Helicopter Over NYC

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The other day my husband and I were talking about the most fun things we have ever done in this beloved city of ours. We both agreed that at the very top of our list is the helicopter ride we took over New York City.

I had planned it for his birthday and I wanted to celebrate in a way that would be both romantic and fun, but that would also appeal to our adventurous spirits.  I didn’t want to travel too far (needed to be home for the surprise dinner I had planned), but wanted it to be more than just a visit to a fancy restaurant or bar. Taking a helicopter ride over the city is not the most inexpensive gift, but it is well-worth the money spent.

I decided to go with HeliNY, because they offered similar tours as the others, but at a better price. The tour I chose was The Ultimate Tour, which is their mid-range tour and costs about $189.00 per person for a 18-20 minute tour.

These tours give a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the island of Manhattan. In text it may seem like 18-20 minutes is not long, but what you get to see in the time makes it feel like you got so much more.

The day of our tour was an incredible one, it was sunny and warm and just gorgeous. We really lucked out because had there been any fog, or rain like there has been lately in the city, we wouldn’t have been able to see anything!

We took off from Pier 6 near the South Street Seaport, and  got an up-close view of the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport, Governors Island and Ellis Island. We went up the Hudson River, as far up as to our neighborhood of Washington Heights and close to the George Washington Bridge and Harlem.

We saw the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, World Financial Center, Chelsea Piers, Jacob Javits Convention Center, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Time Warner Center and Central Park. And didn’t miss the New Jersey Coast including the Goldman Sachs Tower, Colgate Clock, Liberty State Park and caught a view of Ground Zero.

I made the reservation and paid online, and when I got to the heliport I waited only briefly before our helicopter took off. We were in luck because no one else had reserved a helicopter at the same time as us, so we got to enjoy it just us two, plus the pilot of course.

There are many other helicopter tour companies out there which are worth the try. This particular one was simply the one I chose for us and which we had a happy experience with. If you are going to indulge in a wonderful New York City experience, than I say this is it. It has been an unforgettable one for us and one I think people, whether they live here or are just visiting, should try at least once.

For more adventurous gift ideas check out Three Awesome Gift Ideas for The Adventurous Spirit.

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