First 48 hours in Mahattan? Best city-bstour
Jul 26th, 2005, 04:25 AM
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First 48 hours in Mahattan? Best city-bstour
My wife and I want to make the most of our first trip to NYC.
We only have 5 days so getting the right overview during the first 48 hours is very important.
We only have 5 days so getting the right overview during the first 48 hours is very important.
Jul 26th, 2005, 05:53 AM
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I don't know there's a "best". I do think there are pros and cons of the various options. The hop on/off double decker gives you an overview but best views are up top, so no a/c if this is happening soon. People have reported some long waits for the next bus at times after hopping off and guides are "uneven."
The NY Party Shuttle avoids some of the problems above. It's a closed bus with a/c. They stay with you while you hop off but that also means you're on their schedule. It's 6 hrs straight starting at noon every day. There are also private tours you can use.
I personally would do the downtown loop only of the hop on/off tour and maybe not do too much "hopping," just to get a feel for where things are. That's assuming it's not 100 in the shade as they're predicting for today. In that case I'd do the Party Shuttle
pros
you can pick and choose what to see and what to skip
The NY Party Shuttle avoids some of the problems above. It's a closed bus with a/c. They stay with you while you hop off but that also means you're on their schedule. It's 6 hrs straight starting at noon every day. There are also private tours you can use.
I personally would do the downtown loop only of the hop on/off tour and maybe not do too much "hopping," just to get a feel for where things are. That's assuming it's not 100 in the shade as they're predicting for today. In that case I'd do the Party Shuttle
pros
you can pick and choose what to see and what to skip
Jul 26th, 2005, 08:29 AM
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The main co. is Grayline. Info on various options here
http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Tours/DD_Bus_Tour.html
Double check prices b/c there are several other websites that also have info on these tours. Here's one other
http://www.coachusa.com/newyorksightseeing/
http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Tours/DD_Bus_Tour.html
Double check prices b/c there are several other websites that also have info on these tours. Here's one other
http://www.coachusa.com/newyorksightseeing/
Jul 26th, 2005, 11:19 AM
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I've used Gray Line before and found it to be fairly good. As previous posters have noted - if it's hot out you will cook on the top platform of the bus.I got wet sitting on the top platform because the seats were wet from a prior rainstorm. I think though that you could plan your times on the bus a little bit around the weather. If you know what you want to see, using the bus will help - for instance, if you choose to visit the statue and Ellis Island, that will be part of your bus price and they will get you in the boats ahead of any lines. Same with the top of the Empire State. We never waited more than 20 minutes for the next bus, regardless of where we stopped. Also nice is that even when you are done with the tour,you have unlimited use of the busses for the full 48 hours. Take a look at the website for Grayline and then decide which places you want to visit and plan accordingly. For instance, if you want to do Ellis Island, the Statue and Ground Zero, these are all in the same area and you could spend quite a bit of time doing just these 3 things.Make a list of what's important to the both of you and then clump the sights by geographic location so you can make the most of your time.
