See New York from a Different Angle With THE TOUR

by Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman

After living in New York for 16 years I thought I've seen it all…but a tour bus with stadium seating was definitely a first for me. THE TOUR is a 90-minute ride all over Midtown Manhattan and Upper West Side that's a multimedia experience on a bus with seats turned sideways. My family and I recently experienced it and saw New York like we've never seen it before.

As mentioned, the bus has stadium seating plus floor-to-ceiling glass windows so you get a panoramic view no matter where you sit. Unlike outdoor tour buses this is indoors so you can enjoy the ride in rainy weather or cold temperatures. The interior has LED lights, plasma TV screens and surround sound.

Our tour guide, Rory, was a hoot! High energy, witty and oozing personality. She's a licensed tour guide and probably a performer as well. She put on a show and "interacted" with "THE TOUR" who was supposedly an entity (this was a recording that had a male voice as THE TOUR and Rory interacted with him throughtout the ride). Aside from entertaining, Rory was very knowledgeable and gave lots of tips for first timers along with anecdotes and tidbits for trivia buffs such as myself. Plus she shared some secrets and "behind the scenes stories" that were very entertaining.

THE TOUR passes through some of New York's most famous landmarks. We were treated to panoramic views such as this one, on Fifth Avenue, near Central Park:

And Herald Square, near Macy's:

No NYC tour is complete without a view of The Empire State Building.

The entire roof of the bus is made of glass so we looked up often:

My kids had so much fun pointing out the landmarks:

There are 40 plasma TV screens which simultaneously show videos like the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, along with historic footage – which I found fascinating! The screens also displayed performances, for example – when we passed by the Metropolitan Opera we got to watch part of an opera performance.

The bus itself did some simulations, like a theme park ride. For example, it simulated a subway ride, and when we passed by the Empire State Building it was as if we were on the building when King Kong was shaking it! My kids especially loved this part.

THE TOUR leaves from and returns to Times Square. Tickets are $45 per person.

Visit THE TOUR to learn more. See New York from a Different Angle With THE TOUR

I was not compensated for this post. I received tickets to THE TOUR.

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Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Bites and has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for fourteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 9, 7 and 3) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.