LoJa

I would like to bring my mom, 81 years old, and her sister to the City for the day and want to give them an easy, fun tour. Would taking the double decker bus tour be a good way to show them the main sights? Any other suggestions? Would there be a lot of walking required at Ellis Island?

Aduchamp1

The Ellis Island tour requires standing in line for a ferry and walking through the museum.

The hop on bus is on a second level and is exposed to the elements.

The Tenement Museum os on multiple floors and there are no seats, but you could ask if they portable chairs.

I would pick an area of the city that is of interest and there will always be a restaurant, coffee shop, cafe, etc. to sit and rest.

BonnieN

yes, I would take the double decker bus and then visit one or two smaller museums that are gems like the morgan library (my mom's favorite in ny) or the Frick. both are great and not as much walking required as other places. i also recently took my mom to the top of the rock which has great views, including central park and the empire state building.

nytraveler

How much walking and standing can they comfortably do?

Major bus tours are often a bad idea since you can see only from the upper deck - which leaves you exposed to the elements and can be difficult to get to.

You might might to google smaller tours in vans - where they can stay inside and out of the weather.

Ellis Island will require long lines (45 minutes or so) to get on the ferry and for security and the museum itself is large - although you might enquire about a wheelchair that they could share.

travelbuff

The double decker bus may not be a great idea there are stairs to climb to get to the top and if you want to get off and see a site you're climbing down and then back up again.

I agree if walking is a bit of a challenge, that looking at some of the smaller tours in a van would be a better suggestion, it might be a bit more expensive, but this will probably be their only tour of NYC so it would probably be a bit better for their comfort.

Also the city buses are a good idea, you can get to see the city out the window and most of the buses these days are only 1 step on, and the bus can even be lowered for passengers with challenges.

Most of the usual sites will require waiting in lines to get in, so put that in any of your planning. Top of the Rock with timed tickets might be a nice way to really see the city and if you let them know you have specific needs, I'll bet they have had to deal with that in the past.

I think you should take them to the Met since this is a once in a lifetime trip, and get some wheelchairs, and maybe you can find a docent to help. The Met really is one of the greatest treasures the city offers and by looking at the website you can pick area that are of particular interest. The Met has elevators located all over the buiding. Also the roof garden, is a wonderful top to see the city from a beautiful vantage point, and have a bit of refreshment.

We now have "the duck tour", that might be a nice idea, and it does a bit of tour of the Hudson River so would be nice on a hot day, and I saw one recently that was covered,

Or how about a Harbour Cruise, that is all covered and air conditioned and a nice way to see the city.

Hope this helps and enjoy your day.

LoJa

Thanks for all the great suggestions, I will look into all of the ideas!

mclaurie

kingofnyc.com is the best idea imo for your seniors but it's starts early in the day, even the half day tour. It's far better than the hop on/off tours as it's in an air conditioned bus (the hoho's not only require stairs but are open air and in summer you can fry). I think Grayline has some tours that are in closed buses too.

Margaretlb

Maybe you'd like to consider a tour service. Context is an outstanding tour company. I haven't taken any NYC tours (I live here) but have used them in Rome. The have group and private tours.
http://www.contexttravel.com/city/New_York