Escapes

Why We Recommend getting a New York Pass

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Just like this glorious city we call London, New York is another city where there is a lot to see and explore, but where do you start and how much will all these tourist attractions cost? It can be a costly trip when you want to see as much as possible in a short trip or even a ten day trip, which I took recently. Having written a blog post last year on New York, where I mentioned The New York Pass, it felt only right to do a dedicated post and I’ll tell you why… The New York Pass is a Great way of saving money whilst visiting the big Apple, but not only that, you end up visiting attractions you would have never visited.

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Along with your New York Pass, you get a 230 page guidebook, listing all the places to see, so your first stop after collecting your pass is sitting in an American dinner, with a pen and notebook, jotting down what to see while your pancakes are being made. Or if you’re super organised, download the app and start making plans at home.

The pass gives you access to over 90+ attractions and walking tours. It certainly does cover those must see attractions that gives you some of the best views of the city, yes I’m talking about the Empire State Building and the Top of The Rock. If you’re  savvy like I was, having gone before, I went to The Empire State building in the day time and then the Top of the Rock in the evening, to catch the sun setting. I cannot express what a magical experience that was, and a little heads up, if you’re  going to see the sun set, get your tickets in advance, as the time slot for magic hour sells out quickly.

Nyla Sammons New York -3(View From The Empire State Building)

Nyla-Sammons-New-York--2(View from Top of the Rock)

The price varies, depending on how many days you want the pass for, for one day it’s $109, if you buy the three-day pass it works out as $80 a day. it may sound like a lot, but most attractions in New York have about a $35 entrance fee. The child rate starts at $89 for a day pass. I also found by having the New York Pass gave me the freedom to be adventurous and go see as much as I could fit in a day, after all money is no object once you get your hands this baby!

The New York Pass also gives you access to the bus tour, which you need to take advantage on the first day of getting the pass, so if you bought a three day pass, it only allows you to go on the first day, there is a daytime tour and also a night tour, both highly recommend. No need to take the subway and you really get a great insight into the city. You can start with the Uptown tour and get an eyeful of some of the best property New York has to offer, along with admiring the view of Central park, which the bus does a loop around. Then check out the midtown and downtown tour, its a great way of getting to know where the attractions are for when you start your journey of visiting all your must see places. I loved the view from the  bus as you also get to look down at all the characters, New York has to offer, don’t forget your camera, and I don’t mean your iPhone, you will thank me for it.

Of course you cant miss visiting some of the best museums, New York has to offer, we visited The Guggenheim, MOMA, The Whitney and The Met (don’t forget to check out the rooftop at The Met).

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Being a bit of a nerd for walking tours, having previously joined three the last time I was in NYC, me and a friend joined the Brooklyn walking tour. I cant recommend these tours enough, they are free with the pass, normally costing $25-35. Did you know Brooklyn use to be its own city until New York City gobbled it up and took ownership of it demoting it to just a neighbourhood? Fun fact I learned on the tour!

Nyla Sammons New York -5(We came across this park on the Brooklyn walking tour)

If you like behind the scenes tours then note some of these down for when you head to NYC:
Carneige Hall Tour
Radio City Music Hall
Grand Central Audio Tour
Tour at Lincoln Centre
Madison Square Garden Tour
and the very very famous Yankee Stadium Tour!

I could very much go on about all the other attractions you can visit, but what is the fun in that, have a good read of that guidebook and enjoy those American pancakes while you get familiar with your day to day plans. The Big Apple is a firm favourite for so many and when you go there you will see why, Enjoy!

Website: www.newyorkpass.com

Written by Nyla Sammons
Photography by Nyla Sammons