when using the subway for one leg of the trip and then the bus made for the best use of our time--some of the routes overlap.

I purchased our tickets on-line and did save a few dollars on each ticket.
Would I suggest this for others? Yes, it is an easy way to get an overview of the city.
Temps were very hot when we did this and we were glad to have water with us. One guide did stop the bus an allowed water to be purchased from curbside vendors.

Absolutely! We bought a 2 day pass on our first trip to NYC 5 years ago. We had our 2 kids along and loved the convenience. The first day we took the entire tour (of course we had to ride on top), then after that we used it as a mini-taxi. It was great because each bus had a different tour guide who had a different spiel.

My 73 year old mother will be in New York for the first time in a couple of weeks. I recommended the Gray Line pass to her since it's difficult for her to walk long distances.

One more thing--we did use taxis several times--very easy and relatively inexpensive when we just weren't in the mood to wait for a bus.

I WISH I could remember the restaurant we stumbled upon in Little Italy. One of the many sidewalk cafes--heavenly food and they loved our kids. Sometimes it's fun to just pick one out on a whim and see what happens. A little chancy but we chose ours on how many people were sitting outside. Empty--no! Busy--yes!