"...the best use of a Hop on, Hop off bus is to get an overall view of the layout and the feel of a city and "see" the major sites, then later go back and explore those you want."

Exactly.

Or to just get on and ride for a while when you - or members of your group - are totally exhausted and just want to rest for a while. Hop ON the bus, sit back, relax, ride through the city and get off again when you are 1) rested or 2) near something you want to see. Get OFF the bus and walk to the next destination.

Evidently some of the locals can only see them as alternatives to city buses or subways - and have absolutely no idea how frustrating it is to lead one or more people around the city. Along with the normal differences of opinions/interests the whining includes the hassles of the transportation modes. More than once I've changed directions and just stopped leading and gotten on the bus and we rode for a while. The break was heavenly.

One non-HOHO trip, the SIL was being a major pain in the butt. We were using the subway to navigate the city but she didn't want to plan. She wanted to play it by ear. We'd leave one location (example, the Frick) and she's announce the next location she wanted to see. We were back and forth across the city like maniacs. We were in lower Manhattan when her daughter cried foul, and a meltdown was imminent. I stopped at the next bus stop and we got on the next (city)bus. Just riding and watching and relaxing for a while calmed every down. Then the SIL asked where the bus was going. I told her I had no damn idea. I really didn't. I just got her on a bus and shut her up for a while. We eventually got off the bus and I picked up leading the way to the next location.

Anyone who thinks the HOHO is used as an alternative for a city bus is doomed to not understand the differences between the two - and the benefits of the HOHO buses. They remind me of the fellow in the grocery store who didn't know the different words for avocado and guacamole.

I'm reminded of London. My first visit there, I studied up on the Underground and happily navigated myself all over the city. I was so proud of myself. But the second time I went I took a hop on, hop off bus the first day (due to the urging of friends with me) and was literally shocked how close some of the major sites were -- I could have more easily walked between some of them and actually seen much more than taking the tube! I think the same thing applies to NYC. While I love traveling the subway (and choose it often over a traffic controlled taxi or bus), I feel that if time permitted, being above ground and seeing everything between point A and point B is just so much more of a good way to experience an unfamiliar city.

I completely agree.

And after I am familiar with the city, I often choose taxis over subways SOLELY because I'd rather see the city than ride underneath it.

NOT when I am in a hurry...but most of the time on vacation, I'm not in a hurry (if I had planned well)

Having sat in a traffic jam in a taxi going from the slightly upper West Side to Union Square several days ago, I would still argue that in Manhattan the HoHo Bus isn't the best choice (no above-ground transportation is) (FWIW, I have done (and like doing) the HoHo bus in many cities).

And when it's freezing, it's freezing. We were on the top of an open-top bus in London years ago

Finishing that thought -

"and we had to get off to get a hot drink often. No amount of bundling up would have solved the problem".

"...I would still argue that in Manhattan the HoHo Bus isn't the best choice..."

I agree with you that it may not be the best choice for you.

What I have difficulty with is saying it's not the best choice for others.

How do you know what the expectations/time frames of the people on the bus are? You don't.

Re the cold - it's a choice. A CHOICE. Those who don't want to sit in the cold, can go down to the first level.

It's like saying the High Line shouldn't exist because of "What about cold freezing weather?".
Don't walk the High Line in cold freezing rain.
Don't ride the HOHO bus in cold freezing rain.

Seriously. Have we lost our minds here? ;)

"...I would still argue that in Manhattan the HoHo Bus isn't the best choice..."

I agree with you that it may not be the best choice for you.

What I have difficulty with is saying it's not the best choice for others.

How do you know what the expectations/time frames of the people on the bus are? You don't.

Re the cold - it's a choice. A CHOICE. Those who don't want to sit in the cold, can go down to the first level.

It's like saying the High Line shouldn't exist because of "What about cold freezing weather?".
Don't walk the High Line in cold freezing rain.
Don't ride the HOHO bus in cold freezing rain.

Seriously. Have we lost our minds here? ;)

I agree with you starrs, I don't know why you don't see that. However, factually speaking, if it's cold outside, it will be colder on the top of an open-air bus, and if it's midtown Manhattan, it will be slow. If with those two things in mind, the OP still chooses the HoHo bus, it's certainly fine with me, many people do.

"However, factually speaking, if it's cold outside, it will be colder on the top of an open-air bus, and if it's midtown Manhattan, it will be slow."

And I totally agree with both of those - and have indicated so above.

If it's too cold, move down to the lower level.

Re slow - no more slow than a city bus.


"If with those two things in mind, the OP still chooses the HoHo bus, it's certainly fine with me, many people do."

Totally agree :-)

I live in Manhattan and watch the HoHo bus trundle by. I also see plenty of people waiting at bus stops with frustrated looks on their faces for the infrequent next bus, or unable to board a crowded bus.

However, I also know friends who have visited and thoroughly enjoyed the HoHo bus, precisely because they used it as a tour bus and not as transportation. They pretty much rode the entire route of each loop without getting off. They also did not ride at midday when the traffic and heat might have been unbearable. So, as others have said, great for touring, not so great for transportation.

Mostly I am commenting so I can tell this story: One set of friends DID get off the HoHo bus once in the middle of the route--in the East Village at First Avenue and St. Mark's Place, knowing the stop was close to my house. As they got up to leave, this dialogue occurred . . .

Tour guide: "Wait, you don't want to get off here."

Friends: "Yes, we do."

Tour guide: "But no one EVER gets off here."

Friends: "But we know where we are."

ROTFLMAO. If its cold, don't ride on top the bus. Duh! How many smarts does it take to figure that out?

And if that last post was unclear, all I was saying was that it makes about as much sense to use the weather as a reason to avoid a hop on, hop off bus as it does to say "avoid going to the Top of the Rock because in a snowstorm you can't see anything and you will freeze". Well, duh!

Smart Destinations sells a card for NYC that you can purchase not by the number of days there, but rather by the number of attractions that you want to use it for. The card is activated the first time you use it and is then good for the duration of your visit. So if you are planning to go to DC in the middle of your stay, your card would still be good when you return to NYC. The card makes the attractions less expensive than paying individual admission fees but it is also handy in that once you have paid for the card, you can use it instead of doling out cash or heaping more charges on your credit card. Your children's ages would mean that they would have to have the adult card, too, which costs a bit more than the children's card. You can Google Smart Destinations. Sometimes they run special sales on the cards. The website will have a list of the attractions that the card is good for. It includes things like the Statue of Liberty, the major museums, harbor cruises, and many other attractions. I used the cards for NYC when I took my granddaughter there last summer and it saved us quite a bit.

Five of us stayed in a room at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It is in your price range and the rooms are a nice size for Manhattan. The location couldn't have been better and the service was great.

I must admit I don;t understand the interest in these cards.

It is practically impossible to get to enough places to pay for the card

Several of the museums are already pay what you wish

Practically no sights have lines - so a cutting the line benefit is illusory

and now someone is saying it saves the time (30 second?) of pulling out and swiping your credit or debit card (one of the stupidest things I have ever heard)

And what if you change your plans on what to see after you have bought a card - then how much have you wasted?

Amen. I can't believe most tourists would have spent more in total by just choosing the places they want to go. Few ever visit enough places to make the card worthwhile.

I think hotel Pennsylvania will be a good choice to stay

Seriously, sheron786? Have you ever stayed there? There are few hotels or even hostels in NYC which get worse reviews.

Read the following for a while until you can't stand any more for just a sample.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hotel-pennsylvania-new-york

The Hotel Penn is one of the biggest dumps in NYC.

Whatever would make you reco it to an unsuspecting tourist?

Ah, I see sheron786 registered here simply to do that hotel recommendation. So I'm sure there was a good reason for doing so -- like maybe they need the business!