NYC bus tour suggestions
 

We are headed east, and will have a couple of day trips into NYC. We'd like to take a bus trip to get a general overview of the city. Any suggestions on which company to use?

If you are coming between now and Christmas, I simply cannot recommend any bus trip. Traffic begins to pick up in NYC during September, and if you are only coming into the city for a day or two, you'll be able to see and do a lot more by simply putting your money on a Metrocard so you can use our subway and bus system (and use buses sparingly if you have little time since they are very very slow).

If you really insist on using one of the hop-on/hop-off buses, then I don't see any difference, to be completely honest. They are expensive and not a good deal, and most go to the same places.

I agree with Doug. The subway is the best way to get around and see the sights, instead of sitting in stalled traffic.
There is really no way "to get a general overview of the city" in a couple of day trips. Pick a neighborhood to explore in more depth. It's a walking city for sure. Or pick a few sights that are highest on your bucket list and go from there. If you give a sense of your interests, contributors here can give you some helpful information to narrow down what may seem a myriad of choices.

Thanks for your thoughts. We'll be there in a few days. Good info to know about the buses not be a great idea. How about the Circle boat tour? One of us in the group is not great for long walking distances, so we're trying to break things up a bit.

If someone in your group can't walk, then I guess using the HOHO bus has got to be something you consider whether it's a good idea or not. This time of the year, the weather is iffy, and the Circle Line is nice if it's a beautiful day, but it's also a long and relatively boring trip.

How about taking the Staten Island Ferry out and back? That's free and takes you right by the Statue of Liberty. If you do it at dusk, it will be busy but you'll see the lights of downtown Manhattan as you head back to the ferry terminal.

I still say (and agree with SambaChula) that focusing on one or two things that really interest you is a much more productive strategy in NYC than getting an "overview". To me, nothing about NYC is interesting from the top of a double-decker bus. Everything on the ground is interesting, however.

If you want a tour you might want to look at the onboard tour, which are many fewer people in a van and with a guide actually taking you into a couple of places instead of just sitting in traffic and looking at the outside of random buildings.

Do not take a bus tour unless you want to sit in traffic. Use the subways and Uber to get to the sites you would like to see.