Taking The Ride Around NYC

My oldest son recently asked me why it was that I enjoyed taking tours around New York City. He said, “Don’t you know it all by now?”

Well, some would assume so. But not I. I am not too proud to admit that there are a lot of things that I don’t know about my city, even though I know a lot. Most people who have lived here all there lives know even less. It is safe to assume even that most tourists know more facts about this city than most residents simply because we, New Yorkers, like to think that we “know it all” by the sheer fact that we live here, while tourists are actually out there picking up facts as they tour along. Plus, with how frequently this city changes, there’s always something new to learn, see, and try.

So, in order to learn more I go on tours. But I will admit that some tours, a lot of tours, can be boring and redundant, and well, can make walking around lost with a map in front of your face feel a lot more interesting than riding around listening to someone talk in a mic over street noise. Lucky for you, darling readers, I don’t list those tours here on my blog. I only highlight the cool ones.

And a cool one I took recently is The Ride. This 13-feet-high, 45-feet-long bus was completely gutted and rebuilt to include three rows of stadium style seating. The Ride is not a double-deck bus, but is design to provide optimal, wide views of New York City sights and people.

Speakers allow on-board performers and riders to interact with the pedestrians as well as on street surprises. The performances highlight the unique qualities of this great town. The Ride can be between an hour to 75 minutes long, depending on traffic, and if stuck in traffic, it continues to engage the audience and entertain.

Now, personally, I have never laughed as much on a tour as I did on The Ride. The guides were hilarious! And, the ultimate value in The Ride? I actually learned something. Really interesting facts about the city. I also loved that they shared some tips on how to navigate the city, like for example, if you are waiting for the train and it comes, and you see all the subways cars are full, except for one, DO NOT get on the empty car! It probably has no AC or worst yet, smells like a dead body. No, seriously. Bad idea.

I took my “jaded” teen with my on this tour, and by the end of it, even he was smiling. Thus, the lesson to walk away with from this post is 1) you never know enough about the city, 2) out of all the tours out there, The Ride is a fun one to check out and 3) empty subway cars when all others are full=bad news.

Tickets for The Ride are $65.00 and the tour is best for riders ages 10 and up. They also offer group discounts. You can check out their schedule here and more information on the tour here.

Now, go on, get out there!

Disclosure: The Ride provided two complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.