For my latest trip to NYC, we were only going to be there for two full days. Even though I’ve been to the city a handful of times, I still like to see all of the classic sites every time I visit. It’s just not a trip to NYC without a ride on the ferry and a photo of the Statue of Liberty! When I found the New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour with Viator, it seemed like the perfect way to maximize my time in the city.
We opted for the 9:00 am tour instead of the 10:00 am so that we’d have more daylight left afterwards to keep exploring the city. I’m not gonna lie, in my head I was wondering how in the world we were going to see all of the sites listed on the itinerary without getting stuck in major traffic or rushing through the experience. But honestly, it was one of the more peaceful and easy tours I’ve been on! I would definitely recommend this tour for any age group. There was a little bit of walking through Central Park and near Rockefeller Center, but nothing crazy. One of the ladies on our tour had just had knee surgery and decided to stay on the bus for a few of the sites, so you always have that option.
The meeting point for the tour was right near Times Square and fairly close to our super cute hotel, the StayPineapple Midtown. I highly recommend this hotel for couples or singles. It’s a great price, and incredibly clean and cute!
To start the tour, we hopped right on the bus and drove through Times Square and our tour guide, Don, was the perfect New York City native to tell us everything about literally every building we drove by. He grew up in the city and had plenty of stories to keep us entertained throughout the entire day.
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It was definitely nice to watch the city go by in our nice, quiet, air conditioned bus. It was raining on and off throughout the day but Don provided us with rain ponchos, which came in handy when we were walking through Central Park. Don had some pretty interesting facts about the history of Central Park and how back in the day, children weren’t even allowed to play in the park! We got to see some beautiful buildings from within the park, though it was a bummer that the fog was covering the very tops of the skyscrapers. As a photographer though, I actually prefer a day with unique weather because I’d rather create a photograph that is unique and unlike the standard tourist photo that everyone gets. :)
After Central Park, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to Rockefeller Center. It actually wasn’t as crowded as we expected, though I’m sure it can get a bit crazy during the winter holidays. We saw some gorgeous views of the statues, churches, and skyscrapers surrounding the area and were given plenty of time for photo ops. It would be super fun to take this tour during the holidays to see the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and ice skating rink though!
As we were walking throughout the area, we even got to see Leslie Bibb and Jenna Bush live on the air on the Today Show! It was our only celebrity sighting of our whole NYC trip, so the tour was totally worth it just for that! We just recently finished watching The White Lotus, so I recognized Leslie Bibb right away and couldn’t believe she was right there in front of us!
After our celeb sighting, we hopped back on the bus and made a quick pit stop for a view of the Empire State Building. Then it was time for our Staten Island Ferry ride! I always love a boat ride so this was probably the highlight of the day. It’s just a great way to see the beautiful skyline from afar and snap your classic Statue of Liberty photo. After our ferry ride across the river, we hopped right back on it to come back to the city. Our tour guide gave us very specific instructions so that no one got lost or left behind.
Once we made it off the ferry, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to the World Trade Center and ate lunch in a cute food court called Gansevoort Liberty Market that had plenty of food options for everyone. We had a hard time deciding what we wanted because everything looked delicious! We opted for a hot noodle soup though because it was surprisingly chilly for a rainy day in June in New York City. It was delish!
We ended our tour with a somewhat somber visit to the 9/11 Memorial, but our tour guide, Don, had some lovely words to share about the incredible strength and positivity that came from such a catastrophic event. He gave us a few minutes to walk around the memorial and pay our respects, and then we got back on the bus to head back to our initial starting point near Times Square. After the tour was over, my husband and I wandered back to Times Square and popped into the famous M&M store. There is so much to do over there, so it’s a great way to keep the day going after the sightseeing tour is over.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THE NEW YORK IN ONE DAY GUIDED SIGHTSEEING TOUR?
Absolutely! Especially if it’s your first time in NYC, it’s a great way to get your bearings and cross a ton of landmarks off of your bucket list without having to figure out transportation yourself. It was super nice to not have to worry about the metro or taxis or ubers or traffic. Our bus driver knew all of the shortcuts and secret routes to keep us on track throughout the day. We got back to the Times Square area around 3:30, so it was a good 6.5 hour tour. It didn’t feel crazy long though, mostly because we were always on to the next thing! But I never felt rushed or overwhelmed. I told my husband that it was one of the most relaxing days I’ve ever had in NYC! I’m so used to rushing down into the subway and feeling stressed about figuring out where the heck we’re going. At this point, we’ve done quite a bit of traveling but it’s still near impossible to not get totally stressed at some point on every trip. While I do wish the weather had cooperated with us a little more, the dreary rain kind of made everything feel a little more special and memorable.
This tour is great for families, seniors, or first time visitors. Even as someone who has been to NYC multiple times, I learned so much about the history of the city and all of the incredible architecture and buildings that we saw along the way. Our tour guide, Don, was the perfect quintessential NYC native, and had a bit of that New York sarcasm and directness that really helps you to get the full understand of NYC culture. We had the best time! And if I ever bring my parents and siblings up to NYC, you better believe we’re going on this tour because I’m not trying to be the one with the pressure of dragging a group of people around a city like New York. I was worried that the tour would be a bit boring since I’d seen all of the sites before, but I truly loved getting the full NYC experience and it was exactly what I wanted for a quick visit to all of the top landmarks.
If you’re interested in booking this same tour, you can find it on Viator here! Or you can check out my other recommended tours all around the world in my Viator shop here. :)
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have the best trip!
P.S. Make sure to stop by Don Antonio’s for the best pizza you’ll ever have. Go for the one that’s lightly fried. Yes, fried. It’s incredible.
<3 Myles Katherine
