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Tours
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Bus Tours
Apart from equipping yourself with a decent map, perhaps the most obvious way to orient yourself to the city is to take a bus tour . These are extremely popular, though frankly you're swept around so quickly as to scarcely see anything. Still, the tops of double deckers are a great place to figure out what's where for later explorations. In general, an all-city tour over two days will cost $30-$45, although you can also have half-day or limited-area tours for around $25. Buses run seven days a week, from (approximately) 9am to 6pm, with special rates and times for evening tours.
Best bets are City Sightseeing (Coach), 1040 6th Ave, NY 10018 (tel 1-800/876-9868 for tickets and locations. Terminal: 8th Ave and 53rd St), and Gray Line Sightseeing Terminal , Port Authority at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, NY 10019 (tel 1-800/669-0051 for tickets and locations
Walking Tours
Options for walking tours of Manhattan or the outer boroughs are many and varied. Usually led by experts, they offer fact-filled wanders through neighborhoods or focus on particular subjects. You'll find fliers for some of them at the various Visitor Centers; for what's happening in the current week, check the New York Times (Fri or Sun), the weekly Village Voice or New York Press (both out on Wed), or any of the free weekly papers around town. Detailed under "Organizations" are some of the more interesting tours: they don't all operate year-round, the more esoteric only setting up for a couple of outings at specific times of the year. Phone ahead for the full schedules
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Brooklyn Bridge
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Helicopter Tours
More exciting option is to look at the city from the air, by helicopter . This is expensive, but you won't easily forget the experience. Liberty Helicopter Tours, at the western end of 30th Street or from the Wall Street heliport at Pier 6 (tel 212/967-4550, closed on weekends), offers flights ranging from $59 (for four-and-a-half minutes) to $187 (fifteen minutes). If you leave from 30th Street, the best seat for photos is on the right in the back. Helicopters take off regularly between 9am and 9pm every day unless winds and visibility are bad; you don't need a reservation, but in high season (and nice weather) you may have quite a wait if you just show up.
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Tours on Water
A great way to see the island of Manhattan is a voyage on the Circle Line ferry (tel 212/563-3200, www.circleline.com). Departing from Pier 83 at W 42nd Street and Twelfth Avenue, it circumnavigates Manhattan, taking in everything from the tall buildings of downtown Manhattan to the subdued stretches of Harlem and the Bronx - complete with a live wisecracking commentary; the three-hour tour is $24 ($12 for children under twelve). Another interesting option is the Harlem Spirituals Gospel Cruise, two-hour tours for $25 that depart from Pier 16 at South Street Seaport.
One of the city's true bargains is the free Staten Island ferry , which leaves from South Ferry on the lower tip of Manhattan and offers great views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty
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