[Tour with PL] Tour de New York City ~ Before we started off

As  you already know, we got back from an awesome, unforgettable trip to NYC and DC.

   "A traveler without observation is a bird without wings"- [Moslih Eddin Saadi] 

Therefore, we will be glad to share with you on 'every bit' of our trip in coming posts. Read through and enjoy a 'virtual tour' through NYC.

About NYC: I am sure there needs no introduction about New York city. People around the globe must have heard of this enormous city at least once in their lifetime. The most populous city in USA, which lies at the mouth of the Hudson River.


NYC is the land of the largest and most famous skylines on earth, dominated by the iconic Empire State Building. It is home to many world-class museums, art galleries, and theaters, many of the world's largest corporations have their headquarters here, is one of the global centers of international finance, politics, communications, film, trade, food, research, music, fashion, and culture, and is among the world's most important and influential cities.

New York City consists of five boroughs, which are five separate counties. Each borough has a unique culture and could be a large city in its own right.

Planning? To all who are planning to visit NYC (especially along with infants and toddlers), my simple advice is, before you start off plan your trip very well. NYC is a huge city and may get lost if you don't 'understand', learn and plan your trip well in advance. {Hmmm, they say a perfect traveler won't have any plans, but in my opinion that's correct if you are on a tranquil trip and don't have to worry about your sweet little bugs accompanying you.}

Luckily, we have had a clear plan- our priorities, approximate time required in each place, optional places (if we had time left) to visit etc. Even though NYC is drivable distance away from Buffalo (8-9 hours), we did not opt for it, mainly for following reasons:

• First and foremost we were pretty sure that little Liya can not sit in a car seat, all strapped in for such a long time.
• NYC is a large city, very difficult to find out places and routes especially if you are not a regular visitor or local resident. [Believe me GPS may not help you always].
• Extremely difficult to get parking lots.
• We lose an entire day in driving and may end up weary and worn out after long drive.

We had carried out a good research on all aspects of traveling in the city- the best way to travel to, roam around, stay etc. And found that booking a sight-seeing hop on hop off bus is the best and way to 'tour' in NYC.

We opted for newyorkpass which is the best for a cost effective rate. When we booked it was USD 140 per head for 2 Day CitySights Hop-on Hop-off + 2 Day Adult Pass Package and free for children under 3.

Isn't cheaper, really? Well, this includes free entry to almost 55 attractions including all iconic attractions such as Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Madame Tussaud’s, Circle Line River Cruise etc. If you calculate the entry fees for main 5 attractions, it would cross $200 plus taxi charges may exceed $300. Other advantage is that you don't need to wait in the queue in many places, fast track entry is available in few attractions. I must say that NY pass helped us for a better planning and covering all main attractions in 2 days.  {I am not marketing for them ;). Just sharing my experience.}
Yes, traveling in an open bus won't be as comfortable as traveling in car, but the experience will definitely be different.