Yael and Kathleen recently spent a nearly weather perfect 24 hours in Manhattan, enjoying a smattering of great attractions from the tried and true to the (almost) brand new.
First up – if you have limited time in NYC and want to experience a little bit of everything visit RISENY for history, entertainment and a thrilling ride. The visit starts with an interesting pre-show inside a replicated, original City Hall subway station with the story focused on the positive history of Times Square (skips over the dodgy era fairly quickly), then afterwards you wander through various floors of exhibits focused on historic buildings, radio and tv personalities, New York focused music and Broadway shows. The fun staff (though with slightly cringy scripted lines) then lead you through the queue to the marque event – an eventful elevator ride up to the “observation deck” where you take part in a historic NYE countdown via a 4D flyover ride. After the ball drops, the ride passes over iconic Manhattan scenes, including the NYC Marathon, sweeping Central Park views and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The film uses CGI and actual footage, which was noticeable to us (no people in Central Park!?) but we admittedly tend to be harsh critics. RISENY is a bit off the beaten path in Times Square, by a mere half block, though easy enough to find. We wondered if a more central location could possibly boost their visitor numbers and revenues.
Looking to have a view from the top? Visit SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, NYC’s newest observation experience at Grand Central Station. Timed tickets are a must, and you’ll likely encounter significant queue lines at any time of day, but especially at sunset. Views at SUMMIT are a-mazing and generally unobstructed with full length glass and an outdoor deck, though combined with the various immersive components such as floor to floor mirrors and a room full of floating mirrored balls (management – please add these to the retail shop!), the level of selfie snapping is very high, which can slow down your travels through the experience. We were excited to do Ascent, the outside elevator ride to the top, but alas it was down for maintenance. Luckily, the high-end cocktails, snacks and vibe at the top level Après café cleared away our disappointment.
Maybe you want to stay closer to ground and a little bit old school – take a Circle Line cruise to view the city from a different perspective, the East and Hudson Rivers! Join the masses of international tourists on this two-and-a-half-hour adventure (it’s a time commitment!) where a seasoned tour guide will narrate your adventure with interesting facts and lesser-known history, from the west side, around The Battery, past the Statue of Liberty and up the East River with views of Brooklyn. We were thankful for the modest food and beverage offerings pre-dinner, and happy to take photos for and with many, many tourists.
Overall, plenty of ways to ‘see NYC’! You can do it old school on the boat, or modern observation experience at SUMMIT, or go mixed media at RISENY.
Yael’s favourite was going old school on the water, Kathleen is still deciding.
