By Megan Smith
New York Tours
There are countless tours in
New York City, and all of them are aimed at tourists. Avoid overpriced tours that don't offer anything that you can't see on your own. If you find yourself tempted by flyer-waving men trying to cram you into a tour bus for $50 a ticket, remember that there's much more to see on foot, or on the New York Water Taxi. There are some cream-of-the-crop New York tours that allow you to explore historical landmarks like the Statue of Liberty firsthand, eat cupcakes in the classic New York neighborhood, Greenwich Village, or walk through the streets of Harlem with your very own gang of New York.
Statue Cruises
Statue cruises provides two options to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The tour ferries go past the Financial District, the site of the former World Trade Center towers, and around both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, providing beautiful skyline views that you'll never see from on land. The tour guides operate the ferry and provide lots of fascinating information, like what Lady Liberty's torch is made of, which you won't get taking the old Staten Island Ferry on your own. In order to find out, you'll have to take the tour. Address: Statue Cruises, 1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305, phone: (877) 523-9849.
New York Water Taxi Tours
On the weekends, New York Water Taxi provides a fun "Hop On, Hop Off" tour to visit 12 popular New York destinations. You'll actually jump off the boat and do some exploring. Prerecorded information describes the areas you visit. You can purchase either a one-day or a two-day pass, which allows you to come and go from the Water Taxi as you please, and spend as much time as you want exploring each neighborhood--new Water Taxis arrive to pick you up at each location once every hour. Locations the Water Taxi stops at include The South Street Seaport, the home of the "Bodies" exhibit and the Seaport Museum, Greenwich Village, where you can stop to get cupcakes just like the "Sex and the City" girls at Magnolia Bakery, The World Financial Center, where the New York Stock Exchange is located, Times Square, Chelsea Pier 66, and Battery Park. Phone: (212) 742-1969 ext 222.
Gotham Walking Tours
For travelers who enjoy getting to know a city on foot, try Gotham Walking Tours, which provides historic walking tours of virtually every neighborhood in Manhattan. These tours are not advised for those who have trouble walking long distances, but if you want to stroll through neighborhoods that most tourists don't see, accompanied by an expert guide, look no further than Gotham Walking Tours. Neighborhoods that Gotham covers include Greenwich Village, Harlem, the Lower East Side, Madison Square Park, and SoHo. Gotham offers both private tours, for your party only, and public tours, which require advance reservations and usually include about 15 people. The Harlem tour is popular for individuals who feel uncomfortable walking around Harlem alone but would like to know information about the historic neighborhood. The Harlem tour lasts about 2 1/2 hours and includes visits to Astor Row and the famous Apollo theater. The tour, like most tours offered by Gotham, is followed by a one-hour lunch at a historic restaurant in the neighborhood. Phone: (646) 645-5782.
Resources
About the Author:
Megan Smith has been a freelance writer and editor since 2006. She writes about health, fitness, travel, beauty and grooming topics for various print and Internet publications. Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in writing from New York University.
Photo Credits:
http://www.sxc.hu/profile/jtbball81
